SPAN 301S: Service Learning in the Chicano/Latino Community
In the Fall of 2017, I completed my Service Learning at 2 of the 3 public libraries in the city of Salinas. The two libraries in which I did my service were: Cesar Chavez Library and John Steinbeck Library. In both libraries I belonged to the Literacy Center, which offers a variety of services for the community. To begin with, at the Cesar Chavez Library, I was an assistant tutor for an ESL tutor. My site was helpful for me as I am also an ESL/ELL tutor in the Cooperative Learning Center at CSUMB, and it benefited me as to how to provide guidance for my students. As an assistant tutor, my role was to interpret and translate between the teacher and the students. Most days I observed the interaction between the teacher and the students. Through my observations I was able to pinpoint the problems the Latino/a community faces, especially the fear with the new president and his anti-immigration opinions. Being at my Service Learning site was fun for me because I had the opportunity to use my Spanish and English to help break barriers. The students appreciated my presence and the support I gave them, which made this journey worthwhile. As I've mentioned, I was aware of some of the Latino/a issues in the community. Other issues that came up in discussions was their fear of immigration, new laws taking effect, and of course the language barrier. At my site I also went through a brief period where I had a culture shock. This culture shock was due to the realization that learning English as a second language is not as easy as it seems, even if you’ve been in the United States for 3, 10 or 20 years. In my own experience I learned English when I began Kindergarten. It wasn’t perfect but throughout the years I improved and I didn’t struggle as much as the adults I worked with did. I left Cesar Chavez Library with great admiration and respect for these students because they took the first step. This experience with being a language tutor at CSUMB and an assistant tutor at Cesar Chavez Library has motivated me to become a private Spanish and ELL tutor before I decide to apply to graduate school.