Teachers from Spain Open a New World for Dallas ISD Students – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

At Chapel Hill Preparatory Academy in Dallas ISD, 2nd grade teacher Laura Moreno teaches ESL, English as a second language.

This doesn’t just apply to her students; Moreno comes from Spain.

“Well, first of all, they are where Spain is,” Moreno said of her students’ curiosity.

Moreno and her husband, Pere Valls, a fifth-grade math teacher, teach at the school as part of the Visiting International Teachers Program.

“They told us you were going to Dallas ISD,” Moreno said. “These big experiences take you out of your comfort zone and it’s hard at the beginning, but I think it’s an experience that makes you want to live life. I mean, a fulfilled life!”

“When you travel to another part of the world, you have to open your mind,” Valls said.

The pair is in the second year of a three-year deal with Dallas ISD. Both come from Spain. They have also conducted teacher exchanges in Reno and Las Vegas. By expanding their world, they expand the world of their students.

“They’re happy to see someone from another continent so far away,” Moreno said. “We also bring them our culture, our expressions, our folklore.”

“I think they will remind me more of myself when it comes to football and hopefully as a teacher too,” joked Valls, a Barcelona fan. They will remember this for the rest of their lives,” Moreno added.

The couple’s two children go to the same school. Both were in Reno, so they have dual citizenship. The cultural exchange was eye-opening.

“The size of everything! The size, the car, the streets, the size of everything,” Moreno marveled. “Everything is huge here,” Valls added.

The couple hopes their time here encourages students to think of the world as their classroom.