Visit to Lehigh Valley Dual Language Charter School (LVDL)

Lehigh Valley Dual Language Charter School  

http://www.lvdlcs.org/?PageName='AboutTheSchool'


"Construyendo cimientos de carácter, integridad y liderazgo en inglés y español"

Sociedad Hispana Doylestown member Jan (an LVDL co founder) took members and friends of Sociedad Hispana for a visit to the school referenced at heading.  

What an eye opening experience! It looked to me like skillful teachers,  experienced administrators, and student parents as volunteers, all combine to produce an outstanding educational environment.  Clearly these kids are eager to learn!

As it was explained to us by Dr. Emily Cortes-Torrado, the CEO/Principal, dual language schools present unique challenges.  A wide variety of  backgrounds and language abilities requires teachers able to teach in a dual language environment.

For Sociedad Hispana skype friends from abroad, the LVDL school web link above has a brief definition of charter schools.  They in essence are public schools,  funded by state government subsidies, whereby students have a choice to attend the traditional neighborhood school, or opt into a free public charter school.  If you have a deeper interest in the subject, the ever useful (and hopefully accurate)Wikipedia link to charter schools is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_school

Mixer language exchange

http://www.language-exchanges.org/es/content/welcome

I have been testing the last few days this methodology that allows one to speak with others across the globe.  It is for all levels of Spanish speaking ability.  I  have set up skype counterparties in Spain, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina, using this language mixer. We are swapping time  so they can practice English, and allowing me time to speak  in Spanish.  Pardon the overly personal nature of this blogpost, but I am able to understand TV, podcasts, etc. in Spanish, but lack the avenue for speaking in Spanish- hence I know I lack the fluency I would like.  I now have a way where I can set up, in advance ( I have 30 minutes tomorrow scheduled with a Spanish instructor in Spain who also wants to speak English), or on an impromptu basis,  conversations that allow me to speak in Spanish.  At the end of the session, via instant skypechat, the counter party then makes suggestions for improvement.   It requires you to set up a site on the main web page saying what languages you are interested in practicing, as well as your native language.  The site originator has been, for the most part, successful in keeping it to a language mixer, not a dating site.

The program was started by a professor at Dickinson College in Carlyle PA, and is worth looking into if you feel you aren't getting enough speaking opportunities.   If any members of Sociedad Hispana would like to set up an internal mechanism within our organization to do the same thing I would be pleased to assist.