By: Mo Murphy '25
This 2023-24 school year, the Newtown High School Spanish Department is offering two new elective courses. These courses include Medical Spanish and Business Spanish. Both of which are taught by Señora Olmos-Valeri, who has been a teacher at NHS for the past nine years.
Medical Spanish is being offered during semester 1 for a half credit of language, as well as Business Spanish, which will be offered in semester 2.
Señora Olmos-Valeri and other language teachers in the building went through the process to get these courses approved themselves.
“During the summer of 2020 a group of Spanish teachers and I, met and contributed to create these two curricula for Medical and Business Spanish. Then we presented these two curricula to the Board of Education and finally waited for their approval,” Olmos-Valeri said.
While the curriculum took a long time for these teachers, the whole department believed in the creation of these new courses.
“Our intention was to create a class that would help these professionals to better communicate with second language learners. I think that communication between the patient and the medical profession is a key to help patients feel safe, and avoid the anxiety of not being understood,” Olmos-Valeri said.
The entire Language department has high hopes for these new courses as they evolve as a part of the Spanish curriculum at NHS.
“I hope students will have a positive reaction to them! I hope that in seeing that each assessment is a clear connection to using the information in the professional realm it will elicit a positive response from the class knowing that the learning is meaningful,” World Language Department Chair, Ms. Ward said.
Not only does Olmos-Valeri speak about how much she loves these classes, the students taking Medical Spanish this semester do too.
“Medical Spanish is a great class, I took it to prepare myself to possibly go into the field when I am older. I really like the class as the teacher explains all of the terms well, and she helps prepare us for going into the field,” NHS Junior Abby Lee said.
In these new courses, students are able to learn Spanish in a way that they may have never seen before. The target for these classes was for students who have possibly not liked their Spanish classes in previous years, but still want or need or earn language credits.
“They are expressions that we do not have the chance to teach in other classes. I also think that the approach to learn the vocabulary and grammar is more dynamic encouraging students to speak and communicate more in the target language,” Olmos-Valeri said
There are many different reasons students choose to take these specified, direct classes. Some hoping to go into the medical field, and others to just try out different experiences.
“I took the class so that if I continue to want to go into the medical field it will look good on resumes and applications,” NHS Junior Brooke Jackson said.
For Señora Olmos-Valeri, these courses have a personal background , which has pushed her to endure the long process of adding them to the NHS Spanish curriculum.
“I think that people working in the medical field always have the opportunity to interact with patients that may not speak English, and I have seen the frustration on both parts when they can not communicate with each other. Communication between the patient and the medical profession is a key to help patients feel safe, and avoid the anxiety of not being understood,” Olmos-Valeri said.