On a class visit to the school media center, my 12-year-old student who had recently moved from El Salvador asked me where he could find all the books about Central American kids like him.
Despite my decades of living as a person of Central American descent, and my years of teaching both Spanish and English to multilingual learners in a highly diverse school, I could not easily list those books. It made me reflect on how little I heard about Central America growing up, despite having roots there. I made it a point to change that.
Teaching for Change has been an integral part in my now regular integration of Central American history, literature and current events into the classroom. In 2018, I attended a Teaching for Change workshop where I got to participate in the Central American Introductory mixer lesson as well as sit in on a session about diversity and representation in children’s books.
The experience helped me to not only integrate Central American topics into lessons, but also to be more intentional with what kinds of books I was making available in my classroom. Since then, the TeachingCentralAmerica.org site has been such a huge part of my lesson planning.
I have pulled from the various resources, materials and lessons, often modifying to fit the age, need and experience of my students, and sometimes facilitating the lessons exactly as they are. The straightforwardness and clarity of all of the materials and instructions allow for educators to shape the existing lessons into what best suits their classroom needs.
Specifically, I have often used the introductory geography lesson with my beginner level and newcomer English language students, most of whom had recently arrived from countries throughout Central America, and many of whom had not had the experience of identifying their countries of origin or journeys on a map.
I have also used parts of the Salvadoran History Through Poetry lesson, during which students from many different backgrounds were able to connect with the good ingredients and poems from El Salvador.
It has been very beautiful to watch how the integration of these Central American-focused lessons has created connections among students of so many backgrounds, not just Central American. As a kid and a student, I would have loved to feel that my Central American identity was an asset; something to be shared, celebrated, and taught. I would have loved for it to feel like a point of connection with others of all backgrounds.
Why I Teach Central America
By Anna Lapera
On a class visit to the school media center, my 12-year-old student who had recently moved from El Salvador asked me where he could find all the books about Central American kids like him.
Despite my decades of living as a person of Central American descent, and my years of teaching both Spanish and English to multilingual learners in a highly diverse school, I could not easily list those books. It made me reflect on how little I heard about Central America growing up, despite having roots there. I made it a point to change that.
Teaching for Change has been an integral part in my now regular integration of Central American history, literature and current events into the classroom. In 2018, I attended a Teaching for Change workshop where I got to participate in the Central American Introductory mixer lesson as well as sit in on a session about diversity and representation in children’s books.
The experience helped me to not only integrate Central American topics into lessons, but also to be more intentional with what kinds of books I was making available in my classroom. Since then, the TeachingCentralAmerica.org site has been such a huge part of my lesson planning.
I have pulled from the various resources, materials and lessons, often modifying to fit the age, need and experience of my students, and sometimes facilitating the lessons exactly as they are. The straightforwardness and clarity of all of the materials and instructions allow for educators to shape the existing lessons into what best suits their classroom needs.
Specifically, I have often used the introductory geography lesson with my beginner level and newcomer English language students, most of whom had recently arrived from countries throughout Central America, and many of whom had not had the experience of identifying their countries of origin or journeys on a map.
I have also used parts of the Salvadoran History Through Poetry lesson, during which students from many different backgrounds were able to connect with the good ingredients and poems from El Salvador.
It has been very beautiful to watch how the integration of these Central American-focused lessons has created connections among students of so many backgrounds, not just Central American. As a kid and a student, I would have loved to feel that my Central American identity was an asset; something to be shared, celebrated, and taught. I would have loved for it to feel like a point of connection with others of all backgrounds.
Anna Lapera is a middle school teacher in Montgomery County, Maryland and the author of Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice. Lapera was one of four contemporary authors featured at a Teaching for Change event.
Posted: September 8, 2024