A diverse world requires diverse learning – not only for students, but for educators too. With over half of Aurora Public Schools’ students being multilingual learners, the need for equitable and culturally-responsive education is real. That need is part of the mission for the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (CLDE) department at APS.
“When we can represent the culture we’re serving, not only does it send a message to our families that we care about them, but that we want to understand the nuances each family brings to the table,” said Annalee McBee, CLDE Director for APS.
As educators learn more about varied cultures, they also have to learn how best to teach students who represent those cultures. Cue CLDE’s Credential courses, which provide staff strategies to better teach English-language development and understand the learning experiences of multilingual students.
“It's something that I had to learn,” said Jessica Ketcham, social studies and CLDE teacher at Rangeview High School. “I have privilege. I'm a white woman who was raised speaking English, so I didn't know what that was like. By going through the courses and getting those tools, I became a better teacher.”
Mix those tools with advocacy and empathy, and you’ve got a recipe for success. Just ask Adam O’Bryan, literacy teacher at Harmony Ridge P-8. When some English-language learners joined his class last year, it was time to combine his CLDE skills with some dusty high school Spanish.
“That motivated me to try to connect with them,” said O’Bryan. “By speaking really broken Spanish, I showed vulnerability. So then they started being vulnerable with English.”
One of those students is Angel Duran Flores. He said the shared language struggle pushed them both to work harder, creating a stronger teacher-student bond.
“More than anything, I thank him for supporting me,” said Angel. “I’m very happy because my English has improved a lot. Last year, I didn’t feel safe, and now I feel as free as if I were at home.”
O’Bryan’s advice for the many teachers faced with a similar struggle is simply to “be an advocate.” He said he quickly realized Angel’s “top of the grade level” intelligence was hiding beyond the language barrier.
“I’d ask other teachers to let students demonstrate their brilliance in their native language,” said O’Bryan. “They can be very articulate.”
As for Angel, this broken barrier won’t be his last. “I feel very capable of achieving anything I set my mind to.”
Find out more about APS' commitment to culturally and linguistically diverse education!