Every Tuesday evening last fall, half a dozen young and eager faces greeted Jennifer Moranchel as she arrived at Dayton High School. There, she turned a science classroom into a space for hands-on learning, part of an early childhood bilingual program she designed and implemented.
Moranchel, a Linfield College junior majoring in education, put the program into practice as an intern for the DHS Juntos Program. (“Juntos” means “together” in Spanish, and the program is part of a statewide effort to provide culturally relevant educational programming and help Latino and Latina students get into college.)
“I really enjoyed seeing the excitement of the students when I arrived with my box of supplies,” Moranchel said. “They made me feel like a magician because they weren’t sure what they would be learning that day and what activities they would be working on. Their excitement is contagious.”
Her magician’s box was typically brimming with craft supplies and books. From painting self portraits to decorating cut outs to aid in letter recognition, the students gained necessary tools to succeed in the classroom.
“Knowing I would be teaching the curriculum in Dayton, and knowing I was coming back to my community, my home, to help was really meaningful to me,” said Moranchel, a 2014 DHS graduate.
Moranchel began each session by eating dinner with the families of the children she would be teaching. While the high school students and their parents learned about topics such as applying for college and filling out the FAFSA, Moranchel led classes for their younger siblings.
Every day brought a new class topic, ranging from Dia de Los Muertos, to more serious topics like recent political events. Although her students were young – from 3 years old to 11 – Moranchel didn’t let that stop her from creating healthy and thoughtful dialogue.
She enjoyed seeing the older students take responsibility and help their younger peers.
“One student is 3, bilingual and very easy to understand in both languages, but doesn’t have the reading down yet,” said Moranchel. “One of the older students, who is a 5th grader, began reading it to her and she started laughing because she finally understood what the story was about. That was so nice to see.”
Moranchel created interactive materials focusing on bilingualism and finding ways for the elementary-aged students to develop both languages. A main goal was to nurture a love for learning in her students.
“We didn’t want it to become another homework session for them,” said Moranchel. “We wanted to make sure that it motivated them to continue learning and increase their curiosity.”
Jennifer Richter, early learning program administrator with the Yamhill Community Care Organization, explained that Moranchel’s curriculum will be used beyond the Dayton School District to aid young students in the future.
“The curriculum will be shared by Yamhill Community Care Organization, Linfield and Oregon State University, and any of these parties will be able to use it in the future,” said Richter. “We plan to use it during ESL classes and other parent education opportunities. Instead of just providing regular childcare during these events, we’ll be able to provide quality programming that improves the children’s literacy while their parents are in classes.”
Moranchel said the experience has influenced her as much as it has helped shape the lives of young students.
“I have found what I am truly passionate about and I want to continue doing this,” said Moranchel.
