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Mastering a love for language

When it comes to pursuing college,  Iris Tessandori owes it all to one Spanish teacher.

“My parents .... inspired me and my five sisters to study hard and pursue a career, but what really motivated me to become a Spanish teacher was my daughter’s Spanish teacher,” said the Peruvian native and Bakersfield resident.

Tessandori would grade her daughter’s papers from her high school Spanish class. Impressed, the teacher provided feedback that led Tessandori to the path of her career.

Tessandori is now a student at the fairly young Cal State Bakersfield Spanish master’s program.

There, she is working on earning her degree, which will allow her to teach Spanish at the college level.

“I like to teach because I can share my knowledge and help students. That is my passion,” said Tessandori, who is currently teaching Spanish courses through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in partnership with CSUB.

The CSUB Spanish graduate program, which began in fall 2003, is small in student size, but has lofty goals.

Some include equipping local teachers with a second language spoken by some of their students or parents; empowering local Latinas, a few learning Spanish for the first time;  and inspiring first-generation college students to continue in education.

The female-dominated program — 62 percent of current students — is a little piece of success, said Anthony Nuño, Assistant Professor of Spanish, Chicano Literature, Latin American Literature and Literary Theory at CSUB.

For instance, a couple of the courses help break down stereotypes and archetypes for these women, encouraging them to pursue their careers and inspire future generations of young local Latinas.

“The literary theory course helps students to think critically and these authors — at least for me — inspire and help us analyze life experiences from the perspective of women,” Tessandori said.

Students are introduced to Latina authors as another perspective to history and literature, added Tessandori.

“Isabel Allende has been my favorite author because she inspired me to read a book with another concept. Traditionally, the books were written by males and not for or by females,” Tessandori said. “These authors wrote the books in another way. I think it is important.”

The graduate program grew out of wishes from undergrad students who wanted a Spanish master’s degree, according to Nuño. 

“Many were teachers already at the high school and junior high level. They wanted to improve their knowledge of Hispanic American literature, linguistics, grammar and general knowledge about Hispanic and Latin American countries,” he said.

But the program is about more than just the mechanics of the language.

“Many students have a basic knowledge of the language and, with the master’s, they will get a deeper understanding of the issues in literature, as well as the linguistic and cultural element,” he said.

Students also learn about popular culture, folk art, literature, the impact of mass media on the language, and history.

“The program is comprehensive. Languages have a role from medieval times to Spanish colonial Mexico and Peru,” he said. “Students learn the special evolution of language when it comes to grammar, but they also learn the context of developing ideas in literature.”

A first-generation college student and native Spanish speaker, Gabriela Gonzalez was surprised to learn that studying Spanish was even a possibility.

“I found that even though I knew the language, I did not know the history, the literature or where we came from,” she said. “I have learned a lot in the program. Even when I think I know something, I find there is another aspect that I didn’t know about.”

Gonzalez hopes to become a Spanish teacher at a community college or high school once she completes her master’s degree.

Nuño has found that many of the grad students are the first in their families to attend college.

A first-generation college student himself, Nuño said he is proud of his role as mentor as he relates to some of their struggles.

“Because the program demands quality and excellence, we have a group of faculty who are very supportive of our graduate students,” Nuño said.

There are program students who commute from outlying areas while working full time to support their families. This discovery has led faculty members to consider future online courses.

“We are actually developing a hybrid course where part of the work can be done in class and part of the program can be accomplished through Web CT or the Internet. This is especially convenient for students that commute because they only have to come to class once a week versus two or more times. They can do the rest online, continue the questions and dialogue online,” Nuño said.

Another of the goal of the program is to decrease Latino high school drop-out rates in the community.

“Latinos have the highest drop-out rates in high school and we hope our program is taking measures to find ways to change that by educating bilingual, bicultural adults in the community,” he said. “With the knowledge gained here, they empower younger generations of Hispanic American students. They can communicate the desire for kids to go on to finish high school and get a college education.”

—If you are interested in the Master of Arts in Spanish program at CSUB, contact Professor Anthony Nuño by e-mail at anuno2@csub.edu or by phone, 654-6799.