ABOVE: Melinda Stewart leads a Spanish lesson for a group of Fairmont Area Schools staff on Tuesday at Fairmont High School. The group meets once a week for brief lessons.

FAIRMONT- Since classes resumed at Fairmont High School this fall a group of teachers and school staff have been meeting once a week for voluntary Spanish lessons. The lessons are lead by English Language Learner teacher Abraham Sepulveda and Spanish teacher Melinda Stewart.

Right now about 15 teachers are attending the lessons. Lessons take place before first hour each Tuesday and last for approximately 10 to 30 minutes. During this time teachers undergo instruction similar to what students would experience in a high school Spanish class: listening to lectures, studying language resources and practicing speaking to each other. In addition to learning the language, teachers also learn about different elements of Latin American culture.

The primary goals of these sessions are twofold; to help teachers improve as educators and to give teachers a chance to connect with one another.

A sizable portion of Fairmont students have limited English proficiency; Sepulveda works with about 70 students at the high school, the majority of whom are Spanish speakers. Students with limited English proficiency typically face more challenges attending school inside and outside of the classroom.

In addition to high school teachers, sessions are attended by district administrators including Superintendent Andy Traetow and Director of Teaching, Learning and Student Support Brooke Schultz.

“It started to brush up on Spanish … so I can be greeting and interacting with our students in the building. A big takeaway is not only the Spanish but also understanding some of the cultural aspects (Sepulveda and Stewart) bring in,” said Schultz.

While the abbreviated format of the class sessions prevents attendees from attaining an advanced degree of fluency, they can focus on key areas of vocabulary to the point where they could carry on limited conversations. Beyond understanding the language, the sessions also aim to help teachers better understand their students and vice-versa. This understanding could helps instructors better respond to the needs of their students while building better relationships and frameworks in which learning takes place.

“Some of our students are learning a new language. Some of our students, like any human being, might process certain information slower. … For adults a lot of adults (learning a new language) raises anxiety levels but being able to have adults feel empathy as they go through it changes a lot,” said Stewart.

Stewart said she’s seen participating teachers’ awareness and interactions with students improve since lessons began.

“I’ve noticed in their classrooms how they greet students, some of them slow down or pause, (and) remember to ask not just do you understand, but tell me what you understand,” said Stewart.

Sepulveda sees similarities between the experiences of students at Fairmont High School and his experiences moving to the United States from Chile. While he enjoyed his work he didn’t feel fully at home until he was able to form relationships with his peers.

“Now that I have more friends from school, (I love) coming to school without a question. … I feel safe, (Melinda) is my friend now, she’s not just my colleague. … I belong here, I want to be here, and that has helped me do my job better,” said Sepulveda.

Sepulveda believes this feeling of acceptance and safety not only is important to a student’s general well being, but also to their ability to succeed in school. Improved relationships with instructors can help students with limited English proficiency build more of an attachment to the school which promotes consistent attendance as well as engagement in academics and activities.

“If (students) don’t feel safe, if they don’t feel they have a connection with their teachers, are they going to raise their hand and ask a question? Are they going to ask for help? Are they going to advocate for themselves? They’re going to drop out soon because there’s not attachment to the school. When we see relationships, the students see the (positive impact) students have on them, they want to stay,” said Sepulveda.

Sepulveda and Stewart currently plan to continue their lessons through the end of the year. In the meantime they hope to expand the number of teachers they work with.