Spilling out of the spanish classroom are, many upbeat songs in Spanish, unique made up stories, and even aromas of the delicious food they eat from Spanish cultures. To help these features come to life, the teacher, Mrs. Mellesmoen teaches high school Spanish. Working by her side, is the new amity, Sophia Cereceda. The students in this classroom enjoy being taught by both of the teachers. “For me, I love having two teachers because if one teacher doesn’t make sense then the other one might be able to help a little bit more,” stated a student from Mrs. Mellesmoen’s Spanish One class. Sophia loves helping out Mrs. Mellesmoen and spending quality time with the kids during and after school. In fact, she has decided to come all the way to this very cold place from a very warm country named Chile. Aside from teaching, she is thrilled to be exploring more of our Minnesota culture as well.

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Although Sophia enjoys teaching Spanish here, she is also very passionate about teaching English in Chile. At the moment, Sophia has a very difficult time learning English since she grew up speaking Spanish. She explains “The most trouble I have is when to use the words either or neither and then and than.” As she completed English studies at her aunt’s Institute, she then realized her devotion to teaching English in her country. Spending her weekdays with Mrs. Mellesmoen has given her the foundation to give her what she dreams to do. She has already learned a lot at Cannon, whether it’s how to maintain the mischievous behaviors of kids or the difficulties of navigating a smart board. To Sophia, teaching here was not what she expected. “In my mind, everything was the color pink and so perfect, perfect class, perfect students, but when you are right in front of the class everything’s so different.” Mentioned Sophia about teaching.

Being so far away from her hometown can sometimes dampen her spirits quite a bit. She miserably misses her two brothers, relatives, friends and especially her mother. “I really miss my mom. She is my best friend,” stated Sophia when asked if she wanted to go back. One of Sophia’s favorite hobbies in Chile was to hang out with her friends and party. But after being here for almost a half a year, she soon began to realize that summer doesn’t stay here all year round. She misses walking outside her old house in shorts and a t-shirt in Chile. Although Chile and Minnesota are very different, she has really loved her amazing experiences and laughs with the students. As time passes here at Cannon Falls, she is getting better and better at using her English words in the correct context. Hopefully, someday the class will have the opportunity to travel to Chile. So if you happen to see Sophia in the hallway, give her an encouraging “hola!”