Middle Ground

Hey Friends, 

Welcome (or welcome back!) to Middle Ground—a monthly note from me, Katie, at AgvoKate.

 

This newsletter is all about connecting cultures and languages in ag, with updates from my world and fun, useful Spanish tips. I see my work as the bridge between English and Spanish speakers, and Middle Ground reflects that.

 

You'll hear from me just once a month, on the third Thursday—no inbox overload, promise!

 

Thanks for being here!

 

El Tratamiento: Treatment 

Example Sentences 

This month my travels found me in my own town of Gettysburg, PA!

 

After wrapping up the live instruction portion of my Winter session, I am focusing on helping students one-on-one, reviewing their cumulative assessments and sending out certificates of completion. The excitement and astonishment from my students about the amount of sentences they are able to put together in Spanish never gets old for me! This month is a time of reorganizing and refocusing for me as I put some serious work into upcoming projects. Hint: I'm also working on an exciting ESL project for May!

 

During this time of winding down from one project and gearing up for the next, I like to take time to take reorganize my office and think about goals for the next season. There's no better time for planning and reflection than during a battlefield walk. Fun fact--I live on one! In addition to walking the battlefields, I recently joined the Adams County Historical Society (#HistoryNerd) which allows me to take advantage of free museum and seminar admissions to keep learning whenever I get a spare moment.

 

I have a long-term goal to be a licensed battlefield guide one day. If you ever come to Gettysburg let me know! I'll let you in on the best ice cream in town. 😉  We locals keep it a secret.

 

If I'm not working or walking the battlefields you can probably find me on the dance floor, or spending time with my community of friends I've built since I moved here four years ago. This includes line dancing, tap dancing, and game nights where we play board games, card games, and eat good food! 

 

Photos Top to Bottom: Tap Dancing, Line dancing to my favorite song, Fuego, Game night with friends. 

Want to learn more about the real history of Cinco de Mayo? 

 

In May, I will be returning to The Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association to teach another round of English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to the backstretch community who care for the race horses. 

 

It's so fun to learn new terms myself in order to help students better communicate with trainers, jockeys, etc. Estoy aprendiendo siempre. I am always learning! 

 

My last stint was in November and was eye-opening and challenging but rewarding for all involved. One of my favorite memories was when, as my students were leaving for the day, one turned to his friend (who wasn't in the class) and said, "See you tomorrow" and with a huge grin, added "I learn it (the phrase) in class." 

 

He didn't know I heard him, but it made my heart smile just as wide. Many times it's the smallest things that can make a difference. 

 

I hope you enjoyed the April issue of Middle Ground. If you have ideas, feedback, or just want to say hi, I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to reply to this email.