There are a variety of ways teachers help their students understand what they teach. For Sra. Karen Lord-Eyewe, an AP Spanish teacher at Amador, that means developing La Hora del Tè to help her students grasp the language better.

Learning a new language can be difficult, and remote learning has only increased that difficulty. La Hora del Té, which translates to “tea time” in English, is a local program which brings together California students with Panama students to practice speaking.

“Some of my students came up to me and asked for more practice, so I asked my friend, who is also an AP Spanish teacher, if her students needed practice in speaking Spanish and needed help preparing for the AP exam. She said yes, and so I said why don’t we just have tea time, where kids can just come and hang out and speak exclusively in Spanish to people they don’t know,” said Sra. Eyewe.

During La Hora del Té, Pleasanton and Piedmont AP Spanish students are joined by students from a private school in Panama who are interested in developing their English-speaking skills. Together, they meet every other Friday and have conversations in both Spanish and English.

“I can confidently say that my Spanish-speaking ability has definitely improved. One thing I really like about the program is that it is okay to make mistakes. Students with different levels of speaking abilities come to Hora del Té, and it is a very welcoming and friendly environment for students to improve their speaking skills by communicating with their peers. The part I love most from this activity is the ability to cultivate new friendships… I know Señora Eyewe and the other coordinators of this activity put a lot of hard work and effort to make this activity possible, and it is 100% worth it,” said Soumya Appalla (‘22).

Amador junior Elena Vu agrees. For her, the 30-minute program lets her expand her knowledge of Spanish and converse with different people at the same time.

“I feel that La Hora del Té has helped me learn and understand Spanish better because I practice speaking Spanish and be more exposed to the language. The best part is listening to what others have to say and practicing Spanish at the same time,” said Vu (‘22).

“[La Hora del té] has been such a valuable opportunity… hopefully the Spanish department can find a way to continue this great opportunity in the future,” said Appalla (‘22).