Tag Archives: #Bilingual

Travel Abroad 2019 – Spain

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The Travel Abroad 2019 destination was Spain – Madrid, Sevilla, & Granada. It was an action-packed adventure which featured a variety of Spanish culture, language dialects, architecture, and tours. Some of the highlights included:

Tour of the Royal Palace in Madrid

Olive farm visit & olive oil tasting

Moorish Tea service & sweets

Visit to Alhambra Palace and GeneraLife Gardens

    

Bookstore tour in the Literary neighborhood of Madrid (a la Cervantes)

Flamenco performance and dance lesson

 

Vino & Tapas

   

Prado Art Museum

Dancing and Spanish guitars

And more!

     

This unforgettable travel abroad experience to Spain was filled with language, cultures, camaraderie and fun times. For more information and pictures follow us on Facebook – Dual Language Teacher Leadership.

My Reason: A Poem that Reveals Why We Do This

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At the 2019 Chicago DLTL Award Ceremony, Judith Arroyo shared an original poem that provided an intimate look into the reasons behind her decision to pursue a graduate degree and become an advocate for bilingualism, biculturalism and biliteracy. Judith presented her work in both Spanish and English, and is a graduate of the 2019 Chicago Cohort.

My reason

by Judith Arroyo

I do it to honor the effort my parents made in coming to a new country.

For all the times I heard it was too difficult, sometimes in my own mind.

My education is not only my success.

This is for every pair of  little eyes that see me and say – if she could do it, I can too.

This is for everyone who follows my footsteps.

I want to pave the way for success for my family members and to have them learn from my mistakes.

I do it to represent every Latino who has been discriminated against for speaking broken English because some don’t understand the value of knowing more than one language.

I do it to declare “de aqui somos y de aquí no nos vamos”. We belong here.

We are the educators that this country needs.

To teach these bright minds to choose love instead of hate, intelligence instead of ignorance and compassion instead of hatred.

That their minds are so bright that they can think, speak, read in two languages.

I want to give my students the best version of me.

That when I stand in front of them, I can appreciate their culture and differences.

I want to empower them, that  one day they understand that they have a voice.

That they understand the power of knowing who they are and where they come from.

That they understand the value of being bilingual, bicultural and biliterate.

This is why I do what I do and I wouldn’t change this experience for anything.

 

Mi Razon

por Judith Arroyo

Lo hago para honrar el esfuerzo que mis padres hicieron en venir a un nuevo país.

Por todas las veces que escuche decir que era muy difícil, a veces en mi propia mente.

Mi educación no solo es mi éxito.

Esto es para todo, par de ojitos que me ven y dicen –si ella lo pudo hacer, yo tambien.

Esto es para todos los que me siguen.

Quiero allanar el camino al éxito para los miembros de mi familia y que aprendan de mis errores.

Lo hago para representar a todo latino que ha sido discriminado por hablar el inglés mocho porque algunos no entiende el valor de saber más de un idioma.

Lo hago para declarar que de aquí somos y de aquí no nos vamos.

Somos los educadores que este país necesita.

Para enseñarles a estas mentes brillosas que hay que escoger el amor en vez del odio, la inteligencia en vez de la ignorancia y la compasión en vez de la antipatía.

Que sus mentes son tan brillantes que pueden pensar, hablar, leer en dos idiomas.

Le quiero dar a mis estudiantes la mejor versión de mi.

Que cuando me pare frente a ellos, pueda apreciar su cultura y diferencias.

Quiero empoderarlos a que un dia entiendan que tienen una voz.

Que entiendan el poder de saber quienes son y de dónde vienen.

Que entiendan el valor de ser bilingües y  biculturales.

Estas son las razones porque hago lo que hago, Y no lo cambiaría por nada del mundo.

“Where I’m From” – an Intimate Look at the 2019-2020 DLTL Cohort in Chicago

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Led by Dr. Allison Slade, the two newest DLTL cohorts collaborated on a culturally responsive writing activity in their DLTL 443 class – Academic Language Development Across Content Areas. Using mentor text poem “Where I’m From” each class wrote one poem that expressed their identities and culture. Presented here is the poem written by our Chicago DLTL Cohort:

 

Where I’m From – DLTL Chicago Cohort 2019-2020

I am from mama y papa

From el campo

From “no se dice que se dice Mande”

And taza de canela y pan dulce

I am from Guanjuato where I long to go every summer to hug and laugh

            With my family

From “If you are going to do something do it well”

            And “If you are going to be a tree, be the best tree on the block”

I am from the smell of CPS elementary cafeterias

            And the nostalgia of them

From salsa music blasting in the living room

            And novelas blaring on the kitchen TV

I am from salty breeze, fried fish

            And coconut rice

I am from the frustrated dreams of my father

            And the stubbornness of my mother

From my mother’s womb

            And my father’s heart

I am from English speaking at home

            And Español con tías, tíos y abuelitos

From laughter and dancing in the kitchen

            And a strong matriarch to hold us up

I am from whispers in the morning

            And Yelling long distance phone calls

From parents’ roots

            And walks on the beach

I am from heating my dad’s diesel truck make it home

            And tejandas, banda, familia y tequila

From hip-hop

            And freestyling on the porch

I am from salsa y aguacate

            And inspirando en el balcón

I am from the land of the lakes

            And meet me at the green thing.

From Los Bukis and Metallica

            And a one bedroom apartment para 4.

I am from a hard-working couple

            And who loves her children to infinity and beyond

I am from up and at ‘em

            And tired eyes

From busy streets

            And reading books

I am from humble beginnings

            And big dreams

 

The Chicago cohort is currently in their 3rd course of the program – Biliteracy Program Design and Development– and will be completing their intensive Summer coursework at the end of this week.