Learning a new language is said to be one of the toughest things a person can do. Advanced Spanish students are taking it one step further.

Their teacher, Mrs. Nielsen, for the past ten years has asked her students to teach the language, and it is not to anyone in general but to elementary school students. She started the program as a way to help the students keep up with their basic vocabulary, but it has went so much further than just that.

High school students are reconnecting with their community, and it gives them a sense of being someone’s role models. Every Thursday when they walk into the classroom, the kids automatically light up.

“The best part of teaching is just getting to interact with the kids,”  said junior, Noah McMinn.

The classes split into groups of eight people, and each were assigned to a teacher that signed up for that time slot of their class.

To get ready for the day, the students do what any other teacher does, make copies and a lesson-plan. It can be tricky picking out materials because they want something they know their students will love.

“We become a “student” teacher for the day by making sure we know everything we know for that one topic,” said junior Anna Vest. “We copy worksheets that help teach and whatever else we may need for the day before so we can be prepared.”

Besides all the technical teaching and things they do, the students really enjoy the day because of the kids they teach.

“I love getting to spend time with the elementary students and hear about their lives and favorite things,” said Vest.

The kids love their “student” teachers because they imagine themselves going to Spanish class and doing this in a few years.

“The kid love it because they can see they will be where we are in just a few years,” said junior David Crowley.

It also does not hurt that the kids are being taught by high school students, who in their eyes are the coolest thing ever,  and it is a change from their normal schedule.

“We can have fun with them,” said McMinn. “Not being strict with them helps.”

The students teach the kids basic vocabulary, but in the end,they are the ones being taught. Spanish students connect with these kids and learn about them each week.

“The kids react with pure excitement,” said junior Vest. “When we get there, they automatically light up and tell us about their lives and favorite things.”