CANYON, Texas — Language teachers from more than 30 area schools will learn from one another during a unique workshop at West Texas A&M University.
WT’s Panhandle Language Teachers Association, part of the University’s Spanish program in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities, will host its winter workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 23 at Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center, 720 S. Tyler St.
Dr. Eduardo Huaytan-Martinez, WT visiting assistant professor of Spanish, will discuss the importance of not leaving heritage speakers behind in language classrooms, and Dr. Andrew Reynolds, professor of Spanish and director of WT’s Spanish program, will lead a discussion of how to better incorporate Texas TEKES standards. Tammy Schmidt, coordinator of Clarendon College’s Learning Resource Center, will discuss ways to increase the use of the target language in classrooms.
Teachers from school districts in Canyon, Amarillo, Lockney, Lubbock, Borger, River Road, Dumas, Plainview, Olton, Hale Center, Canadian, Pampa and Booker are registered, as are teachers from several private schools.
PTLA is the only organization providing foreign language teacher development to area teachers, Reynolds said.
“The value of being a bilingual speaker is assumed, but there is still great work to be done in teaching and prioritizing language learning,” Reynolds said. “PTLA is here to help regional language teachers by offering informative, hands-on workshops and advocacy.”
Addressing regional challenges is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.
That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $150 million.
