On Wednesday, November 16, Sra. Begley’s Spanish 450 students headed to Saint Louis University where they were given a private tour of the campus with a stop at Starbucks and Einstein Bagels to experience the true vibe of university life. They then went on to attend two Spanish classes (2010 and 3020) so that they could get an idea of what it would be like to continue their Spanish studies at the university level.
Begley asked her students what surprised them most about their day-long university experience. One said, “I was surprised by how interactive it was, and how similar the class was to high school Spanish classes at MICDS.” It’s good to know the School is doing well to prepare Spanish students for a college-level curriculum! Another student commented, “During the 2010 class, my knowledge of nature and travel helped me contribute to the conversation. During both of the classes, our practice with speaking was very helpful because I felt like I could easily hold a conversation with the students.” Another expanded, saying, “I was able to use the skills we had developed over the course to understand and interact with the lecture. During the second class, I was able to interact with people and use my Spanish speaking skills to understand and speak out.”
Begley said, “The university professors were able to pair up my students with theirs for conversation and collaboration. This was, for sure, a highlight for them!”
“I enjoyed getting to talk to the students and hearing what they are doing and what they like most about going to SLU. It was really nice to get a student’s perspective of the school,” said another of her students.
“I was wondering if their experience at SLU had given them any ideas on how they could use the language beyond the classroom,” said Begley. Several students came away with practical applications of learning this language:
- “I think seeing the classes and being able to see the different levels and options really opened my eyes to the opportunities I could have by just being able to speak Spanish. I never realized there were different courses of Spanish that colleges offer. For example, if I want to go into the medical field there is a designated course for learning medical terms in Spanish. This is useful for me as a bilingual speaker who wants to be challenged and go into the medical field.”
- “I want to go into engineering (and would love to work for NASA someday). Since NASA partners with organizations and companies around the world, I can use my Spanish to help bridge connections between the US and Spanish-speaking countries.”
- “I can use it in speech pathology to help with bilingual children.”
“My hope is that the students continue their Spanish studies beyond our MICDS walls, and find their personal path to use the language in their lives!” said Begley.