Excited about future prospects of ICTC Spanish program

Dear Editor,

I am neither an educator nor a marketer representing Indian Capital Technology Center. I merely am writing as a citizen/student who was at a crossroads of a desire to learn Spanish, regret that I hadn’t done so years earlier, and ICTC’s coincidental but fortuitous introduction of a Spanish program. I have grown excited enough about the future prospects of the ICTC Spanish program that I felt compelled to share about it.

Mixed among its various careerand adult-education curricula, ICTC added the new Spanish program this fall, artfully and patiently taught by a professional teacher and native speaker of Peruvian descent, Mr. Julio Camacho.

The best venue to learn foreign language is everyday schooling, with repetitive daily instruction. After one’s school years, then what? College courses are a possibility, but expensive for anyone seeking to take a single special-interest class, and entry requirements can be daunting. Finding appropriate continuing adult education language programs in rural communities is a hit-or-miss proposition.

When ICTC’s course catalog for the second half of 2023 arrived this summer, I was overjoyed to find a Beginning Spanish offering, six three-hour classes, 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, for $90. Affordable, with no apparent specific educational entry requirements, and no prerequisites. Come one, come all. The first six classes went so well that ICTC added a second six-class program on the fly, Spanish II, which we are in the midst of now. By the time this second round of classes ends, we will have absorbed approximately the equivalent of a full semester of Spanish, maybe even a bit more, for the grand total of $180 per person. You simply won’t find a better alternative around here. I know. I’ve looked.

Learning a foreign language begins the same way that learning English as a child did, regardless whether you learn it in junior high school, high school, college, or a continuing education program. You start from scratch, you learn sounds, the alphabet, syllables, verbs, sentence formation. It takes time and study, but progress comes quickly, which is thrilling enough to keep going, and everyone begins from the ground level and works up. It’s a true no-judgment zone. Compared to other coursework I’ve taken through my life, there is less competitive stress in learning a foreign language than many other educational pursuits, simply because everyone starts from a shared position, and hopes to build from there. Different people learn at different rates, but as I mentioned, Mr. Camacho has a knack for breaking down the elements of the language and is extraordinarily patient. There are no formal tests. No one gets graded.

Class participants covered a broad age range, 20s to 60s. There is no ageism when learning language. We are all babes finding our way.

I see such potential for this pro- gram, but there is some uncertainty, which can be alleviated only by participation. We added the second six-hour class on the fly already, because ICTC is committed to building it, and Mr. Camacho genuinely likes to teach and wants us to learn. How far can we take it? Is there a Spanish III and Spanish IV in the offing? Only the participation level will determine that answer. We need people to enroll.

If it goes no farther than this second sixhour class, I already see words and hear phrases that I increasingly recognize. I am beginning to use Spanish words without mentally translating them into English first, which is a big leap. I’m confident I will have learned enough by the end of this class to pursue additional intermediate- level instruction. I hope that is at ICTC as the program grows. Most important, in its early days, is to get out the word that this valuable offering is available.

If the idea of learning Spanish appeals to you, keep watch for the next ICTC course catalog for first half of 2024, or contact the school. They work there to encourage and ease participation, and will be happy to help. I’m certain you won’t regret the decision.

DAVID MAYO, SALLISAW