Many people often go about their daily lives somewhat mindlessly and most times do not take notice of the workers around them. These unseen people are doing jobs such as cleaning buildings or preparing our food which are crucial to running the CU campus. I have had the fortunate opportunity through the SWAP program to meet one of these behind the scenes workers. I have been helping Valentina for two sessions now with her English. She is an amazing woman with so much to say. First coming to the United States about 30 years ago from Mexico, she has worked at CU for 20 years and is currently working at Smith Residence Hall in the custodial department. Even though I am just starting to get to know Valentina, her persistence and drive to wanting to learn English amazes me. She is constantly repeating to herself concepts we go over in hopes that she will remember the new information.
Just the other day, during our second session, we started talking about past tenses and I asked “What did you do yesterday?” Her reply was, “I cooked.” Next was followed by a fifteen minute tangent about her sister’s birthday party she cooked for. She was describing how to make all of these traditional Mexican dishes. Even though I was not entirely able to decipher all of her Spanglish, it was clear her passion for cooking. I am constantly trying to find new ways of teaching the material in interesting ways and I believe I have through food. Overall, this has been a great experience and I continually find myself being challenged with explaining English rules that I haven’t been thought about since Elementary school.
