Advocacy
"Students have knowledge of injustice in the world, have informed opinions about it, and know that their voice and actions have value. They can advocate for themselves and others." (Johns Hopkins, n.d.).
Introduction
As a Spanish teacher, I have the ability to be more flexible with my curriculum than many other subjects, such as Math and Science. Where many other subjects have to follow Common Core or strict standards that leave less time to switch up lessons, I am able to implement many new ideas that are relevant to my students. I do — however — follow the ACTFL World Language Standards, which push for students to "interact with cultural competence and understanding," "develop insight into the nature of language and culture in order to interact with cultural competence," and "communicate and interact with cultural competence in order to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world" (ACTFL, n.d.). I also refer to Teach for America's "Teaching as Leadership," which places a heavy emphasis on Social and Political Consciousness.
The Spanish-speaking world is regularly the subject of polarized news sources and heated debates here in the US — especially with the presidency of Donald Trump (but really nothing new, as Mexicans have been subject of racism well before the Mexican-American War in 1846). My school consists of a large Hispanic and immigrant population, who are personally affected by the bigoted rhetoric. As a result, I feel it in my job description to dispel this hurtful and untrue rhetoric and ensure that "students have knowledge of injustice in the world, have informed opinions about it, and know that their voice and actions have value" (Johns Hopkins, n.d.). On top of that, I want students to be able to "advocate for themselves and others" (Johns Hopkins, n.d.). As Price-Mitchell (2015) mentions, “The goal of education should always be to leverage learning as an agent of social change — the kind of objective that makes leadership and citizenship into something more than pretty words." Below I will demonstrate how I provide my students with the tools and knowledge to defend themselves and others against xenophobia and anti-immigrant rhetoric.
My School Context
Our school has students that come from many different parts of the world; however, most of our immigrant population comes from Latin America and the Caribbean. That makes Spanish and Latin American history, geography and culture relevant, as well as topics such as immigration. In addition to immigration being a well-known subject, there are many students affected by undocumented immigration and may know friends or family who are undocumented. Taking advantage of my position as a Spanish teacher, I make sure to plan lessons that bring light to this important and politicized topic. I want my students to leave class more empathetic towards the struggles of undocumented individuals. As seen below, we have a large Hispanic population, as well as a large English Language Learner population.
School Demographics
The diversity within our school
ACTFL World Language Standards
By providing instruction that pushes my students to advocate for themselves and others, I maintain a classroom guided by the ACTFL World Language Standards. To dispel stereotypes and lack of understanding, I teach my students about the history of Spanish-speaking countries, as well as current events and issues. I highlight their contributions and tales to shed light on their humanity. By doing this, I teach students to "reflect on the concepts of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own" (ACTFL, n.d.). We spend time inside and outside of class celebrating Multicultural Night, Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as regularly bring up cultural differences, "[reflecting] on the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the cultures studied" (ACTFL, n.d). I also have students "interact and collaborate in their community and the globalized world" (ACTFL, n.d.), whether that is to shed awareness on a particular issue or to bring about some form of action.
ACTFL World Language Standards on Cultures, Comparisons and Communities
Teaching as Leadership
I am always reflecting on how to include advocacy in my lessons, and Teach for America's Teaching As Leadership model helps me find ways to do so. It "offers evolving guidance on several questions that flow from our commitment to students’ enduring path to self-determination and opportunity" (Teach for America, 2016) pertaining to Academic Growth, Personal Growth, Social and Political Consciousness, and Access. Within Social and Political Consciousness, TAL (Teaching as Leadership) asks the following questions (seen below in the Student Indicators and Broader Outcomes Wheel):
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Are the students building an understanding of cultural identity and diversity both individual and collective assets relevant to the community and a broader world?
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Are the students building the habits and traits to be curious about the environment around them?
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To what extent are students building their conviction about their own role to influence change, in the classroom and broader context, if they so choose?"(Teach for America, 2016).
Teaching as Leadership: The Student Indicators and Broader Outcomes Wheel
1. In my classroom, I maintain a culturally-open atmosphere. This is apparent upon entering and seeing the flags of the world all around the walls and photos of people of all skin colors. On top of this, I implement history, geography and cultural lessons that give them global context and celebrate culture — like Hispanic Heritage Month. We also regularly discuss the countries that they come from and their experiences here in Connecticut. We have a large Brazilian population, and I use my Portuguese to relate with my students, as many of their other teachers are unable to speak to them. As Claire Roach (2015) mentions, “Educators and engaged parents will fail to realize the full value of cultural richness if we wait passively for it to emerge." By embracing the students' diversity, I am helping building a strong, unified student population.
I maintain a colorful and inviting classroom.
2. My lessons include history, geography and culture that give the students an understanding of the world around them. As many of my students are from the Caribbean and Latin America, the lessons are relevant to their lives. For example, when discussing immigration and showing a film on undocumented immigration, the students saw the injustices the characters faced and the contributions that immigrants bring with them. In another movie about the early life of Che Guevara, the students learned about common struggles that former colonies have. I teach these lessons to get students interested in the world around them and how it came to be this way.
Map of Spanish-Speaking Countries
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3. I want to make sure that my students have the tools necessary to take the knowledge that they gain in my classroom with them when they leave. I want them to be engaged agents of change in the world and "advocate for themselves and others" (Johns Hopkins, n.d.). This is not easy and requires the agents to be active and aware of what is happening in the world, as well as the have the capacity to take action when they see an opportunity. In one activity, I had the students create Guatemalan Worry Dolls to give to recently-arrived immigrant children in the community as a welcoming gesture. This lesson not only included discussions on immigration and the injustices immigrants face, it allowed the students to become engaged in their community and show solidarity to the recently-arrived immigrant community.
Guatemalan Worry Dolls
Conclusion
In my role, I need to make sure I am using all my tools to ensure that "students have knowledge of injustice in the world, have informed opinions about it, and know that their voice and actions have value. They can advocate for themselves and others." (Johns Hopkins, n.d.). Through multiple lessons on immigration, as well as cultural, historical, and geography lessons, I want students to be able to make informed decisions when they engage people from around the world. I also want them to have knowledgeable discussions and coherent responses to myths, stereotypes and bigotry towards immigrants. I personally believe any real, progressive change begins with education — and from there a shift in public opinion. With my students' personal experiences, as well as viewing others' experiences, history and culture around the world, they will gain tools on how to dispel the negative perceptions of immigrants around the country.
References:
ACTFL. (2012). ACTFL PROFICIENCY GUIDELINES 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2019, from https://www.actfl.org/publications/guidelines-and-manuals/actfl-proficiency-guidelines-2012.
Price-Mitchell, M. (2015, January 6). Youth protests: A positive sign of the times? Civics lesson for the 21st century [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-moment-youth/201501/youth-protests-positive-sign-the-times
Roach, C. (2015, October 27). Celebrating your school's cultural diversity [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/celebrating-your-schools-cultural-diversity-clare-roach