The Power in You: Teachers Influence in Students’ Lives

It’s that time of the year: Back to School after a lengthy summer vacation. Teachers truly appreciate well-deserved time off to pursue personal interests, hobbies, and other personal goals. Vacation spots are a treasure and having free time is a precious commodity. I love summer time. It is a time to slow down and recharge. There is a certain sadness when summer time is over. I love being a teacher but it is a very demanding and sacrificial profession with very little personal time.This summer I had a chance to reflect upon my career as an educator and what impact it has on my life and the lives of others. I received a call from a student that reaffirms what teachers do and why they do it: because it matters!

I taught English as a Second Language to this Spanish speaking student more than 10 years ago. At that time, she was well into her 70’s. It was a pleasure to see her come to class, sit there while paying close attention to instruction, and being happy by being able to say: “Hi, my name is Maria”. It was a great accomplishment for her to say her name and age in English. I treated her kindly. She was sweet. I knew she was in class to be with her daughter and to get some companionship.

Fast-forward 10 years. I got a call from a woman asking for me in Spanish. After wrestling with my memories I identified who was on the phone: “Mrs. Mari, how are you, so pleased to hear your voice” I said.  We started talking and bringing back the memories. And then there it was, a few words that made me tear up and choke up on the phone: “Mrs. Castillo, I truly liked being in your class. You saw me for who I truly was. You looked at me with eyes of love”. Wow, what a great testimony to the power of kind words: I will remember her kind words. It was pay-it forward time. “You look at me with eyes of love”

My words of encouragement to veteran and new teachers is that what you do is important and it matters. As school resumes this fall, please remember:

The Power of Kind Words

You never know the impact that your words will have on a student. Make a commitment to lift students up and see them for who they truly are. Many of our students lack affection, positive encouragement, a role model, or an adult that cares.

The Power of Listening

It is ok to take time to slow down to listen to students’ concerns and for teachers to take time to stop teaching content to teach life lessons. What you say at the right time in the right place can affect a student’s future.

The Power of Caring

Students may hardly remember what you taught but they will never forget how much you cared. Assume best intentions, teach with a giving, caring, and forgiving heart. Even in the worst days, when students turn your life upside down, give them the benefit of the doubt. Offer them a clean slate the next day. In this day and age of internet access, no one needs to sit in a classroom and interact with people. Knowledge is readily available. Use the power in you and the great opportunity you have of influencing a real person’s live.

The Power of Love

Look at students with eyes of love. They needed it. I attended a Better Together California Teachers Summit and the keynote speakers highlighted how teachers influenced their lives. I listened to a famous actress and singer as well as an astronaut. They are who they are today because along the way, a teacher said a kind word, listened, cared, and loved. This is the power in you. Teach… and transform a life.

Trending on Twitter: A Social Justice Approach to Education (Part 2)

Social Justice is Trending on Twitter. This week I have discovered a few hashtags in Twitter that focus on issues of equality in education. I believe as I was taught, that education is the key to a better life. I consider myself a Social Justice Scholar. My platform, Educator Talk is born from life experiences. I grew up in a low income family, attended public schools and graduated with a degree in Sociology of Education, got a grant to be a Junior Research Scholar at UC Irvine, and came to the United States as an immigrant. I am bilingual and bicultural and I was adopted into the family of Christ, one of the greatest social justice scholars of his time. I feel for the student sitting in my classroom with a hungry stare, a confused look for not understanding English, and a worry in his mind for not being able to fit in and look right. I feel for the parents who have no formal education but want the best for their kids and that is why they send them to school every day with the hope for a better life and a better future. Justice in education is my passion. Justice in education means we need to be willing to stand up, step out, and take a risk. Justice in education means that we are willing to be criticized, be uncomfortable, weary, tired, and heavy laden as teachers, administrators and community members. Justice in education means we believe in our children, we want to protect them, and we want them to be the best they can be.

This week I have found that others feel the same passion. Twitter trending is pointing towards a change. An ethical reform education and education with a social justice approach. There are several hashtags on Twitter that address social justice in education. here are a couple of hashtags that got my attention. 

