Trani was one of 11 Spanish language teachers from throughout the state of Delaware who went on the two-week-long trip in late June, earning three graduate credits from UD and increasing language proficiency, cultural knowledge and intercultural competence. A grant from the Delaware Department of Education funded the trip, and UD Spanish professors Julia Dominguez and Basia Moltchanov planned the curriculum and itinerary.
“Going to Spain for two weeks and learning from university professors that are able to give you an entire scope of literature, art, bullfighting — everything that is related to the culture of Spain — I think it was an extremely enriching experience for the teachers both personally and professionally,” Dominguez said.
The focus of the trip, Moltchanov and Dominguez said, was on learning culture and learning how to teach culture. In the mornings, teachers took classes with professors from the University of Extremadura, while afternoons and evenings were dedicated to cultural activities like visiting museums and going to restaurants.
“It was such an amazing experience,” said Carlynn Rodriguez, a Spanish teacher at Sussex Central High School. “It was only two weeks, but within those two weeks I learned so much about Spanish culture and so much about resources that I can bring back into the classroom. And on top of that, I've made so many connections and relationships with everyone who was involved in the trip.”
The trip was part of a five-week course during which teachers designed a unit that they can share with other teachers in their district.
“A trip like this sort of recharges you as a professional,” Moltchanov said. “It can reignite your passion for teaching. You're helping these teachers really rediscover why they went into the field in the first place, and I think that's great because we all can grow and learn, and so to be evolving and changing and to see how things are done in another country — it was inspiring.”
Suhey Matamoros, a fifth grade Spanish immersion teacher at Lulu M. Ross Elementary School in the Milford School District, said that something she got out of the trip that she wasn’t expecting was the network she was able to build with other Spanish teachers in the state.
“It was just really cool to be able to meet Spanish teachers from across the state and to be able to ask each other questions and learn from each other,” she said. “We have a group chat, and the school year hasn't even started and we’re already sharing lesson ideas and resources. That has just been really cool to see and to experience.”