Señora Stockman says her number one goal as a teacher is for her students to become more global minded. So many students have not had the opportunity to experience global culture and can't afford to travel to Spanish speaking countries. Learning the language of the Spanish speaking countries is one thing, but understanding and respecting their culture is even more important in her opinion. She wants her students to embrace the fact that there are many different cultures in the world and to be ambassadors to others they meet in their lives. On October 8th, that’s what our high school Spanish classes got to do; experience another culture.
The Spanish students attended the Ballet Folklóriko. The event is a live cultural experience that celebrates the heart and soul of Latin America through music and dance. This professional dance group brings the world to them, right here in Iowa; examples of music and dance include merengue, salsa, tango, bachata. Songs from famous musicians such as Juan Luis Guerra, Celia Cruz, Selena, Maná, and Juanes were also featured. Many students are scared to step outside of their "culture box", so this gives them an opportunity to do so in a teacher guided setting. Live/in person learning is so much better than by paper/video in a classroom. Señora Stockman is so thankful to have this opportunity.
Afterwards, students will get to experience authentic Mexican food as well as visit a Mexican store. A fun filled day for our students to immerse themselves in a once in a lifetime experience.
When asked what she hopes the students will take away from the day she stated, “I hope they come home more knowledgeable about music, dance, food and products of Spanish speaking countries.” Also, she hopes students will get to dance on stage with the professional dancers!
