Elementary Spanish teachers tout classroom success and urge steps to expand program

Elementary Spanish teachers told the board that weekly 45-minute lessons in Warren and Miller schools use music, movement and cultural activities to introduce language and to support diverse learners.

"Elementary Spanish is inclusive. Every class has a 45 minute session once a week," Sarah Street, Warren elementary Spanish teacher, said. Street described crafts, songs and routines used across grades and invited board members to visit classes.

Marin Chini Rinko (Miller) described cultural projects and practical language practice: songs, piñata crafts, Day of the Dead activities and short routines that include counting and greetings. She also described optional Google-Classroom language 'camps' for students interested in extra languages such as German or Russian.

Board members pressed on equity: several schools do not have elementary Spanish, and attendees said expansion depends on funding and staffing. Administrators noted a staffing challenge: an elementary language teacher resigned last August, and the district has found it difficult to recruit full-time elementary language teachers for multiple schools. Ideas discussed included combining positions to create full-time roles, using smaller schools as incubators, and creative scheduling to make positions viable.

Heather Faria, the high-school Spanish teacher, said elementary exposure builds a pipeline to higher-level coursework and workforce skills, and she warned that cutting elementary offerings could reduce future enrollment in high-school language classes.

Teachers and board members said professional support, creative staffing and district coordination would be needed to expand equitable access to elementary world-language experiences.