LITTLE ROCK, AR – When the Mexican Consulate office in Arkansas opened its doors on Wednesday, 25 of April the ceremony included the signing of a sister-city agreement between Little Rock and Pachuca, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. On hand to sign the deal was Omar Fayad, that city’s mayor, the Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola and the president of the Sister Cities Commission, Sherman Banks.

Three months later, two Spanish teachers from Pachuca, Mexico offered their insights and learning experience on how Spanish should be taught.



Alejandra Aguilar Martinez and Maria De Los Angeles Lugo received an invitation from the Arkansas Department of Education to come to Arkansas and facilitate the training to Spanish teachers in Arkansas. The teachers stay in Arkansas from July 8 to the 27 training foreign language teachers.



Their trip was organized as a collaboration of the Little Rock Sister Cities Commission and the Little Rock Mexican Consulate.



“Arkansas Spanish teachers received first hand training from two experts in teaching Spanish,” said Ellen Treadway, Deputy Associate Director of the Arkansas Dept. of Education.



Treadway also says they'd like to add a teacher exchange program with Pachuca, which is Little Rock's newest sister city. She added, “We make sure we stay on top with research, and then when these teachers come together, they take a look at what the national organization is recommending, always looking at the best ways to teach foreign languages to our students”.