How Tía Lola Learned to Teach Read Free

learn words in English and Spanish. “ Lápiz , pencil; pluma , pen.”
    When they arrive, Mrs. Stevens is at the door, shaking hands with each and every student.
    Tía Lola has no way of knowing that Mrs. Stevens begins every day this way. She thinks that the principal is giving everyone a special welcome because today is Bring a Special Person or Object to School Day. Tía Lolahas yet to ask Miguel or Juanita why she seems to be the only visitor.
    “I’m so glad you agreed to come.” Mrs. Stevens shakes Tía Lola’s hand vigorously. And Tía Lola doesn’t just shake back. She throws her arms around the principal and gives her a great big hug. And Mrs. Stevens, who is very proper, laughs!
    “That’s a Spanish hug. Un abrazo .” Tía Lola tells Miguel to translate.
    “Un abrazo,” the principal practices. “How do you say ‘Welcome to Bridgeport’?” Mrs. Stevens asks Miguel and Juanita.
    “Bienvenida a Bridgeport,” Tía Lola pipes right up. It’s as if she can understand English once she has become friends.
    Mrs. Stevens tries the phrase several times until Tía Lola cries out, “¡Excelente!” which sounds enough like “excellent” that Miguel and Juanita don’t have to translate for the principal.

    Mrs. Stevens suggests that Tía Lola start by visiting Juanita’s class, and then Miguel’s. That way, their aunt can get acquainted with the schedule and the layout of the school before she is on her own in the other classes.
    “This is Tía Lola.” Juanita introduces her aunt to her combined second-and-third-grade class and their teacher, Ms. Sweeney. “ ‘Tía’ means ‘aunt’ in Spanish.”From her seat in the circle of chairs, Ofie nods proudly, like she and Juanita invented Spanish all by themselves.
    Milton raises his hand. He always has a question. If someone ran into the room and yelled, “Fire!” Milton would probably raise his hand and ask where the fire was and what could have caused it.
    “Milton, do you have a question?” Ms. Sweeney asks nicely, as if there’s ever a question that Milton has a question.
    “What are we supposed to call her, since she’s not our aunt?”
    Ms. Sweeney turns to Juanita. “Can you ask your aunt what she’d like us to call her?”
    Juanita thinks she already knows the answer, but she asks anyway. “My aunt says she wants to be Tía Lola to all my friends,” Juanita translates when Tía Lola answers.
    Milton raises his hand.
    “Does anyone else have a question?” Ms. Sweeney looks around the room. No one does. She nods at Milton.
    “What if we’re not friends with Juanita … yet?” Milton asks.
    For a moment, before Milton adds “yet,” a worry line travels across Ms. Sweeney’s forehead. This is only her first year teaching, and so she tries very hard to see that everything goes smoothly, which can make for a bumpy ride. “That’s right, Milton,” she says, relieved. “Everyone at Bridgeport is either a friend or a soon-to-be friend. Tía Lola it will be!” She smiles at Tía Lola, who plants abig kiss on Ms. Sweeney’s cheek, as if they have been friends forever.

    Ms. Sweeney asks the class if they have any questions for Tía Lola. This time, not just Milton’s hand shoots up.
    “Where is the Dominican?” Chelsea wants to know.
    “Anyone know, besides Juanita?” Ms. Sweeney asks. She is probably thinking Juanita has raised her hand because she knows the answer. But Juanita just wants to explain that the name of the country is the Dominican REPUBLIC, not the Dominican. After all, you wouldn’t call the United States the United!
    Ms. Sweeney calls on Ofie, who guesses that the Dominican Republic is near Mexico.
    “Close enough,” Ms. Sweeney says nicely, pulling down the rolled-up map above the blackboard.
    Tía Lola’s face lights up when she sees her little dot of a country, south of Florida, floating on the ocean. She touches the spot and calls out, “¡Cierren los ojos y abran su imaginación!”
    “Shut your