Central American Studies at Sequoyah Middle School in Metro-Atlanta
By Jonathan Peraza Campos
Apart from being the program specialist for Teaching Central America at Teaching for Change, I am proud to be a middle school teacher in the historic immigrant neighborhood of Buford Highway. I teach an ethnic studies curriculum from the standpoint of making the curriculum responsive to students’ experiences and identities, including the historical and literary flashpoints that make sense of our community’s modern experiences.
I spent a bulk of the year tying language arts standards to historical moments and popular culture regarding the histories of people of color represented at my school. I select texts and materials that speak to the histories and experiences of African American, African, Vietnamese, Bengali, and Latin@/Latinx students.
This past school year, I taught students who have roots in Central America, specifically Maya Mam, Guatemalan, Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Salvadoran students. I’m one of the first and only Central American teachers that my students have had in their schooling. It is my hope that my students will grow up to join the teacher force in the future after experiencing the possibilities of education through our classroom. I have seen how connecting my students to their unknown but empowering heritage helps them make sense of their lives and strive toward academic growth. Providing a humanizing and empowering education that I wish I had is one of the reasons I decided to become a teacher.
Toward the end of the school year, after most of the standards were taught and standardized tests were out of the way, I used many resources and materials from Teaching Central America to reinforce language arts and social studies standards. Throughout the semester, I used clips from the documentary Harvest of Empire, based on the canonical book of the same name by Juan Gonzalez, to provide background knowledge about the histories of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans in the United States. For each segment of the film that I shared, I included informational texts and short stories that grounded those histories with imagined and real examples of how those histories are lived out today in the present.
To elaborate on Central American histories, I used the lesson “Geography Is History” to introduce students to the histories of connection and exploitation between the United States and Central America as well as between Central American countries. The hints for the map labeling activity help students orient themselves with its geography. It is always an interesting experiment to see how many students actually know the geography of Central America. Every year, I gauge how much my Central American students understand the region’s geography and history. Sadly, it is unsurprising to see that my students have little to no knowledge of their homelands, even if they or their parents migrated from the region. The silences in curriculum and the lack of intentional family sharing make this work necessary.
The lesson “Central America: An Introductory Lesson” exposed students to key people in Central American/U.S. history. A takeaway that many students leave with is that many U.S. interventions and Central revolutions have revolved around conflicts surrounding labor exploitation and land appropriation. I always ask the question: Were people in these histories ever just victims of their circumstances? Throughout the year learning about the various activists, revolutionaries, and writers involved in struggles for democracy and liberation in the United States, Central America, and beyond.
During an end of year survey when I asked students for advice on what to improve for next year, some of my Guatemalan and Nicaraguan students shared that they wish I had dedicated more time to teaching about Central Americans. Some students and I discussed the possibility of advocating to have Latinx studies and Central American studies classes at our school for dedicated time to learn deeply about our communities. Until then, I hope my students keep learning the histories that they are not taught in schools and fight for their histories and stories to be taught in their school district. Maybe one day they’ll be the next generation of writers, historians, scholars, and artists that continue to raise awareness about the richness of Central American life, history, and culture, especially in the U.S. South where many Central Americans like us call home.
Central American Studies at Sequoyah Middle School in Metro-Atlanta
By Jonathan Peraza Campos
Apart from being the program specialist for Teaching Central America at Teaching for Change, I am proud to be a middle school teacher in the historic immigrant neighborhood of Buford Highway. I teach an ethnic studies curriculum from the standpoint of making the curriculum responsive to students’ experiences and identities, including the historical and literary flashpoints that make sense of our community’s modern experiences.
I spent a bulk of the year tying language arts standards to historical moments and popular culture regarding the histories of people of color represented at my school. I select texts and materials that speak to the histories and experiences of African American, African, Vietnamese, Bengali, and Latin@/Latinx students.
This past school year, I taught students who have roots in Central America, specifically Maya Mam, Guatemalan, Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Salvadoran students. I’m one of the first and only Central American teachers that my students have had in their schooling. It is my hope that my students will grow up to join the teacher force in the future after experiencing the possibilities of education through our classroom. I have seen how connecting my students to their unknown but empowering heritage helps them make sense of their lives and strive toward academic growth. Providing a humanizing and empowering education that I wish I had is one of the reasons I decided to become a teacher.
Toward the end of the school year, after most of the standards were taught and standardized tests were out of the way, I used many resources and materials from Teaching Central America to reinforce language arts and social studies standards. Throughout the semester, I used clips from the documentary Harvest of Empire, based on the canonical book of the same name by Juan Gonzalez, to provide background knowledge about the histories of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans in the United States. For each segment of the film that I shared, I included informational texts and short stories that grounded those histories with imagined and real examples of how those histories are lived out today in the present.
To elaborate on Central American histories, I used the lesson “Geography Is History” to introduce students to the histories of connection and exploitation between the United States and Central America as well as between Central American countries. The hints for the map labeling activity help students orient themselves with its geography. It is always an interesting experiment to see how many students actually know the geography of Central America. Every year, I gauge how much my Central American students understand the region’s geography and history. Sadly, it is unsurprising to see that my students have little to no knowledge of their homelands, even if they or their parents migrated from the region. The silences in curriculum and the lack of intentional family sharing make this work necessary.
The lesson “Central America: An Introductory Lesson” exposed students to key people in Central American/U.S. history. A takeaway that many students leave with is that many U.S. interventions and Central revolutions have revolved around conflicts surrounding labor exploitation and land appropriation. I always ask the question: Were people in these histories ever just victims of their circumstances? Throughout the year learning about the various activists, revolutionaries, and writers involved in struggles for democracy and liberation in the United States, Central America, and beyond.
During an end of year survey when I asked students for advice on what to improve for next year, some of my Guatemalan and Nicaraguan students shared that they wish I had dedicated more time to teaching about Central Americans. Some students and I discussed the possibility of advocating to have Latinx studies and Central American studies classes at our school for dedicated time to learn deeply about our communities. Until then, I hope my students keep learning the histories that they are not taught in schools and fight for their histories and stories to be taught in their school district. Maybe one day they’ll be the next generation of writers, historians, scholars, and artists that continue to raise awareness about the richness of Central American life, history, and culture, especially in the U.S. South where many Central Americans like us call home.
Posted: July 13, 2026