cool beanses! when you say "we" do you mean you and your guitar teacher, or you and a guitar class, or what?
i've become a big believer in picks and steel strings lately. although if you're going for the mexican mariachi sound nylon and fingernails might be the way to go. i've actually been teaching a lot of guitar lessons lately, although i never intended to be a guitar teacher. it just somehow happened as a result of being a fiddle teacher.