School Story:
I was in Mr. Alonso's class for Spanish. Since he was a native of Cuba,we had the opportunity to hear the authentic Spanish accent. He constantly and insistently reminded me to resist using English in the class, by shaking his finger and saying,"S-s-s-s-s-s-s, Leidia, en Espanol."
Four, years after graduation from NEHI, I was in the UF library at Gainesville, when I heard a voice in the next book stack, that sounded a lot like Mr. Alonso's. I gingerly peered around the corner and to my disbelief, there was Mr. Alonso. I said, "Mr. Alonso, what are you doing here?" He replied with his dancing, sparkling black eyes and broad smile, "S-s-s-s-s-s-s, Leidia, en Espanol!"
Since liveing in Miami-Dade County, and working as both an English as well as an ESL instructor, and counselor, with a large Hispanic student body, I am thankful to have had such a wonderful, patient, and dedicated teacher.
