Bilingual in America

Today's episode takes us beyond our US borders and overseas to Europe where we hear from Natalia Simons, of Spanish and British ancestry, and her experiences growing up speaking Spanish in England. 

We also talk with Juan Jose Almagro of Madrid Spain who has been an English as a Foreign Language teacher for 25 years. He talks about language teaching and learning, and his own creative journey as a poet and author in English and Spanish. They speak of the challenges and successes they have both faced within the publishing world. English and Spanish are the bridges that connect our two geographically-dispersed guests - who have never met!

Bilingual in America celebrates the great harvest of La Cosecha Educational Conference with out-of-the-box leaders and featured speakers Dr. Jose Medina and Luis Garcia. Listen in as they talk about equity, reparations, and indigenous language revitalization.

Dr. José Medina provides educational consulting with a specific focus on meeting the needs of culturally & linguistically diverse students,  both in the  United States and internationally. Luis García is a bilingual educator in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a Board member of Dual Language Education New Mexico (DLeNM).  He is of Tiwa/Piro Pueblo and Chicano heritage and dedicates much of his time to promoting dual language education and maintaining cultural traditions.

These distinguished leaders, who are setting trends, will be presenting their expertise at this year’s La Cosecha Educational  conference, 11/10-11/13

As we prepare to celebrate the 26th annual, La Cosecha Educational Conference, we speak to one of its founders, David Rogers. David is the executive director for Dual Language Education of New Mexico and talks with us about leadership, dual language education in terms of linguistic and cultural capital, as well as for the need for educational reform. La Cosecha is an internationally-recognized, dual language conference run by teachers for teachers. Its aim is to assist in the expansion of dual-language programs in New Mexico and throughout the United States.

Welcome back, listeners and followers! A new season brings a new lens. A time to grow… reflect…. And tell more stories. A time to celebrate the work that forwards conversations…. A time to establish new partnerships.

And a time to renew hope as we listen to Aura, an English as a New Language teacher, tell her story of challenges, breakthroughs, and impact. #speakyourbeauty!

In our anniversary month, we relaunch our very first episode - Speak Your Beauty - the episode that set the tone and purpose. May you find threads of connection, courage, and compassion as you listen.

Bilingual in America is officially on summer break and in true educator fashion, we will use this time to slow down, recharge, and plan for the year ahead. Until then.... speak your truth...speak your stories...Speak Your Beauty.

See you in September!

Newcomer Centers have been known as places that acknowledge diversity as a resource and recognize the individual customs and traditions each child brings to their new community.  It is an integral first step for children arriving from countries, around the world with little or no English language proficiency.

Newcomer Center Programs help students become familiar with U.S. schooling, work to accelerate English language skills by promoting language development through essential content-area instruction, and support the social needs of recent arrivals and their families. Communities that support newcomer programs understand the importance of supporting English Language Learners upon their arrival so that they can reach their potential as learners.

Many questions come to mind when the topic of ASL (American Sign Language) as a foreign language is brought up. People often ask if it is appropriate to call ASL a foreign language. Is it really a language? Others may note that foreign language courses teach students about the culture of the group of people who use the language. The answers to all of these questions support the recognition of ASL as a foreign language. 

Because of its unique modality -- visual/gestural rather than oral --, many people wrongly assume that ASL is fundamentally different than spoken languages. ASL is a fully developed human language, one of the hundreds of naturally occurring signed languages of the world. It is not a "simplified" language -- it contains structures and processes which English lacks. 

There is abundant linguistic research on ASL demonstrating that the grammar of ASL is radically different from English -- surely as different as any of the more traditional foreign languages taught in school.

As we continue to address the reality of the pandemic and the impact it has had on bilingual students and their families we learn how some families were able to return “home” for safety during an uncertain time while others had to trust in their child’s instructional home, the school, to make it safely through. Covid may have isolated us but we saw educational borders extended, new instructional frontiers reached, and the desire to remain bilingual unwavering.

To say that Covid has changed the world of education… is an understatement. Educators have been thrust into an evoloutionary shift of blended instruction, whether they were ready or not. As we continue to traverse in this world of learning and technology, how do we move forward?

Lucy Roman, who has served as an Instructional Technology Coordinator and Media Specialist in a major school district gives us a broad stroke on what is digital literacy and how bilingual families and students can be supported as we move forward in this new landscape of blended learning.

There have been reports throughout the country about attacks on Asian Americans since the COVID 19 pandemic began. According to Russell John, an Asian American studies professor at San Francisco State University, the number of incidents began to rise sharply after the Coronavirus was called the "Chinese" virus. Today, we speak to guests who are living through this. They share their bilingual stories, their viewpoint, and how raising the tide lifts the whole boat up.