HOT SPRINGS — A Hot Springs teacher with 20 years of Spanish-teaching experience has endorsed “Learn Spanish with Grace!” as one of the best books she has ever used.
“I was very taken with it,” said St. John School Spanish teacher Beth Kaufman. She teaches fourth- and fifth-grade students.
“It has engaging songs,” Kaufman said. “The kids love singing, and it works very well in a classroom situation. What’s so unique is, it is all Catholic. It has catchy music that’s just like advertising in the jingles that they hear.”
In recent weeks, “Learn Spanish with Grace!” received positive coverage in several daily newspapers and favorable reviews appear at amazon.com. In March, Catholic teachers will learn about the book during a workshop at Professional Day in Little Rock. Kaufman will be one of the leaders of that session.
However, “Learn Spanish with Grace!” is more than a book. It is the high point in the very personal faith journey of the author, Miriam Alvarez Gallaher of Hot Springs.
Gallaher, 51, was born in New Jersey but raised in her parent’s native Puerto Rico. She recalled the island commonwealth as a place where people openly expressed their Catholic identity.
A visit to Mexico City to see the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe left a deep impression on her.
College and law school were followed by work as a U.S. Marine Corps judge advocate general. There, she met future husband, Patrick. She was a homemaker while Patrick served the Marine Corps for a 20-year career. Now retired, the Gallahers moved their five children to Buffalo, N.Y. Patrick, now 56, practiced law with a friend.
Gallaher began to feel a stirring. She wanted to teach Spanish to her children. But she felt the books were missing Catholic values and culture. She prayed about it, but she had no idea of how much work followed.
For years, she awoke at 2 a.m., wrote until 5 a.m. and then began running the house.
She developed a unique way to teach Spanish. “I just thought about my children. What’s the easiest way to learn Spanish? Go through the day in the life of a child,” Gallaher said.
“Learn Spanish with Grace!” teaches Spanish through the daily activities of Grace. She dressed, ate breakfast, did chores, greeted her father after work, said grace before meals and prayed before bed, among other experiences.
It’s no coincidence that one of her daughters is named Grace. Grace as a school girl appears on the front cover with Miriam. From first to last page, Gallaher wants to emphasize the Catholic values within the Spanish language.
She also wanted the lessons to resonate with young people. So, she let her children review the book project. She asked them — Rafael, Grace, Mary Margaret, Michael and Joseph — for their opinions and made changes accordingly.
She also involved them at the recording studio for songs on the three compact discs that accompany each copy of the book.
“I felt like I was being inspired every step of the way. I felt there was unity with my family because this was a family project,” Gallaher said.
The first printing came out in 2002.
In 2003, the couple had an opportunity to move to Patrick’s hometown of Hot Springs so their children could grow up closer to grandparents. The Gallahers joined St. Mary Church. It was through St. John principal Elizabeth Shackelford that Kaufman found out about Gallaher’s work.
Recently, Kaufman’s students produced a play based on the book. Puppets sing about the foods they will eat. The students invited Gallaher to visit them, see the show and hear them sing the songs that she wrote to help students learn Spanish.
Statistics show there will continue to be a demand for Catholics who can talk with the state’s newest residents. Arkansas ranked first in the nation for Hispanic growth in population from 2000 to 2005, according to the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute.
Gallaher has started to write a second book for sixth, seventh and eighth graders.
Kaufman said she admires the idea of using everyday tasks to learn Spanish. “The students can relate to that because this is what they do every day,” Kaufman said.
It all started because a wife and mother sought to serve God — with Grace.
“Learn Spanish with Grace!: Textbook with Three CDs Edition” is available from Quiet Waters Productions at www.quietwatersproductions.com for $39.95.
