Focus on teaching draws Spanish professor to Adams State College (08-07-06)
Photo by Kat Gonzalez
Juan Gonzalez said the reason Adams State College appealed to him was the small class size and focus on teaching, and no, he is not a student. Dr. Juan Gonzalez, associate professor of Spanish, knew he wanted to teach at either a small liberal arts college or a community college when he finished his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
"I wanted a place where the focus was on teaching," Gonzalez said. "I love teaching."
"During my process of receiving my education I noticed a lot of professors did not care about teaching," Gonzalez said. "So many professors were caught up with their research that teaching classes had become a pain in the neck for them." He interviewed with Adams State College in the spring of 2005, the same semester he completed his Ph.D.
"I remember one lecture class in particular," Gonzalez said. "The professor talked on and on about how important Peruvian Music is to their culture. I thought, 'if it was me, I would bring in the music and play it for the class.'"
His enthusiasm for teaching combines his lifetime love of music when he enters a classroom.
"I approach teaching in any way that will bring it alive," Gonzalez said. "I use popular lyrics, music, film, poetry, art, radio broadcast and any other real cultural products to reinforce what I am teaching. That is exciting for me. I spend hours listening to music and watching films to grab anything I can to make teaching exciting and innovative."
His philosophy is similar to the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) program for professors and staff at Adams State College.
"After I was offered the position in the Spanish program and accepted, the faculty invited me to attend the CELT conference in May," Gonzalez said. "It was a great way to meet my colleagues and get perspectives of the region."
Gonzalez started teaching in the fall of 2005. He teaches all Spanish classes from elementary to upper division courses.
"I was a good fit for a CELT scholar with my background," Gonzalez said. "I come from a family with two languages, two cultures, and two religions. I was able to share my experiences."
All CELT scholars are given a Teaching Improvement Grant (TIG) and at the conference were asked what they planned on doing with the money.
"I knew in a moment what I wanted to do with the TIG funds," Gonzalez said. "I bought Latin American film and music for Adams State Nielsen Library."
The films, books and music are now available to students and faculty.
"I would like to make Nielsen Library a bastion of Spanish cultural materials for this area," Gonzalez said. "I bought material that would document the emergence of the Hispanic culture in the United States."
Before he started his higher education in Spanish, Gonzalez was in public relations and advertising.
"I thought that was my dream job," Gonzalez said. "I traveled throughout the United States, Canada and South America. But when I lost my job due to downsizing I decided to return to college."
He said he had no idea what he was going to do but a professor encouraged him to pursue a degree in Spanish.
"In my first Spanish course the professor recognized my name from a continuing education classes I had taken," Gonzalez said. "The professor said, 'I blew them away.'"
"He said, 'Let me show you the path,'" Gonzalez said. "Once the light went on, everything fell into place. It was a natural fit."
Gonzalez earned his bachelor of arts and master of arts at the University of Utah.
"As I was finishing my graduate level classes an instructor told me I would be wasting my potential if I didn't pursue my Ph.D.," Gonzalez said.
As a heritage language learner, someone who learns a language from family not in a structured classroom, Gonzalez said he spoke, 'fragmented Spanish.'
"My father is a second generation Mexican," Gonzalez said. "He married a mainstream Anglo female, and I grew up with a family that had two religions, two languages, two cultures, and children the colors of the rainbow."
He said he believes being exposed to Spanish at family gatherings, traveling in South America, and taking classes through his work in public relations did contribute to the ease of learning Spanish in an educational environment.
"When I enrolled in Spanish classes the language just came to me," Gonzalez said. "It just snapped, like a latent seed, and my abilities took off."
It may seem impossible to teach a language any other way other than text and lecture, but Gonzalez said he gets out of a textbook as quickly as possible.
"I use the lyrics from a pop song to reinforce the present tense of the Spanish language," Gonzalez said. "I have just plugged the students into a real example of what we just studied."
That is just one example. Gonzalez said he uses any type of media to bring excitement to the classroom.
"I have had students tell me my class is the shortest fifty minutes ever," Gonzalez said. "That is the greatest compliment I could ask for."
He said he spends hours pouring over songs and movies and books to find examples he can use in class.
"What I do requires an inordinate amount of time," Gonzalez said. "Transcribing ten minutes of dialog or lyrics can take over an hour. But I don't mind, I am as anxious to share a new track or film with my class as a kid before Christmas."
Gonzalez's love of music led him to volunteer for the local public radio station, KRZA.
"I love community radio," Gonzalez said. "I volunteered for a station in Utah for ten years. I have a passion for music of all kinds."
Adams State College and the Alamosa community seem to be just what Gonzalez was seeking.
"I love the campus," Gonzalez said. "When I travel out of the San Luis Valley, I can't wait to get back."
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