I Lied to my Students!

The energy surrounding my classroom door was very high the morning of Wednesday, November 9th, 2016. The students couldn't wait to ask me if I had heard the news.  

"Sra. Keaton did you hear?"

Of course I had heard!  Donald Trump was our new president.  I knew that my class which was 75% Hispanic would be anxious about this new development.  I calmly explained that I had heard the news.

"Sra. Keaton, Donald Trump is going to send us to Mexico!"

Trying to keep the excitement and anxiety levels to a minimum, I reassured them in a quiet voice.  "You are going to be fine. Donald Trump is not going to send any of you to Mexico."

I lied to my students!

Friday was Raul's last day of school. His father was deported. The family has moved back to Mexico. I felt so bad thinking about how I had quietly reassurred him that nothing would change for him. I believed that my words were accurate. How I wish that had been true!

Growing Your Bilingual Staff

Staffing Your Dual Language School

Finding and retaining quality bilingual staff is a concern at most dual language schools.  One way to address this concern is to "grow" the staff that you have.

Encourage support staff to become teachers.  Talk to teaching staff about getting additional certification.  It is important to have bilingual teachers in the roles of special education, librarian, administrator, physical education, music, and art.

Look for grants from local, state and federal agencies to further the education of your staff.  If these funds are not available, find ways to reimburse staff members from the school budget.  This is an investment that will benefit all of the students at your school.