Finley Spanish Classes Write to Peers in Ecuador
Ingrid Moreira had an idea. The J. Taylor Finley Middle School Spanish teacher asked her seventh and eighth grade dual language students to write motivational letters in Spanish to children in Ecuador who were dealing with the after effects of a devastating earthquake.
“I brought the idea my students and then did a listening activity about a true story when I went on a mission trip to South America in 2008,” Ms. Moreira said. “When I told my students about my experiences, they were very touched. I also told my students that my friend who works at the Peace Corps was traveling to Ecuador on a mission trip, the same place I went to eight years ago. They thought it was a great idea to write encouraging words of hope to them.”
The Finley students happily sent their letters on to their peers in Ecuador, who reciprocated by sending back to Huntington photos of themselves reading the letters they had received.
Ms. Moreira obtained a BA degree at Queens College in Spanish education. Following her graduation, she volunteered with the Peace Corps, teaching Spanish and English with a group of teachers from England for almost one year in the South American countries of Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. “I taught lessons in those places that last a lifetime,” she said.
After returning to the United States, Ms. Moreira pursued graduate studies at Molloy College, earning a Master of Science degree in Spanish education, 7-12. She came to the Huntington School District in 2008.
Ms. Moreira taught at Huntington High School for four years before moving to J. Taylor Finley Middle School, where she has worked for the past four years. She taught Spanish at Roslyn High School for six years before coming to Huntington.
“My Spanish classes are unique because I teach the dual language students for two years in seventh and eighth grades and these students will go to Spanish 11 Honors in the high school at the early age of 14-15 years old after they complete their studies at Finley. I am the AP Spanish teacher in the middle school.
The annual highlight of the year for Ms. Moreira comes when she has dinner with her eighth grade students at Quetzalcoatl, a Main Street, Huntington Village restaurant featuring Mexican cuisine. “We celebrate two wonderful years together,” the veteran faculty member said.