In this interview Roa, Rodriguez, and Lopez
Discuss the state of education in California. Currently there is no consensus among districts’ position towards reopening, causing confusion among staff and students alike. Roa shares her insights and opinions on the different strategies schools have adopted, and how they will affect the education of students from varied socio-economic backgrounds. Ultimately, now especially is a time for patience, optimism and motivation. Special thanks to Celina Rodriguez for conducting this interview.
“With distance teaching being the trend these days, it is easy to forget that there is no substitute for one to one learning. That being the case I would like to recommend Carlota Roa, who has a special knack for teaching Spanish, no matter how unusual the circumstances. She has taught two of my children for several years, and their Spanish fluency has improved tremendously. Carlota teaches from the heart, something missing nowadays in our technical world.”
“Miss Carlota was my son’s Spanish teacher in elementary school, and she always provided an upbeat interesting cultural lesson for the children. She uses mostly Spanish during the lessons and tries to incorporate music and games as well as Total Physical Response activities. Now my son is a junior in college and he is studying political science as well as German, so those early childhood skills of practicing and inheriting a second language were paramount to his education.”
STUDENTS CELEBRATE MEXICAN FOLKLORE
“Hillbrook students celebrated Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, Wednesday with a joyful assembly to honor the dead. Filled with music, dance and cultural lessons, the Dia de los Muertos gathering brought an annual Mexican tradition to life for Hillbrook students. Spanish teacher Carlota Roa worked with 3rd grade students to create the assembly for the 1st-4th grades. Ms. Roa also invited the Zancudo group to Hillbrook to share with students the significance of Dia de los Muertos. They painted students’ faces to look like skulls and choreographed a Dia de los Muertos dance for an outdoor assembly in front of the Lower School. ...”
Carlota Roa BRINGS “Day of the Dead” TO Hillbrook School
“Students at the Hillbrook School in Los Gatos observed the ‘Day of the Dead’ on Nov. 2, which is the Mexican holiday celebrating passion for life and death. The school’s Spanish teacher, Carlota Roa, organized the festivites, which included a performance by the folk dance group Zancudo. Third grade students danced the traditional ‘Dance of the Elderly’ to honor loved ones who have passed away, and a parade of large puppets showered flower petals about. Roa says it’s important for her students to not only learn Spanish, but also become familiar with Mexican culture. Pictured from left are third graders Mairi Shea, Kayla Marks, Catherine DiNapoli, Gracie Hammers, Rachelle DeSantis and Bailey Blom.”
CARLOTA ROA’S Students Live On “La Kaliente” Radio with Celina Rodriguez
“6/11/2018 - Spanish radio host Celina Rodriguez visited in Hillbrook School in May, when students had the opportunity to questions and learn more about her career in journalism. A collaboration with the Scott Center For Social Entrepreneurship at Hillbrook, students were able to hear firsthand how a career in news and writing contributes to a community and how the role of journalist acts as not only a storyteller but an empathizer in human experiences and stories, too. ”
“ Genaro tutors both our 6th and 8th grade children. He is an incredibly gifted educator who not only teaches Spanish, but culture and its nuances. Our 8th grader has progressed tremendously with Genaro, and now, in addition to using a high school level book since 7th grade, my son is also capable of writing essays about a variety of topics such as music, philosophy, and travel. For example, Genaro assigns my son to listen to music or read a book and write about it in great detail so they can have a conversation about it in class. This has not only helped him improve his Spanish, but it also enriched his cultural knowledge. Our 6th grade daughter is using Vistas’ Senderos and is able to understand the lesson in Spanish and carry on a conversation. Genaro personalizes assignments to her interests and level to not only to learn more, but have fun while doing them. One example is choosing a poem by F. G. Lorca, pairing it with a Salvador Dali painting that harmonizes with the poem, and demonstrating comprehension by justifying her choices in writing. Genaro is a kind, polite, highly knowledgeable and experienced professional who nurtures our children’s Spanish language and enriches their whole education. We highly recommend Spanish Today to anyone who wants to love learning Spanish and be their very best, whether they are children in school or adults learning a new language. Finally, in this most unusual pandemic year, Genaro didn’t blink an eye transitioning to virtual lessons so our children didn’t miss a beat!”
“The night that no one sleeps”
The Huamantlada, also known as the “Noche que nadie duerme”, or “Night that no one sleeps”, is a yearly celebration in Huamantla, a city in the Mexican state of Tlaxcala. The holiday owes its nick-name to a headline of the newspaper “The Sun of Tlaxcala” that ran on the 25th of August, 1968, describing the tradition of townspeople staying up all night to revel in the holy festivities. The holiday centers around the pilgrimage of an icon of the Virgin Mary through the streets of Huamantla in a long and slow procession. The path of the icon is decorated with “carpets” of intricate colored sand mandalas, which are created by hand by local artists and artisans.