Spanish Savvy by Angelina

Spanish Savvy by Angelina - September 2017 Scholarship Essay

Some teachers never retire. Every year their face sticks out as a center of familiarity, something to focus, to rely on. At my high school, that teacher is Señora Calvar, the only teacher in school for Spanish 3, 4, and 5. This year I will have taken all them because simply put, I love Sra. Calvar and the way she shapes the Spanish language. She has run the Spanish department for decades, and I believe her retirement would essentially bring down the apocalypse. Because of her and her class, my high school career changed irrevocably.

As a young, hot-headed freshman, I fixated on classes that checked all the boxes for “college and career ready.” The counselors had the same, common phrase, “colleges like to see two or more years of language classes.” Even if this statement has veracity, it made me treat my first Spanish class as something to just get over with. I barely interacted with the Spanish club, I only spoke in English during class, never appreciating its full potential.

The next year I took Spanish 3 with Sra. Calvar and my attitude was flipped upside, crumpled, and burned in the trash. Sra. Calvar demanded the class speak in Spanish the entire time, even when talking to each other. I must not have uttered a single word in those first two weeks. She also required all Spanish 3 students to join Club de Español. I realized I loved going to those meetings, in some part from extra credit, in most part from the food. A portion of my social life now had to take place in Spanish. Abruptly and without warning, Spanish went from another credit to a vital method of interacting with people.

I find this fact of Spanish connecting people to one another to be the most compelling. That year, my family traveled to Spain, and I finally saw clearly Sra. Calvar’s impact on me. I remember walking into a McDonald’s for breakfast, looking very much like a tourist, and seeing the cashier’s surprise and delight at my, “¿Pudiera tomar un café?”. Though my Spanish accent still needs some work. Sra. Calvar also heightened my appreciation for Spanish culture. She keeps a small 3D model of La Sagrada Familia, a cathedral famous for its breathtaking design. In Spain, I was able to see the full thing, her stories of the the architect, Antoni Gaudi, stuck in my head. Everything she said in class always drew me in. I think if she had not been a teacher she would have made a killing as an author.

Spanish class has gifted me much more than a language. I had a loving teacher, friends that also aspire to be bilingual, and many delicious restaurant trips. Sra. Calvar even brought salsa teachers for the club, though salsa dancing is not a skill I will be presenting anytime soon. Sra. Calvar may eventually retire, but her teachings will endure.