— DISCLAIMER: this is an opinion article, The Independent Dragon does not endorse or direct the content of this article —
The Summit Learning Platform is something that has faced scrutiny and many changes since the opening of our school. For some years now it has stayed relatively the same with very minor changes occurring. The platform has recently had a fairly big change with the introduction of the new Google Sheet that shows our total Spanish grade instead of having it placed on the platform like every other subject. Summit Learning has also managed to find a way to make learning Spanish a little more difficult for those who truly do want to learn it.
Recently, it has come to the students’ awareness that there is a big change in the way our Spanish is taught. From the beginning of the year, I personally began to notice that our spanish curriculum did not seem right. For example, the whole idea of having the students learn “Spain Spanish” seemed strange since the beginning of the year. In my situation of being a native Spanish speaker with a family from El Salvador the Spanish I speak is already slightly different to the more typical Spanish here in the United states.
This year’s program was very dedicated to making Spanish a very strong point for us to learn, which I feel is pointless and an extra barrier for Spanish learners who truly feel a passion for learning the language. When I have asked why it is such a strong point I have only gotten responses such as “well maybe one day you might go to Spain and you might need it.” My main problem with that statement is that i have also personally been to Spain and have used my Central American Spanish and it worked fabulously, yes I am aware that the Spain Spanish we are being taught may also function in Spain it just seems like an unnecessary part of learning Spanish especially here in California where it is predominantly Central American Spanish that is used.
The main issue that is seen with the whole new way Spanish is taught is that it seems so unnecessary. I truly do understand the ideology behind learning Spanish with the Spanish phrases such as the “vosotros” but it really seems like something that most likely will not be used very often. I’ve always felt that the way Spanish is taught here has been very stiff and dry and not natural as to how it will be used, this year amplified that.
The Spanish curriculum and way of teaching in Summit K2 this year has truly gone down a step and made the lovely language hard to learn and enjoy. I feel that to improve, this part of the “vosotros” has to be removed from the curriculum and the phrases being taught should be more natural so those who may truly want to learn the language are able to take what they learn and use it in the real world. Obviously, it is not impossible to learn; we have a new, polite teacher in Ms. Holmoe, but I do feel that to make the class better some things will need to change.
(cover image photo credit: florida-guidebook.com via unsplash.com)
