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A powerful message from Kindergarten teacher, Sarah T.
Sarah Caldwell quotes, “Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can; there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.” A lot of things come to mind when I read this quote. However, the first thing that comes to my mind, is language. Language is such a powerful tool that can be used to connect us to people and places, all over the world. The key is how we use it. In order to understand the story that I`m about to tell, I’m going to take you back to some specific moments in my life. First, let`s look back to the summer when I was six years old. I remember my parents signing me up for various summer camps. They signed me up for soccer camp, cooking camp, magic camp and Spanish camp. In Spanish camp, I learned my colors, numbers, days of the week…all the basics that a six-year-old should know. I had always wondered why my parents signed me up for Spanish camp. When I asked my parents, they told me, “Language is a gift. As you grow up, you will find that learning new languages will make you a lifelong learner, will help you in future jobs, and will equip you for all of life`s experiences – most of which you haven’t even lived.” That being said, at a young age, my parents told me to pick a language to learn (German, French, Spanish, Chinese). They didn’t care which language I picked, as long as I stuck with it… I chose Spanish.
Now, I want you to close your eyes. Think back to 2008. This was a big year for me because I started middle school! In middle school, it was a requirement to pick a language to study. We were given the choice between German and Spanish. Since I had been exposed to Spanish at such a young age, I continued to immerse myself in the culture. Highschool followed quickly after. During this stage in my academic journey, it was required that I complete at least two years of a foreign language. At this point, I wanted to fulfill my foreign language requirements and be done. I continued on with Spanish, taking the courses I needed too. By the time I was a sophomore, my Spanish speaking skills had grown immensely. I was not fluent, by any means. However, I was able to hold a basic conversation.
Soon, it was time for me to start thinking about the future. I remember one spring evening, right after softball practice, I was sitting at the kitchen table creating a schedule for my junior year. Once completed, I showed my parents and they noticed that I was not taking Spanish. I expressed to my mom and dad, that I wanted to take different electives and experience the other classes that were offered. My parents looked at me, and yet again said, “We encourage you to keep taking Spanish, you`re going to use it the rest of your life.” Being a typical 15-year-old, I just rolled my eyes. I did continue to take Spanish all four years of my high school career. I was also given a few opportunities to travel to Spanish speaking countries. I took advantage of each opportunity and each experience left me with unforgettable memories. When I traveled to those countries, I was immersed in the beautiful culture, introduced to tasty cuisines and was able to connect with people using my Spanish speaking skills. I started to think, maybe my parents were right… . . .
Flash forward a few more years. I am now eighteen and getting settled into my college dorm at, the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. Before my parents said goodbye, my dad asked to see my schedule one more time. He took a look, and jokingly said, “Ahh, no Spanish I see.” Then he looked at me with a concerned expression, and said, “Just don’t lose that gift.” We proceeded to give our final hugs in the emotional moment. I went my first year of college without taking a single Spanish class. In the blink of an eye, it was time for me to start building my schedule for my sophomore year. I kept thinking back to what my dad had told me – it`s something that has always been in the back of my mind. So, I sat down, and I took my dad`s advice. I selected a Spanish class to take during my sophomore year… and I was so thankful I did! I promise this story will come full circle in just a minute…
I`m going to take you back one more time. This time, we are going back to the summer of 2019. I had done quite a bit of traveling. I remember it was a beautiful summer evening. I was headed back home, from a great weekend spent in Texas. The plane was set to take off in fifteen minutes. As I was sitting on the plane buckled in my seat, I noticed a mother and her little girl who had just boarded. There were two empty seats next to me. The mother motioned her hand towards the seats and told her daughter to sit down (in Spanish). I greeted both of them with a warm smile. A few moments later, a stewardess approached our section and started to speak to the mother and her child. The mother spoke very little English and I could tell she did not understand what the stewardess was trying to say. After listening to the mother and stewardess go back and forth, exchanging the same 3 sentences, I told myself that I needed to help. I put my hand on the mother`s shoulder and told her, “I speak Spanish”. She sighed a deep sigh and smiled at me. I was able to translate the conversation for both the mother and the stewardess. When everything was situated, the mother looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, ¡Gracias! The rest of my flight, I sat very gratefully knowing I was able to help that mother out. Part of me couldn’t help but wonder, “What if I didn’t speak up? What if I had just sat back?”
My dad`s advice continues to stick with me. It took me quite a while to see the lesson my parents were trying to teach me. It was in that moment, as I was helping that mother on the plane, where it all dawned on me. I am very lucky because I have a gift. I have the ability to understand and speak two languages and I get to share that with the world. To this day, I still keep up with my Spanish speaking skills. I look forward to the opportunities that arise in my life, that allow me to speak Spanish. Knowing Spanish allows me to help others and connect with people. Last, I want to share the two things that stuck with me that day, on the airplane. 1. Speak up. 2. Never stop learning. People, places, and languages can teach us so much. We have to be willing to open our minds, in order to learn. However, we also need to use our knowledge to help each other through life. I encourage you to learn something… anything. Whatever that may be, learn with an open mind, learn with passion, learn with a full heart and share it with the world.
Author, Sarah T., Kindergarten teacher.