#educationforall

# social justice education

Trending on Twitter: A Social Justice Approach to Education (Part 1)

This week I have been observing Twitter trending to make connections with other educators and expand my knowledge of ways to use Twitter to give and take from my Personal and Professional Learning Network. One of the trends that got my attention started with one of my contacts: 

Philipp M. Herzberg started following me on Twitter and I followed him back. His blog is called 

The Education Blog: Where Education Meets Technology and Science.The reason Philip is part of my Professional Learning Network is that he writes interesting blogs with backed research that support an ethical approach to educational reform. He wrote a blog that immediately caught my attention called Equality Is Not Enough Why We Need Justice In Education

My vision and mission for Educator Talk  is to contribute resources with a social justice approach to education. This desire is part of who I am as a person. I grew up in a low income family. My parents have very little formal education – neither one of my parents graduated from high school. Nevertheless, my dad always told me that education was the key. You go to school and get a degree so you can get a decent job with a decent income. You get good grades and you go to college. I still follow my dad’s advice. All that my siblings and I have is because we got educated and attended college. Perhaps we did not get the best education ever but we worked hard to graduate with a degree. Teachers believed in what they did and we, as students, gave it our best. It is still with pride and tears in our eyes that we look at my dad, a self-made man with only two years of elementary schooling that made a living with a strong work ethic, hard work, and commitment. He believed he could do better. He truly believed in the power of education. It is also with tears that we look at mother and thank her for her willingness to not be a stay home mother, provide a secure environment when we got home from school, and give us a positive outlook in life with strength and faith. She also believed in a social justice approach to education, an approach where you do your best, you keep going, and you move on. 

Follow Philipp on Twitter @mikioherzberg

Latina Educators: A Personal Perspective

I have been invited to be a guest blogger on Latina Ed Tech Educators by Cindy Escandon. Cindy is a passionate educator who is focusing on Latina educators and educating children of poverty. Her passion and commitment to education is contagious. Here is a transcript of my blog.

I am really excited to be invited to be a guest blogger for Latina Tech Educator. It is not an old cliché but it is certainly a reality that being a Hispanic Educator in the U.S. offers a different perspective for educational settings. As teachers, we strive to create a learning environment where all students feel free to express and learn from each other’s identities. There is inherent passion in being a Latina educator in the United States. We have faced the challenges, some of us have grown up poor and we see education as the only way to improve our lives. We are passionate about education and helping English Language Learners and students of poverty because we were once there. As a second language learner, many Latina educators know what it feels like to sit in a classroom where you understand half of what is being taught; we know what it is like to be among people who makes fun of you because you don’t speak English well or because you have an accent; and we also know what it is like to live in a place where you always try to fit in. In the movie Stand and Deliver with Edward James Olmos, the main character states that we, Latinos in the U.S., have to work twice as hard. We need to speak English well but we also need to speak Spanish well and we need to fit within two cultures. He ends his statement by saying: “It is exhausting!”

When I was a professor at the School for Foreign Students in Mexico City at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), I had a student that considered himself to be a Chicano. He was born in the United States in a Mexican family who always talked to him about the wonders of having Mexican roots. His family had idealized their Mexican roots therefore this student’s dream was to go live in Mexico for a few months to discover his roots. After a few weeks in Mexico City he was devastated. He confided in me that he was distraught and disappointed. People in Mexico City were cruel to him. He looked Mexican but his Spanish was broken. People were rude to him and continuously made fun of his lack of fluency skills in Spanish.

As a Latina educator, I advocate for teachers to go beyond the stereotypes and the popular culture and traditions of a specific place. If we advocate a multicultural approach to education we need to step beyond the clichés. It is our responsibility to offer an honest perspective of the current state of the culture that we will be teaching in the classroom. Even though it is true that Hispanics eat tacos, listen to Mariachi music, and dance a lot, it is important to take a broader look at who we are in order to avoid stereotypes.