This month’s recommendation contains an article and a press release about the benefits of being multilingual and a podcast about the importance of listening to teachers’ voices.
Laurie Speranzo
Mathematics Fellow
Laurie says, “I am fortunate to be working this year in several districts where the majority of the student population does not use English as their language at home. In speaking with the teachers though, it came to light that students do not see their multiple languages as a true asset. Being bi- or multi-lingual is a strength as these two articles show. In addition, the second article (press release) includes a comprehensive toolbox of resources.”
6 Reasons Being Bilingual Makes You an Asset to Your Company
Ava Roman
“Diverse teams consider multiple perspectives to solve problems. They bring greater creativity, innovation and flexibility to the floor, developing more complex approaches that consider how the same processes impact different individuals.” – Ava Roman, managing editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life Read the article here
Biden-Harris Administration Launches “Being Bilingual is a Superpower” to Promote Multilingual Education for a Diverse Workforce
U.S. Department of Education “The younger generations aren’t getting ‘worse.’ The kids aren’t getting ‘worse.’ We’re just failing them. Kids are so inherently good and pure and wholesome.” – Ali Levasseur, third-grade teacher Read it here
Shamira Underwood
Mathematics Fellow
Shamira says, “With support from the Chan Zuckerburg Initiative, the Voices of Change Writing Fellowship gave space to a group of school leaders, support professionals, and teachers to use their voices for powerful storytelling on a wide range of topics impacting education today. Their dynamic stories were published in 2021-2022 and can be found and read here. Towards the end of 2022, one of the Writing Fellows, Jennifer Yoo-Brannon, participated in an EdSurge podcast in which she interviewed a veteran teacher who ultimately decided to leave the profession. She is not alone in the mass exodus of teachers leaving classrooms across our nation. Listening to and reading the stories of those doing the work of educating young minds in a changing educational landscape have implications for policy, research, and practice. We should all be listening.”
Exit Interview: Why This Veteran Teacher is Leaving the Profession
EdSurge Podcast, interview by Jennifer Yoo-Brannon
“It’s like leaving a relationship, that you love this person, but you realize life is too short to feel this beat up. So you have to make a choice.”
– Diana Bell, veteran teacher of more than 18 years who recently decided to leave teaching
