Every teacher’s classroom holds a special place in a student’s heart, and decor plays a role in that. 

Chapin High School Spanish teacher Lina Riddle is an example. Her classroom is brightened with colorful, Hispanic flags, bold signs with Spanish-speaking tips and toys that students use to play engaging games in class. 

But not all classrooms have funding for new equipment, she said. Teachers often have to apply for donations and ask for supplies from students. 

Riddle filled out an online application, and through the Sonic fast-food chain, received a new whiteboard, a note pad, markers and pencil.

“We as teachers receive a check every year with a certain amount for resources for the class, but sometimes, that check isn’t enough,” Riddle said. “So when we really want to bring something different to the class, the only way to, you know, get it, is by applying for donations.”

Sonic gave to Chapin High and other Columbia-area schools because its nearby Newberry location was selected for the Dr. Pepper Sonic Games, a national competition staged at 50 locations around the nation where employees compete for the best location based on service and care for customers. 

The competition took place Oct. 5 in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Riddle began her teaching career in her native country of Colombia as an English teacher before moving to South Carolina as an international teacher in 2016. She said her previous studies abroad and teaching experience have taught her the value of establishing relationships with students. 

She captures the trust and attention of her students by engaging them through a variety of opportunities to earn extra credit and free time.

“When they buy (into) what you offer them, that is going to be easier for them to learn,” Riddle said. “If you have these kinds of reward systems or things that make them feel seen, listened to and make them feel confident, that is going to bring more to their learning.”

Riddle said she and other language teachers have recently folded “comprehensible input learning” into their coursework, making information more understandable and retainable for students so they’ll use it when needed.

An abundance of signs showing basic vocabulary words for easy memorization hit students each time they walk in Riddle’s classroom. 

“I really can push them to say, ‘OK, you don’t know how to say this, look, it’s in here,’” Riddle said. “And through repetition, there will be a moment when they’re not going to need to use the visuals.” 

Chapin High freshman student Henry Manning said the class is interactive, with students playing games such as ‘Tango, Tingo, Tango’ and ‘Hot Potato,’ keeping lessons fresh. 

He compared the style to his other classes, where learning is more traditional, or what he called “Drill and Kill.”

“It’s what we do in math where, like, ‘Here’s a question, and another question and another question.’ If you got it wrong, you fail,” Manning said. 

Manning’s classmate, Joselyn Lee, said their class has a lot of students who are at the same level of learning Spanish, making for more of a peer-to-peer and helpful classroom environment. 

She and her family previously took in foster children who natively speak Spanish, spreading her knowledge of the language and experience with others. 

“Getting to learn their culture and see it being shared to others is very nice,” Lee said. “Because I’ve had girls from Honduras, Venezuela and Guatemala. And it’s nice to get to see their culture is not just where they’re from, but it can also be shared here.”

Riddle said her classroom and its decorations reflect the belief students have in themselves as they continue learning the language.

“Each one of them are going to have a different pace,” Riddle said. “So, in the meantime, they have that confidence all around them.”