Spanish 2 classes and the English as a Second Language class are teaming up to help each other learn their languages.

“We’ve had this idea for a while, but this was the first year it worked out,” Stephanie Wermes, a Spanish teacher here at Palatine who arranged the collaboration, said.

Wermes was first approached by Kirsten Proffit who teaches the ESL class. Although this concept had been in the works for some time, the scheduling and ideas didn’t come together until now.

“I love doing this because it is a great experience, and we learn from each other.” Freshman Brielle Patel said, “Every week we do a new activity and the more we learn, the easier it gets to work with each other.”

Starting at the beginning of this year four Spanish two classes have met with the ESL class every Thursday of the week.

“I think that this is a really exciting opportunity because it is allowing all of the students to be experts.” Proffitt said, “The students can learn from each other in a different way than they can learn from their teachers.”  

The two classes meet in the media center to work on activities in both Spanish and English. The activities can be anything from games to reading comprehension and quizzes.

“One of the most valuable parts is not being alone in the struggle.” Wermes said, “Seeing someone else face the same difficulties as you makes it easier to not be afraid to make mistakes and to really try your best.”

Wermes wishes to continue this program in future years. Currently, the program is limited to only four of Wermes’s Spanish 2 classes, but she hopes to expand to more classes.

“I think that it is very interesting to find out how students our age who are native speakers, speak the Spanish language naturally.” Marissa Teehan, a freshman in Wermes’s class, said, “It gives us insight into what it’s like being native to the language.”