Maria Delgado knew that teaching her native language and culture was what she truly wanted to do with her life. But, she had to take the necessary steps to reach her goal.
Delgado began her career with Copperas Cove ISD during the 2017-2018 school year as a long-term substitute teacher at S. C. Lee Junior High. She completed alternative teaching certification but did not take her Spanish exam. So, CCISD could not offer her a teaching contract. Although she had no permanent job with the school district, Delgado attended all of the professional development classes she could because she wanted to be successful, said former principal, Kayleen Love.
"Compensation did not matter, she wanted to be everything for the students. She did not receive any compensation for the time she spent outside of the official school year or the school day," Love said. "Once school began, she stayed late and came in early for duty and tutorials. Mrs. Delgado is an extemporary teacher that plans engaging lessons and is excited about the content she teaches."
Delgado successful passed her Spanish teaching exam and is back at S. C. Lee this year. Nearly all of Delgado’s classes had 30+ students last year and this school year is no exception.
"Mrs. Delgado does everything possible to allow every student the opportunity to take Spanish. She never says no," Love said. "She is excited to be at Lee and excited to be teaching. She is kind to everyone she meets, and she always has a smile on her face. The students love her personally and as their teacher. They know without a doubt that Mrs. Delgado cares about each of them and will help them when they struggle."
Delgado’s Spanish classroom is very interactive. There are posters and informational material covering the walls to help students master the language. From Day of the Dead celebratory traditions to a Spanish Christmas, Delgado teaches students lessons they can apply to real-world events.
"When you walk in to this classroom, you see student lead learning. The students are excited and participating in whatever lesson is happening that day. The tone in the room is exciting from teacher and students," Love said. "They begin by walking in the door with a greeting and leave with a smile. Mrs. Delgado assigns projects that mean something to the students; they take ownership of their learning and have been very successful."
Oct 22, 2018
Sep 27, 2018
Storytelling dance event celebrates Hispanic cultures
Brownstown senior and President of Sigma Delta Pi Austin Garner said, "We do a lot of dance events because we feel like dance is one of the most important things about Hispanic culture and because it's an easy way to spread knowledge and information."
During this demonstration, which was part of Hispanic Heritage Month, members of this chapter did traditional dances that belonged to different countries. Dancing is an artfrom that "speaks many words" without using actual words, Garner said.
Just like every Hispanic culture is unique, every dance has its own story, said Ann Arbor senior Hannah Mauch, vice president of the chapter.
"I'm doing a piece from Mexico called la bruja it's supposed to be the origin story of witches and white magic," Mauch said.
la bruja, meaning "the witch" in English, originated in Veracruz, Mexico and is commonly known as the witch story of Mexico.
Other dances that were performed included la cumbia from Colombia and the merengue and barchata from the Dominican Republic.
"La cumbia is supposed to represent a slave dance because when slaves were chained up at night they could only move one of their feet so around the fire they would move in these big lines," Mauch said. For some, la cumbia is considered the national anthem of the country.
Originating from the 1940s to 1990s, the merengue and barchata were suppressed as a result of a really nasty dictatorship in the country, Mauch said. The dances are symbols of freedom for people, celebrating being Dominican.
"We're really trying to bring it back to life and celebrating it now. It's getting big again and it's really exciting," she said.
Being the only national Spanish honors society and the first foreign language honors society in the country, Sigma Delta Pi focuses on celebrating each other's differences and educating people about problems that occur in Hispanic communities in the United States, Mauch said.
"We are incredibly passionate about these cultures and we love Spanish. There is no one Hispanic culture and every country has its own dialect of Spanish, their own dances, food, and traditional dress form," Mauch said. "It's different everywhere and we are in a time in life where we are really trying to embrace people's identities and trying to stop stereotyping. We feel like we can start to make an impact in our own campus."
Saline freshmen Courtney Rosolowski, "I feel like I grew up in a family not full of a lot of culture. So, seeing other people celebrate their culture and seeing them so passionate about it is super cool."
"Without (dance) I don't think our Spanish cultures would be the same," Mauch said.
People may not realize that CMU is a culturally diverse university, Garner said. It's important for students to attend events like this one to learn about other cultures and expand their minds.
"In this day and age, a lot of people are close minded to especially to the Hispanic culture and we're trying to change that," he said.
During this demonstration, which was part of Hispanic Heritage Month, members of this chapter did traditional dances that belonged to different countries. Dancing is an artfrom that "speaks many words" without using actual words, Garner said.
Just like every Hispanic culture is unique, every dance has its own story, said Ann Arbor senior Hannah Mauch, vice president of the chapter.
