Career Highlight
This may come as a surprise to many teachers, but I normalize and even promote the use of gender-inclusive Spanish and Spanglish in my classroom, despite the comments from many colleagues saying that "it's not proper Spanish."
The most memorable moments (yes, in plural) have been when I welcome new and returning students who identify as queer, trans, non-binary, or genderfluid, and they have expressed how my classes feel welcoming, affirming, and validating to them.
I tell myself many times that perhaps my students won't remember the grammar drills, the flashcards, or even the latest Comprehensible Input techniques and brain breaks, but they will definitely remember how represented, loved, and seen they were.
On Being an ACTFL Member
I absolutely love the connections and collaborations with folks who share like-minded ideas and stay curious to keep learning more. The fact that I'm a "veteran teacher" doesn't mean I got it every time. I'm still very nervous before a new class.
I'm aware that, just like John Dewey said once, "If you teach today's students as you taught yesterday's, you rob them of their tomorrow." Joining ACTFL is a way to continue my professional development and my "learning/unlearning" journey.
Using Languages Outside the Classroom
I'm currently learning French and Portuguese for the first time. I'm at an intermediate level in both.
I've started learning these because of a powerful quote from Adrienne Rich who said, "This is the oppressor's language yet I need it to talk to you." Since I speak already two colonizers’ languages, Spanish and English, it hit me that the only way to learn more about the countries and communities that were once/continue to be under the influence of the French and Portuguese (i.e., Timor Leste, Angola, Cameroon, Tunisia) is by learning their stories in the "oppressor’s language" as Adrienne Rich mentioned. This has been a powerful journey for me!
Advice for Next-Gen Teachers
Your accent is your music! Many times, teachers who learn a language and who want to teach it to sound "native" or "correct" often forget that communication is more important than correctness and the prescriptivist nature of the language they teach/speak.
Don't ever be ashamed if you don't sound too "Spanish", too "Mexican", too "French", too "American"; what matters is when your students see your vulnerable moments, both in teaching and acquiring the language.
Favorite Word or Phrase in Another Language
I love the word Saudade. This is a Portuguese expression that is hard to translate into any other language, but I feel it a lot as an immigrant in a place where I sometimes wonder if "no soy de aquí ni soy de allá” (I am not from here, nor am I from there).
