Educator Language and Culture Programs

My job has been taking up a lot of my time lately, which is great because it keeps me from counting down the minutes until our daughter is born!

We have been working on promoting our 2010 winter and 2011 summer Ecuador Language and Culture Programs. El Nomad's programs for educators are designed specifically for graduate students in education and educators seeking a professional development experience during their winter or summer vacations. Programs can be as short as one week and combine Spanish language learning with cultural competency development. With all program options participants will take 20 hours of basic Spanish language instruction and Spanish language for educators per week. All courses are one-on-one instruction and are offered through an accredited institution of higher education in Cuenca.

I think these types of programs are SO important for educators to participate in because the Latino population in the U.S. is growing so rapidly (especially where I'm from). Having cross-cultural understand and the basic knowledge of another language will help educators connect with students and parents alike.

My mom told me that once at her school a teacher came and asked her if she knew what "gordito" meant. My mom said that of course she knew and it translated to little fatty. The teacher became very upset and said that she had overheard a mom calling her son that and how she couldn't believe that a parent would call their child such a name! However, this is very common in Latino culture. My brother-in-law calls his wife "mi gordita". It is nothing more than a term of endearment. A loving nickname that is given to people of all ages, male or female. This is just one example of why it is so important that we expose ourselves to different cultures and take advantage of programs like El Nomad's Educator Language and Culture programs.

I also used to work as a translator for parent/teacher conferences at my mom's school. As much as you want to convey everything the teacher says to the parents, it is a lot like playing telephone, and bits and pieces get lost in translation. I know that someone who comes for a week to learn some Spanish won't be able to do an entire parent/teacher conference in Spanish, but they may speak more slowly in the conference, or repeat important parts of what they are saying because they too have had the experience of having a language barrier while in Ecuador.

Also, many times pepole think of kids acting up in the classroom because they are "bad" or have behavior problems. However, many children from families who have moved from non-English speaking countries do not have a good grasp on the English language and they act up, have bad grades, or don't pay attention because they simply do not understand, and their teacher does not understand where they are coming from. El Nomad's program will put educators in the same position and help them understand how difficult it can be for these kids to sit in a classroom listening to a language they don't understand for 8 or so hours every day.

We've had a great response so far, and it's nice to have such a good reaction when you've put a lot of work in to what you're doing. I hope we keep getting interest, and until little one comes I'll keep working away!

If you want more information about El Nomad's Educator programs please visit El Nomad's website at http://www.elnomad.com/programs.php

We have another cooking class tomorrow! We're learning all about tomates de arbol. Should be fun!

Hasta luego!