Learn more about bilingual education in the classroom by checking out these links: ESL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education Bilingual ESL Network

Creative Writing: Becoming Bicultural, Bilingual Authors By Nancy Garcia Kindergarten Teacher Normandie Avenue School THIS PAST SUMMER, JULY 9-29, I participated in the Second Institute of Bilingual Education and Teaching in Spanish in Madrid, Spain. Through the sponsorship of the California Association for Bilingual Education and the collaboration between the University of San Francisco and the Foundation of Jose Ortega and Gasset, 20 American bilingual teachers and 4 Spanish teachers were brought together to learn how to become more effective bilingual educators through courses such as Transformative Education, Creative Writing, Theater and Music, and Hispanic Civilization. The director, Alma Flor Ada, used children's literature as the platform for dialogues. The exchange of opinions, values and experiences proved to be a valuable growing experience. When I boarded the airplane at the Burgos International Airport, I went away with a new perspective on education. I had a renewed sense of what my purpose was as an educator. Working in a lower socio-economic community, many of the students come from adverse conditions. Some are poor immigrants from war-torn countries. Others find themselves in foster and group homes. Teachers must be sensitive to their needs and not contribute to the downward spiral of their self-esteem. In sync with the philosophy of Transformative Education (Alma Flor Ada), educators must guide students to be active in their own learning thus becoming active in their own lives so they may be able to emancipate themselves from those worldly conditions which threaten their freedom. This can be achieved through constructivist principles and the arts, which encourage students to interpret and create impressions they have of their world. A positive learning environment must be promoted which welcomes them including any knowledge and language they bring with them. Teachers are here to serve their students' needs, not their own. Authorship is one way in which students can transform their lives. Self-authored books can empower students to not only do the obvious, read and write, but to encourage them to vocalize their personal experiences. By becoming protagonists in their stories, they can write and reflect upon their actions. The students will be excited to be recognized in the classroom curriculum. The print-rich environment can be created by them through a variety of genres of literature and book forms. These books can be presented at school book fairs which could serve to bring the community together. Teachers can set the example. In Spain, I was asked to complete two books. One was an alphabet book presenting different sites I saw in Spain. The other was the story of my name. The parents were touched when I shared my books with them at Back to School Night. When a teacher shares herself with students and parents through an autobiography, she/he can be seen as a human being, not someone above them. Thus, parents may be more inclined to come into the classroom. Parents can be more active in the development of literacy of their children by becoming authors. This would promote positive communication between parents and children. Too often, parents only speak to children when they are reprimanding them. When children begin to read books authored by parents, children begin to recognize them as educators. Parents' informal knowledge is validated. Instead of only quoting Martin Luther King or George Washington, we should remember that parents also have valuable advice for their children. This advice displayed in a classroom banner can have a profound effect on a student because s/he can identify with that person directly. The Institute of Bilingual Education and Teaching in Spanish was a valuable experience which has changed the way I perceive myself and my career in education. While intense, the Institute was an opportunity to meet a diversity of people in education. I was exposed to the Spanish culture through a variety of informative and cultural trips including visits to editorial meetings, universities, libraries and museums. The resources and strategies I brought back to the classroom are innumerable. If interested, please contact the California Association for Bilingual Education at (213) 532-3850.