Two names, both alike in dignity, in fair Americas, where the scene was laid to rest ....
If you are a human being that can read, I strongly recommend reading or rereading the works of Cuban revolutionary, José Martí. A true renaissance man that was well ahead of his time in thinking progressively... because get this - he believed that diversity is a positive thing, that slavery should not exist, and that all people of all backgrounds, ethnicities and color should get along! What's remarkable is that Martí wrote these things in the late 1800s.
Martí held degrees in law and philosophy. He was a writer, a poet, a journalist, a political activist, a revolutionary and a true freedom fighter - fighting with his words and his brain above all else.
"Pensar es servir" - "to think is to serve" he wrote in Nuestra America - an essay on the status of political Cuba at the time, but really his prescriptive advice & heeded warnings are easily applied to all of the Americas (which was his intention.) The media-plastered stories of young black men being killed by people in positions of authority stops most of us in our tracks to ask ourselves, "What the hell is going on?" Is it racism? Fear? Miscommunication? Does it matter which one it is when at the end of the day human lives were lost - where the reactions were not justified? "...las armas del juicio que vencen a las otras" - "Weapons of the mind defeat the other (kind)" - Martí believed that a little cultural competence and THINKING could serve the people better than guns. The reality may be that this is not the society we live in today, but could it not be a start?
"Si la república no abre los brazos a todos y adelanta con todos, muere la república." If the republic does not open its arms to all (people) and move forward with all, the republic dies!" How profound and thought provoking as we navigate and filter through the stories brought to us on race relations or even, immigration laws!
My seniors examined these quotes from Martí just last week in class. Eric Garner's name was mentioned and one student asked what happened. This student just happens to be a young, black man. I told him what happened to Eric Garner and what did (not) happen to the police officer. He showed no emotion, but it hurt to tell him this. It is sad for everyone involved and for all of us watching from home. It's sad that an unarmed black male in a hoodie and 'hands up in the air' have become symbols of injustice carried out by the people we are supposed to trust. Why should any of us be okay with what has happened? These young men were their mother's babies and their lives do matter.
No matter if you are black or if you are white, you should not be okay or numb to these recent tragedies. Being white does not mean you have no voice in this - you should stand next to your black neighbor and say it out loud - "this is not okay!" Martí boldly stated in his essay,"No hay odio de razas, porque no hay razas." "There is no hatred of races, because there are no races," - that we are a country of one and in that, it's people should come together to build up the community they collectively own... "that salvation was in creation."
José Martí was shot dead fighting for Cuba's freedom in 1895. What will we do in 2015 to ensure the lives of Eric Garner, Michael Brown, & Tamir Rice were not lost in vain?
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The topics of race and identity have always struck a cord with me. I have spent a lot of time over the past couple years attending conferences and seminars on cultural competence, multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion. As a teacher and a parent, I see how race is a non-issue in most preschool and Kinder classrooms. My five year old says we are all chocolate - white, brown, dark. So, while most little kids notice - they don't have the history or stereotypes that can create fear, distrust, or hate. How can adults reasonably get back to that? In 2015, I will be speaking on this topic in a seminar called, "Race in Your Face: Moving from color blind to bold" - details to come.
DDLM
!Día de los Muertos!
Also, known as Day of the Dead, is one of my favorite cultural units to teach my students about. The meaning behind this (mostly) Mexican holiday is something I think transcends cultures or countries. Día de los Muertos is about celebrating and honoring the lives of loved ones who have passed away. Today, the holiday blends Catholic traditions with ancient Mexica ones as people create altars in their homes, visit cemeteries, and tell the stories about loved ones to keep the memories alive. In my 7th grade class, students learn about Day of the Dead, and choose a person they would like to honor. We build an altar in the classroom and students bring in photos, and other items that either belonged to the person or that represent the person.
The Aztec people believed in multiple layers of earth - and so, our life time on earth is only a small portion, and what you do as you pass through the many layers of heaven is what really counts. Today, Mexican people believe death is not to be feared, it is only a part of the on-going cycle of life. This is why calaveras (skulls) and calacas (toy skeletons) reign during the Day of the Dead celebrations from Nov. 1-2. Skull or skeleton art is a big part of Mexican folk art. The skeletons are lively, humorous, and usually doing worldly things, like playing a guitar or driving a car. The calaveras are usually brightly colored, ornate, sometimes covered in flowers or butterflies, but always beautiful representations of death - as odd as that may sound, it's really something to behold.
