Since the ninth grade, Señora Onufer knew Spanish was something she wanted to pursue and grow with, so she continued to take Spanish throughout the rest of her high school education. At the Indiana University of Pennsylvania she got her bachelor’s degree. While at IUP she spent a semester in Spain and Costa Rica, furthering her understanding of the language and solidified what she wanted to do. Following her education at IUP, Onufer got a job at Hempfield Area and her master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She went on to spend two summers in Spain and a summer in Mexico. Through her travels she describes that, “I got a lot of education and a lot of experience in the countries…when you get to travel and learn, that makes it more worth it.”
Following her first few years teaching, Onufer’s main goal was to help her students get proficient and use their language like she did in other countries. To accomplish this goal an emphasis on using the language, not just writing it on a worksheet, was put into practice throughout all of Señora’s classes.
However, with every goal, challenges are bound to present themselves. A major predicament being that students in the younger grades have a tendency to not take a language class as serious as an English or math class. At times, a mindset that taking 3 years of a language for college makes kids weary or even against the idea that a language can be just as important as a core class. Spanish, in particular, has also developed a reputation for being the easiest to learn based on the many similar words it shares with English ones. There is much more to the Spanish language as learning it goes on, though.
From the start of her career to now, “There’s been a push in education to do more real life stuff, but I feel like in language, I’ve always had to do that. We’ve always shown videos or audios from other countries, instead of just hearing me talk. It just always had to be necessary to put us in real life situations in order to learn…we use a lot of things like real life commercials that Hispanic speakers would see on their own TV…So, it’s a lot of that and maybe even more authentic now.”
Being in charge of the Spanish National Honors Society is a great responsibility in itself, but it is also filled with not only great opportunities not only for the students involved, but also for Onufer. One of the most successful and impactful projects done through the society was the Pulsera Project. They raised $1,200 for those in need in Central America. Not only are the events done through the society impactful, but they can also be fun too. Field trips like ice skating in Pittsburgh, salsa dancing, and caroling for a nursing home were among some of the students’ favorites.
As for the future of the Spanish language at Hempfield Area, Onufer would like to promote it more. She describes how, “Maybe next year, you guys, as officers (of the Spanish National Honors Society), can take a bigger role. We talked about setting up something on social media, so the younger kids could see all the things we do, so they stay interested in Spanish…I want them to tell their stories…it’s not just an elective.”
