JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — Haga clic aquí para leer este artículo en español.
Jefferson Parish Schools is holding a series of meetings to recruit teachers for its dual-language program. It is seeking native speakers who hold a bachelors or associates degree, which does not have to be in education nor come from a U.S. school.
The first of the meetings was held Wednesday at the JPSS administration building in Harvey. Around ten people came. One attendee, Luis Malespin, told WWL Louisiana he is a retired lawyer and is thinking of becoming a teacher because he is passionate about education. “I think it’s important for everybody to speak at least two languages, and I share what I can share,” said Malespin.
Eleven schools in Jefferson Parish are currently offering dual-language instruction.
Students who enroll in the program are instructed in both English and Spanish from a young age, with the goal of attaining fluency in both. It is geared toward English-speaking students, but many Spanish-speaking students are enrolled as well.
Natalia Nieto, an ESL coach at Geraldine Boudreaux Elementary School, presented at Wednesday’s meeting. “The results are really high,” she said of the dual-language program, “and kids get to have exposure to other cultures, to other ways of living, that in a regular classroom is hard to get.”
She said the district is looking for native Spanish speakers because “they need to know the language very well” to teach in the program.
They can also impart a more thorough understanding of Latin cultures. “It’s those subjective parts of the culture that you can’t learn just going to Wikipedia,” said Angela Ramirez, Executive Director of local nonprofit Puentes. She added that native Spanish-speaking students in each class benefit too. “When you are teaching fifth graders, sixth graders, eighth graders, it is so crucial for you to have that special connection, and that sense of trust and empathy,” she said.
When the district cannot hire enough native Spanish-speakers for the program, they may look overseas and recruit directly from Spanish-speaking countries, said Nieto. It is a much more complicated process, which is why there is a push to hire locally.
A second informational meeting will be held Thursday at 822 S. Clearview Parkway in Room 1. It will run from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Candidates who do not meet the requirements to be a dual-language teacher should still submit an application. They may be considered for other positions in the district, including classroom paraprofessionals, of which the district is urgently seeking more.
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