by: BERNADETTE GIACOMAZZO
The guests, who teach English to elementary and middle school students in Las Condes, Santiago, spent their time observing Long Beach ESL (English as a Second Language) classes.
This is the district¹s second year of involvement with the exchange project. Mr. Fraga led a group last year as well, and over the summer one Long Beach teacher traveled to Las Condes. Mr. Fraga brought the program to Long Beach after witnessing its success in a New York City school he worked in several years ago. The Municipality of Las Condes funds the exchange program.
In addition to observing classroom lessons, the guests were able to ask questions, receive feedback and learn about new teaching resources and materials used in Long Beach, and the states. They also visited Spanish classes, where they presented lessons about Chile to students. During one of their last days here, the teachers took a bus tour of Long Beach led by Board of Education Vice President Patrick Gallagher.
The visit served several purposes. One of the teachers, Viviane Yanez, said she decided to take part in the program because, ³I wanted to improve speaking skills, but more importantly to learn about new practices.²
Another teacher, Karina Grau, said, ³ I am interested in seeing which elements we can use in our classrooms and learning new techniques.²
Manuel Palacicos, who teaches middle school in Las Condes, explained some of the major differences between schools in the United States and those in Chile. ³All teachers here have their own classroom,² he said. ³I would like having my own room. I also noticed that desks are different and there are computers in each class. I found that great.²
³As good educators, we never stop learning,² stated Mr. Fraga. ³Our community learns through their home stories as well as cultures from miles away.²
³I like seeing the United States education system, it¹s very different from ours. We are here to learn new things,² expressed Chilean teacher Paulina Gnecco.
PHOTOS (courtesy Karina Stabile/Syntax Communication)
41905a lb 2-21: (L-R) Long Beach School District Director of LOTE/FLES/Dual Language/Bilingual/ESL Programs Mr. Jesus Fraga with Viviane Yanez, Paulina Gnecco, Karina Grau and Manuel Palacios.
241905b lb 2-21: Board of Education Vice President Patrick Gallagher reviews a map of Long Beach with the guests before they depart on their tour of the area.