My students really get into this celebration. After they pick the person they want to honor, they write about him / her on decorative, calavera stationary and then, they go home to seek out things to bring in for the altar. The only rule to this is they can't purchase anything! By the end of the week, the altar looks amazing and is full of light, color, stories, pictures and artifacts of the lives once lived. The students place the items very carefully on the altar - finding just the right spot. Once it is up, many students come to visit my room just to view the altar and take it all in! The way they gaze over it is quite touching and they are so careful not to disturb any of the items placed. In class, my students are eager to share and tell about who and what!
Each year, I place a picture of my own beautiful, little niece who passed from cancer when she was 4 years old. Because most of them choose a grandparent, they are curious as to who the little girl is. They will ask me and then the questions stop - maybe for fear of prying or maybe because it is hard for them to comprehend. I was accustomed to this response until last year when one student asked me way more than, "Who was she?" She wanted to know all about her. I smiled at this student and wanted to hug her, but refrained for fear I would embarrass her! Turns out she also chose to celebrate the life of a child - her sister had passed at age 3 from Leukemia. This year, this same student brought in the most beautiful collection of her sister's belongings and she told us the story about each item: her sweet little shoes, her Maisy, the Mouse lunchbox with a collection of Chiclets and birthday candles stored inside, and a stuffed ladybug. We all listened intently and I personally rejoiced inside for having had the opportunity to provide an outlet to see, hear, and share the lives of these people - especially the little ones - the angelitos (as they are called in Mexico.)
And so, I'll end this post with a nod to Aisylin Grace, Hannah & Asher - the brevity of your lives is no match for how you have forever changed ours.
**Click on the images for close-up views.
Also, known as Day of the Dead, is one of my favorite cultural units to teach my students about. The meaning behind this (mostly) Mexican holiday is something I think transcends cultures or countries. Día de los Muertos is about celebrating and honoring the lives of loved ones who have passed away. Today, the holiday blends Catholic traditions with ancient Mexica ones as people create altars in their homes, visit cemeteries, and tell the stories about loved ones to keep the memories alive. In my 7th grade class, students learn about Day of the Dead, and choose a person they would like to honor. We build an altar in the classroom and students bring in photos, and other items that either belonged to the person or that represent the person.
The Aztec people believed in multiple layers of earth - and so, our life time on earth is only a small portion, and what you do as you pass through the many layers of heaven is what really counts. Today, Mexican people believe death is not to be feared, it is only a part of the on-going cycle of life. This is why calaveras (skulls) and calacas (toy skeletons) reign during the Day of the Dead celebrations from Nov. 1-2. Skull or skeleton art is a big part of Mexican folk art. The skeletons are lively, humorous, and usually doing worldly things, like playing a guitar or driving a car. The calaveras are usually brightly colored, ornate, sometimes covered in flowers or butterflies, but always beautiful representations of death - as odd as that may sound, it's really something to behold.
My students really get into this celebration. After they pick the person they want to honor, they write about him / her on decorative, calavera stationary and then, they go home to seek out things to bring in for the altar. The only rule to this is they can't purchase anything! By the end of the week, the altar looks amazing and is full of light, color, stories, pictures and artifacts of the lives once lived. The students place the items very carefully on the altar - finding just the right spot. Once it is up, many students come to visit my room just to view the altar and take it all in! The way they gaze over it is quite touching and they are so careful not to disturb any of the items placed. In class, my students are eager to share and tell about who and what!
Each year, I place a picture of my own beautiful, little niece who passed from cancer when she was 4 years old. Because most of them choose a grandparent, they are curious as to who the little girl is. They will ask me and then the questions stop - maybe for fear of prying or maybe because it is hard for them to comprehend. I was accustomed to this response until last year when one student asked me way more than, "Who was she?" She wanted to know all about her. I smiled at this student and wanted to hug her, but refrained for fear I would embarrass her! Turns out she also chose to celebrate the life of a child - her sister had passed at age 3 from Leukemia. This year, this same student brought in the most beautiful collection of her sister's belongings and she told us the story about each item: her sweet little shoes, her Maisy, the Mouse lunchbox with a collection of Chiclets and birthday candles stored inside, and a stuffed ladybug. We all listened intently and I personally rejoiced inside for having had the opportunity to provide an outlet to see, hear, and share the lives of these people - especially the little ones - the angelitos (as they are called in Mexico.)
