Since Sonia Acosta was a child, she always had a passion for plants and flowers. So when she heard about the landscaping course Chattanooga State Technical Community College was offering in Spanish, she didn’t think twice about enrolling with her husband, Vicente.
“You always have to try to learn everything you can,” said Mrs. Acosta, speaking in Spanish on Saturday morning during one of the last classes.
“I’ve learned a lot during this course, from what type of soil we have to use, to what’s the best way to water and what type of plants work best for this climate,” said Mrs. Acosta, a Mexico native.
This is the second landscaping class Chattanooga State has offered in partnership with the Mexican government, according to Mirtha Jones, director of the Plaza Comunitaria. They also have offered a computer class and an apartment management course, she said.
The Plaza Comunitaria is an initiative of Chattanooga State and the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta that offers elementary, middle and high school classes in Spanish, as well as an English as a Second Language program.
“Every year we apply for a scholarship with the Mexican government, and part of the (use) of that scholarship is to offer job skill courses to the students of La Plaza,” Mrs. Jones said.
After conducting a survey, Mrs. Jones said students had a great interest in landscaping.
For the fall semester, 18 students enrolled in the eight-week class, the majority of them Mexican students from La Plaza Comunitaria. Some students are from Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
Antoinette Simmons, also an English as a Second Language instructor, teaches the class in English with the help of an interpreter who translates for the students.
“This is an introduction to landscaping for people who want to work in the business or want to work in their homes, but if they work for somebody it gives them a credential,” Ms. Simmons said.
Many students already come with a background in gardening and landscaping, she said.
“So they don’t only learn from me, they learn from each other (as well),” she said.
Alecio Rodriguez, who works as a groundskeeper, said the landscaping course will help him with his job.
“I don’t have a lot of experience with landscaping, but it is something that really interests me,” he said in a room full of charts about different plants and trees recommended for the area.
Mrs. Jones said she hopes to expand the educational services offered by La Plaza Comunitaria in the future.
“Education is the key to a better life, whether it’s academics or job skills,” she said.
Perla Trevizo joined the Chattanooga Times Free Press in 2007 and covers immigration/diversity issues and higher education. She holds a master’s degree in newswire journalism from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, Spain, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Texas. She was selected as an International Reporting Fellow by the International Center for Journalists and in 2009 received an honorable mention for her story “Families Broken Apart” from the Tennessee ...
That's good and it is what the landscaping companies want. They want one skilled bilingual landscaper to be a foreman over a team of illegal immigrants!
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