My Why
Dear DLI Teacher, with an extra hug for 1st Year teachers
The beginning of the school year fills my heart with excitement and dread, all at the same time. Summer brings slower mornings and the ease to cook without urgency. The moment Day One begins, my daily pace will triple…hence the dread. You know what I mean? “El corre, corre” of the school year. But I also loved walking into an empty school right before Day One, where boxes lined the hallways, floor were so shiny I could almost see my reflection, and my own empty classroom, dormant for the summer, was ready to come alive.
It was at those moments, the moment of the new beginning that I reflected on my why. Why dual language education? In my case, dual language education chose me. I am also a writer, and years ago, a writer friend suggested that I pursue education. “You’ll get health insurance,” my friend insisted. At first, I was not interested, but as time went on, I decided to volunteer in a classroom, as a test, to see if I saw myself as a teacher. That’s where I met, Ara. Ara was a 4th grade student learning English as his new language. He was from Armenia. When he heard me say his name, pronouncing the A’s in Spanish, his face lit up. I realized that I had pronounced his name correctly. We connected in a way that was so simple, yet so powerful. He was struggling with the 4th grade curriculum and had a hard time getting along with his peers. Since the teacher noticed that he responded well with me, I spent my time helping him navigate his new school, in his new country. By the end of my time in that classroom, I knew I wanted to help more students like Ara.
Shortly afterwards, I walked into the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) central office building in downtown Los Angeles and inquired about being an emergency credential teacher. The woman at the desk turned me away but once I reached my car I thought, ‘Maybe I should tell her that I speak Spanish.’ I went back. I informed the receptionist that I spoke Spanish and suddenly found myself taking a fluency exam and making an appointment for an interview. Since the district was implementing bilingual programs across the district, I was hired in an instant. Once I signed my contract, I was shown a map of the district and was asked, “Where do you want to work?” I requested to be interviewed by principals in the San Fernando Valley, where I lived, to minimize my commute. Weeks later, I was given the keys to my classroom and my career in dual language education began as a third-grade bilingual teacher.
I tell this story because I entered this profession in an unconventional way. I don’t have an inspirational story of why I became a teacher. I did not have any formal teacher education training when I began, except for the six weeks I spent volunteering. During my first two years of teaching, I attended what I called ‘little school’ during the day (my third-grade class) and ‘big school’ (my teacher preparation program) in the evening. For me it hasn’t been a story of why I became a teacher, it’s a story of why I’m still here.
On the first day of teaching my bilingual third grade, my students filed into the classroom and sat at their desks full of enthusiasm, I fell in love. My students rode the bus from downtown Los Angeles to the West Valley, a trip that took about an hour each way. Every day they appeared with wide smiles, eager to learn. While I bonded with my students, and was determined to give them my best, I began to learn that not everyone was happy that we were there.
Since our program was a strand within the school, I learned that some of the staff resented that a bilingual program was being implemented at this small school nestled in the mountains of West Hills. I was approached by teachers who openly expressed their dismay that students were being taught in Spanish. I learned that not everyone saw the brilliance of my Multilingual students. When a colleague asked how I liked my class and I replied with high levels of enthusiasm, “They’re great!” She replied, “That’s wonderful that you like teaching your students even though they’re not as smart.” I was stunned and angry. I didn’t know how to respond because I couldn’t believe anyone could think that my students weren’t smart (si fuera hoy, pobrecita ella).
I also learned that there were parents who didn’t want their children in the same classroom as the bilingual students. In my second year of teaching, I was placed in what LAUSD called a Modified Bilingual classroom. Essentially, it was an English-only and bilingual program in the same classroom, but it was not a dual immersion program. Half the class was enrolled in a bilingual program and the other half was enrolled in an English-only program. ¿Te imaginas eso? It was crazy. Luckily, I had an aide who was amazing. We ran the classroom with groups, and she and I taught all the students. The English-only parents insisted that I teach the English-only students and my aide teach the “Spanish kids.” I refused. The parent pressure was intense. I almost quit that year by Thanksgiving but my principal, who believed in the program, believed in my students, and believed in me was savvy enough to send me to Puerto Rico. My cousin in Puerto Rico was getting married the Saturday before Thanksgiving. On a particularly hard day, I met with her and was ready to resign. She suggested I go to my cousin’s wedding and take the whole Thanksgiving week off (at the time we only had Thursday and Friday off). I agreed but didn’t guarantee I would be back. While I was in Puerto Rico, a renewed sense of passion and commitment to my Multilingual learners and their bilingual program brought me back with a renewed energy of, ‘These parents were not going to drive me out’. I returned. I continued to teach ALL my students. By the end of the year, the most vocal parent, the one who gave me the most grief, threw me an end-of-year surprise party. ¿Te imaginas?
Each start of the new school year, I’m reminded of those first few years because it was in those moments that I became committed to dual language instruction. I became an advocate for the program, my students, and their families. Why am I still a dual language educator? Because I believe everyone should have access to a dual language program. I believe dual language programs benefit Multilingual learners and give them an instructional program that not only helps them succeed in English but honors and preserves their first language. I believe becoming bilingual/biliterate has many benefits, as is cited in brain research. I believe the dual language program gives us the opportunity to create a mini society, where students learn from each other, about each other as they learn two languages. I believe teaching and learning in a dual language program creates a more compassionate community in and out of the classroom.
In the beginning, dual language education chose me, but since then, year after year, I have chosen to be a dual language educator. I’m still learning, I’m still advocating, and I still believe that the world is a better place when we live in a multilingual, multicultural society. The benefits are many and the naysayers are still around. Our work is bigger than us.
Why are you a dual language teacher or administrator?
What is your why?