And so, I'll end this post with a nod to Aisylin Grace, Hannah & Asher - the brevity of your lives is no match for how you have forever changed ours.
**Click on the images for close-up views.
There's a rabbit in the moon!
Two years ago, I was handed the Non-AP senior Spanish class. It had been a long while since I had taught "big kids," so I was a little weary. The upside was my Administrators gave me free range! The course is called Spanish Conversation and Culture for the Non-AP track. I decided I wanted to teach the big pieces that don't fit in the middle school curriculum. By big pieces, I mean those that I feel seniors should know about before graduating and heading off to college. We study Hispanic culture & history through literature pieces like myths, legends, creation stories, politics and a few films.
I love teaching Creation stories - or stories of origin - as they can tell us so much about any given society. Perhaps if we all were required to read excerpts from books like the Bible, the Q'ran, or the Torah, we would have a better understanding of how others think and believe. Perhaps this would create a mutual understanding or even better - a mutual respect!
Right now my senior students are reading the Popol Vuh - the Mayan book of origin - creation of the world and man. By reading this ancient text, they have learned why corn was deemed so important to their people and why respecting your elders is a cornerstone to familial life. We also read a little legend called "El sol y la luna" (The Sun & the Moon). It tells the story of how light was created by sacrificing two gods. These gods became the sun and the moon we know today. However, as the two balls of light arose in the sky equally bright, the other gods decided one should be dimmer than the other. To dim one light, a god grabbed a rabbit and hurled it at the moon, smacking it with the rabbit. For this reason, the moon is not as bright as the sun and to this day you can see the imprint of the rabbit in the moon.
I first heard this story in 1997 when I stayed with a family that lived in Guadalajara, Mexico. For them, it was common knowledge that you can see a rabbit in the moon. I looked up and in fact, I could see it. Living in the United States of course it had never been brought to my attention, but there it was plain as day - or night, rather! This got me thinking when people argue over the sky being blue or the grass being green - infer religion or politics, etc. here - a lot of our heated debates or complete miscommunications obviously stem from not understanding the other. If we took the time to dig in and really learn a little history about those we have conflicts with, maybe it could begin a path of peaceful coexistence. A respectful agreement to disagree, but behind it an understanding of why you see a man in the moon and I see a rabbit.
photo credit: mexicolore.co.uk
I love teaching Creation stories - or stories of origin - as they can tell us so much about any given society. Perhaps if we all were required to read excerpts from books like the Bible, the Q'ran, or the Torah, we would have a better understanding of how others think and believe. Perhaps this would create a mutual understanding or even better - a mutual respect!
Right now my senior students are reading the Popol Vuh - the Mayan book of origin - creation of the world and man. By reading this ancient text, they have learned why corn was deemed so important to their people and why respecting your elders is a cornerstone to familial life. We also read a little legend called "El sol y la luna" (The Sun & the Moon). It tells the story of how light was created by sacrificing two gods. These gods became the sun and the moon we know today. However, as the two balls of light arose in the sky equally bright, the other gods decided one should be dimmer than the other. To dim one light, a god grabbed a rabbit and hurled it at the moon, smacking it with the rabbit. For this reason, the moon is not as bright as the sun and to this day you can see the imprint of the rabbit in the moon.
