Students as Literacy Teachers: Volunteering in the Culmore Latino Community

by Rachel Hatcher, GTA Modern and Classical Languages

Since the fall of 2007, students of Spanish at Mason have been teaching English and community literacy to Spanish-speaking immigrants in Culmore, Falls Church, Virginia. Working with Prof. Lisa Rabin and organizers at Tenants and Workers United, a workers’ rights and social justice organization in Culmore, these Mason students have taught not only basic English vocabulary and syntax but also the use of English for gaining better agency at work or in the community. Traditional U.S. methods of ESL literacy programs often teach purely functional English and situate the teacher as the authoritative center of knowledge. In contrast, ESL learners in Culmore classes are encouraged to see language and writing as a way to understand, and even resist, structural forces that shape their environment. Because many immigrants of the Culmore area have had very little formal education, Mason student teachers are also dedicated to helping them gain literacy in the community language of Spanish while they acquire English.

The English class, which is free to Spanish-speaking immigrants from Latin America, meets twice a week for two hours. Through this opportunity, Mason students are learning to lead and control a small class, to prepare effective lessons, and most importantly, to share the critical cultural and linguistic skills of this country with those who are not familiar with them. Prof. Rabin also offers internship credit in Spanish to advanced students who show motivation and interest in this experience.

In a research study I am conducting for my M.A. thesis in Spanish directed by Spanish Prof. Esperanza Roman-Mendoza, I am interviewing and surveying both Culmore student teachers and the ESL learners on their opinions about English language ideologies and the teaching and learning of English in the U.S. Surveys and interviews have provided useful information on student and teacher motivations for taking or teaching the course, opinions on the level of difficulty of the language in comparison to learning Spanish, and on course expectations. Several Mason students said that, after teaching, they are now completely invested in the well-being, development of agency, and education of their Culmore students.

[Watch a YouTube video of the summer 2009 class that Lisa Rabin supervised that connected Mason students with Culmore residents.]