"I'm doing a piece from Mexico called la bruja it's supposed to be the origin story of witches and white magic," Mauch said.
la bruja, meaning "the witch" in English, originated in Veracruz, Mexico and is commonly known as the witch story of Mexico.
Other dances that were performed included la cumbia from Colombia and the merengue and barchata from the Dominican Republic.
"La cumbia is supposed to represent a slave dance because when slaves were chained up at night they could only move one of their feet so around the fire they would move in these big lines," Mauch said. For some, la cumbia is considered the national anthem of the country.
Originating from the 1940s to 1990s, the merengue and barchata were suppressed as a result of a really nasty dictatorship in the country, Mauch said. The dances are symbols of freedom for people, celebrating being Dominican.
"We're really trying to bring it back to life and celebrating it now. It's getting big again and it's really exciting," she said.
Being the only national Spanish honors society and the first foreign language honors society in the country, Sigma Delta Pi focuses on celebrating each other's differences and educating people about problems that occur in Hispanic communities in the United States, Mauch said.
"We are incredibly passionate about these cultures and we love Spanish. There is no one Hispanic culture and every country has its own dialect of Spanish, their own dances, food, and traditional dress form," Mauch said. "It's different everywhere and we are in a time in life where we are really trying to embrace people's identities and trying to stop stereotyping. We feel like we can start to make an impact in our own campus."
Saline freshmen Courtney Rosolowski, "I feel like I grew up in a family not full of a lot of culture. So, seeing other people celebrate their culture and seeing them so passionate about it is super cool."
"Without (dance) I don't think our Spanish cultures would be the same," Mauch said.
People may not realize that CMU is a culturally diverse university, Garner said. It's important for students to attend events like this one to learn about other cultures and expand their minds.
"In this day and age, a lot of people are close minded to especially to the Hispanic culture and we're trying to change that," he said.
Aug 13, 2018
Spanish Royalty relishes tour of San Antonio culture
A buzz through the city as royalty took a tour around San Antonio creating some major memorable moments.
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this. Crowds gathered from far and wide to get a glimpse of the King and Queen of Spain as they visited their way through San Antonio, starting with gifts at the Spanish Governor's Palace.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg recognized the importance of the visit.
"Your visit to our cities your majesties is an opportunity that further highlights our roots our friendship and our family bonds." Nirenberg said.
The royal couple greeted by cheers from a crowd, who recognized the work the country put in to help create the only UNESCO world heritage site in Texas.
"The Spanish Government Provided pivotal support and advocacy when we pursued the designation." Nirenberg said.
After having words of wisdom with our youth to the background of church bells, crowds gathered from far and wide outside the Bexar County Courthouse to greet the couple once again.
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this. Crowds gathered from far and wide to get a glimpse of the King and Queen of Spain as they visited their way through San Antonio, starting with gifts at the Spanish Governor's Palace.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg recognized the importance of the visit.
"Your visit to our cities your majesties is an opportunity that further highlights our roots our friendship and our family bonds." Nirenberg said.
The royal couple greeted by cheers from a crowd, who recognized the work the country put in to help create the only UNESCO world heritage site in Texas.
"The Spanish Government Provided pivotal support and advocacy when we pursued the designation." Nirenberg said.
After having words of wisdom with our youth to the background of church bells, crowds gathered from far and wide outside the Bexar County Courthouse to greet the couple once again.
Jul 18, 2018
Spanish culture minister resigns over tax fine
Maxim Huerta, who was named to the cabinet of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez last week, said he had paid a fine related to his declared income in 2006 and 2008, and was "absolutely innocent".
"I have paid the fine twice, at the time and now, here," he told a news conference in Madrid, saying the penalty had resulted from a change in the tax authority's criteria.
Huerta added that he was fully up to date with his tax payments.
Sanchez toppled his predecessor, Mariano Rajoy, in a confidence vote over a long-running corruption scandal.
El Confidencial newspaper had reported that Huerta had been found to have avoided paying tax amounting to more than 200,000 euros ($235,700).
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Spaniards have been enthusiastic so far in their reception of Sanchez's Socialist government, which broke with six years of right-wing domination and contains more women than men in ministerial posts for the first time in the country's history.
His party rebounded in opinion polls after taking power, overtaking rivals which had poached its voters in recent years, including market-friendly Ciudadanos and anti-austerity Podemos.
Despite these encouraging signs, Sanchez will have his work cut out to make any major policy changes, as he controls less than a quarter of the seats in parliament.
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