Profesora Polo is a Spanish teacher of seven years at Radford High School and started her career as a Spanish teacher after she graduated from U.H. Manoa. For the first time at Radford, she is offering a new AP Spanish course in hopes to give the students a better look into the culture, language, and history of Spanish.
The benefits towards the students include being better prepared for the future, showing a higher level of commitment, and embodying academic rigor.
Profesora Polo said, “Not only will it improve their fluency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing, but it will also broaden their perspectives and appreciation towards the language, culture, and history…It can also better prepare them for their future, both in the workforce and in college as they can potentially earn the college credit and stand out in applications since they have demonstrated a higher level of academic rigor and commitment.”
She believes her students will be able to communicate better in more diverse environments and be able to build better relationships and connections with those around them.
“Lastly, they learn lifelong skills! Able to communicate in diverse settings, build relationships and connections, and become more globally aware,” Profesora Polo said.
She has thought of teaching a higher level Spanish class for a few years. Students also expressed interest in wanting to take a more advanced course. Some of her senior students have taken a test called, “Seal of Biliteracy” which can be similar to an AP exam. She figured if they’re going to do AP worthy work, they should get an AP credit.
She describes AP Spanish as more rigorous than normal Spanish. In AP Spanish, one should have a decent knowledge of Spanish grammar and vocabulary, as AP Spanish will help to improve one’s skills. In this class, there will also be much research on the culture and history of Spanish-speaking countries.
“Therefore, in AP Spanish we focus on improving their skills and aiming for proficiency as well as diving into the culture and history of the Spanish speaking countries. The course is conducted 90-100% in Spanish,” Profesora Polo said.
Her AP Spanish class is currently working on researching different Spanish countries, such as gathering information like their traditions, events, music, and historical events.
“Fun fact: September 15th – October 15th is known as Hispanic Heritage month, which is a celebration of Hispanic and Latino history,” Profesora Polo said.
Profesora Polo’s class will start working on big projects and do lots of research on Hispanic culture.
“Students research about different Hispanic countries and compare it with their own country and culture. We look at traditions, events, societal norms, historic events, music, influence…” Profesora Polo said.