I first heard this story in 1997 when I stayed with a family that lived in Guadalajara, Mexico. For them, it was common knowledge that you can see a rabbit in the moon. I looked up and in fact, I could see it. Living in the United States of course it had never been brought to my attention, but there it was plain as day - or night, rather! This got me thinking when people argue over the sky being blue or the grass being green - infer religion or politics, etc. here - a lot of our heated debates or complete miscommunications obviously stem from not understanding the other. If we took the time to dig in and really learn a little history about those we have conflicts with, maybe it could begin a path of peaceful coexistence. A respectful agreement to disagree, but behind it an understanding of why you see a man in the moon and I see a rabbit.
photo credit: mexicolore.co.uk
Dichos y Refranes for the classroom journal
I love DICHOS! Dichos are sayings in Spanish - they can be funny, proverbial, or just plain good advice! Doing a weekly dicho is something I initiated with my 8th graders years ago. Every Monday, they come in and get a Dicho-of-the-Week. They copy the Spanish dicho down in their journals and have all week to work on it - turning the journal in on Friday. Step 1 is to copy the Spanish dicho I have given them. Step 2 is to write out the English translation somewhat verbatim. Step 3 is for the student to write out his/her own interpretation of the dicho - what it really means and perhaps in what situation it could be used. Step 4 is the hardest - students are asked to think of an English equivalent. We do this by adhering to our school's Honor Code - meaning the students are not allowed to Google any of the dichos. Instead, they are asked to talk about them with their parents or grandparents.
I have had good success in doing these over the years, but recently received the nicest compliment from a parent. She told me that each week their family looks forward to the dicho I've given them and that the student calls her grandmother to talk about it. This makes me smile inside! My little classroom activity is dinner table conversation!
Dichos are an excellent tool for learning more about any given language and culture. I also coordinate them weekly to go along with our topics in grammar. So, for example, if we are studying Reflexive verbs, then I pick a dicho with a reflexive. Here are some of my favorite examples:
Easy - "Perro que ladra, no muerde." "All bark, no bite."
Intermediate - "En boca cerrada, no entran moscas." "Lose lips sink ships."
Hard - "Salir de Guatemala y meterse en guatepeor." This one is a pun in Spanish, so it obviously won't translate verbatim, but there is a perfect English equivalent having nothing to do with the Spanish version - "Out of the kettle and into the fire!"
I have had good success in doing these over the years, but recently received the nicest compliment from a parent. She told me that each week their family looks forward to the dicho I've given them and that the student calls her grandmother to talk about it. This makes me smile inside! My little classroom activity is dinner table conversation!
Dichos are an excellent tool for learning more about any given language and culture. I also coordinate them weekly to go along with our topics in grammar. So, for example, if we are studying Reflexive verbs, then I pick a dicho with a reflexive. Here are some of my favorite examples:
Easy - "Perro que ladra, no muerde." "All bark, no bite."
Intermediate - "En boca cerrada, no entran moscas." "Lose lips sink ships."
Hard - "Salir de Guatemala y meterse en guatepeor." This one is a pun in Spanish, so it obviously won't translate verbatim, but there is a perfect English equivalent having nothing to do with the Spanish version - "Out of the kettle and into the fire!"
Why aren't you bilingual?
It's been a while since I've had time to leisurely think and write for my own pleasure. My little one turns two this month, so the timing is right as she boldly displays her independence with each passing month! She is speaking Spanish and appears to understand everything said to her in Spanish. My oldest just turned five and she is completely bilingual. My heart swells just thinking about it. It is beyond a doubt my greatest accomplishment in life - one that could not have happened so easily without my husband who also instills in them the importance of maintaining a connection to their Colombian roots. I know many families like ours - parents from different countries with children learning the best of both - both cultures and both languages. I also know the outcome varies greatly. It's a challenge to consistently maintain the target language especially when the kids go to school and none of their friends are speaking that language. Push-back can happen and all you can do as the "language parent" is to continue speaking & continue asking for a response in the target language. It can be an uphill battle because a parent must also be careful in not creating a hostility toward the target language. We as adults know though that anything worth doing is typically not easy.
So, here I am with one bilingual and one speaking only Spanish (for the time being). It's amazing to watch it unfold. As a linguist I take note of every detail that comes out of their mouths. The oldest learned English mostly from going to preschool, watching Nick Jr. shows, and grandparents. Her Spanish vocabulary is bigger and so she inserts Spanish words into her English sentences - mostly during the school setting. "I have a morado." ("I have a bruise.") Not knowing certain words in English - she just substitutes it for the Spanish. She also speaks English using Spanish structure - "I'm going to the house of Grandma." Instead of "I'm going to Grandma's house." I'm not concerned about these nuances at all - I believe it will all come out in the wash, but I can only imagine what her little friends (& teachers!) are thinking when she converses.
