Daisy Jaimez recalls the moment when an eleven-year-old student asked her in Spanish, “Ms. Daisy, how do you say that word?” She was teaching poetry to a group of first-generation seventh-graders from Spanish-speaking homes. For many, the English language comes easy. But for young people in the U.S. growing up in homes where English is the second language (ESL), efforts like Daisy’s have a life-changing impact.
A recent award has positioned Jaimez to make even a broader impact. She was recently awarded the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Grant to teach the English language abroad while serving as a cultural ambassador for the U.S.
“The ETA is my opportunity to contribute my knowledge about Mexican-American culture to Spanish students and utilize my cross-cultural skills in the classroom. It is also an opportunity for me to continue growing as an educator,” says Jaimez in her grant application.
Jaimez understands the importance of building relationships with her students, and the role that patience plays in the learning process. One student, in particular, came to mind for Daisy.
“I too was once lost in my second language,” Jaimez recalls. She describes how, when teaching ESL students, “patience becomes my best friend…I walk around the classroom and make a stop at each desk…I squat next to Lisbety’s. When I repeat the instructions in English she nods, but when I tell her in Spanish, I gain her trust.”
Jaimez wants to use her teaching to help students express their creativity and become more confident English speakers. To achieve this goal, she assigns project-based activities in her classroom. Thanks to the ETA grant, she will take these best practices overseas to do the same for students in Spain.
The grant affords Jaimez the opportunity to serve as a teaching ambassador. “The United States is the land of immigrants and one of its most unique characteristics is its diversity,” she says. “Bringing my teaching experience and stories of the diverse United States communities to my ETA will allow Spanish students to feel more connected to my country’s culture.”
While teaching abroad, Jaimez plans to involve herself with the local community and contribute to projects exploring Mexican-American culture, such as hosting a dialogue series about Mexican-American identity and simply telling the stories of Mexican-American life that are often left untold.
“The ETA is my opportunity to contribute my knowledge about Mexican-American culture to Spanish students and to utilize my cross-cultural skills in the classroom,” she says. “In my role as a teaching assistant, I aspire to help students open new doors with the English language and become further exposed to various aspects of this language and culture.”
Jaimez is a recent graduate of the International Studies program.