In Spanish, she converses freely in the past modes (Preterite & Imperfect) and in the subjunctive. These are things that take my students MONTHS to even understand. "Papi, yo sabía que te gustaba eso." - she says in her sweet little voice. Now that I'm five years in this process of bringing up children as bilinguals, I understand to my core that this country is going about the foreign language experience in the classroom all WRONG. No student should begin a language for the first time as a freshman in high school. Nothing about their brain development supports this. K-5 education should incorporate foreign language as a CORE course - not an elective or enrichment, but a core where they have at least five hours a week in the target language. The United States will always be behind on an international scale until we make this a priority and change the way it's done across the country. The evidence of the benefits of children learning a foreign language at an early age is now overwhelming. As our nation's cultural landscape changes - the question will also change from "You don't happen to speak a foreign language, do you?" to "Why don't you speak Spanish?"
Those on the "We-speak-English-in-America" bandwagon should look at it from a more global perspective. We are one of few countries where kids graduate from high school and students can not function in another language. It's appalling and almost ethnocentric. Not too long ago French was the lingua franca and then it changed to English. It will change again; and when the English-dominant era declines, who will be prepared?
In the United States, it is projected that the Hispanic population will double by 2030 & triple by the year 2050 making "White people a minority," according to the Huffington Post.
It is also speculated (by scholarly sources) that Mandarin Chinese or French (again) could become the new lingua franca. Only time will tell, but in the mean time, I will continue preaching about the importance of being bilingual.
UPDATE - JULY 2015 - El Instituto Cervantes published an article stating the United States is now the world's 2nd largest Spanish-speaking nation!! That is huge! This means that only Mexico has more Spanish-speaking people than the United States. Times are changing and being able to order a taco or find the restroom may not cut it by the time our children are in the workforce.
So, here I am with one bilingual and one speaking only Spanish (for the time being). It's amazing to watch it unfold. As a linguist I take note of every detail that comes out of their mouths. The oldest learned English mostly from going to preschool, watching Nick Jr. shows, and grandparents. Her Spanish vocabulary is bigger and so she inserts Spanish words into her English sentences - mostly during the school setting. "I have a morado." ("I have a bruise.") Not knowing certain words in English - she just substitutes it for the Spanish. She also speaks English using Spanish structure - "I'm going to the house of Grandma." Instead of "I'm going to Grandma's house." I'm not concerned about these nuances at all - I believe it will all come out in the wash, but I can only imagine what her little friends (& teachers!) are thinking when she converses.
In Spanish, she converses freely in the past modes (Preterite & Imperfect) and in the subjunctive. These are things that take my students MONTHS to even understand. "Papi, yo sabía que te gustaba eso." - she says in her sweet little voice. Now that I'm five years in this process of bringing up children as bilinguals, I understand to my core that this country is going about the foreign language experience in the classroom all WRONG. No student should begin a language for the first time as a freshman in high school. Nothing about their brain development supports this. K-5 education should incorporate foreign language as a CORE course - not an elective or enrichment, but a core where they have at least five hours a week in the target language. The United States will always be behind on an international scale until we make this a priority and change the way it's done across the country. The evidence of the benefits of children learning a foreign language at an early age is now overwhelming. As our nation's cultural landscape changes - the question will also change from "You don't happen to speak a foreign language, do you?" to "Why don't you speak Spanish?"
Those on the "We-speak-English-in-America" bandwagon should look at it from a more global perspective. We are one of few countries where kids graduate from high school and students can not function in another language. It's appalling and almost ethnocentric. Not too long ago French was the lingua franca and then it changed to English. It will change again; and when the English-dominant era declines, who will be prepared?
In the United States, it is projected that the Hispanic population will double by 2030 & triple by the year 2050 making "White people a minority," according to the Huffington Post.
It is also speculated (by scholarly sources) that Mandarin Chinese or French (again) could become the new lingua franca. Only time will tell, but in the mean time, I will continue preaching about the importance of being bilingual.
UPDATE - JULY 2015 - El Instituto Cervantes published an article stating the United States is now the world's 2nd largest Spanish-speaking nation!! That is huge! This means that only Mexico has more Spanish-speaking people than the United States. Times are changing and being able to order a taco or find the restroom may not cut it by the time our children are in the workforce.
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