Ms. Montoya's Melting Pot

Ms. Montoya, reporting for duty.

Chemistry...this was my least favorite class in HS...and now here I am again, learning it and teaching it to my kids.

Algebra I. I'm always taking photos of his notes for future reference.

Two of my darlings. Here we are in Chemistry doing an experiment. The girl on the left is featured in "bullet point one" below.

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Two years ago, I put my Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare, and Dante's Inferno on the shelf as I moved from teaching literary classics to basic English grammar in the name of ESL education.

I miss working with elevated texts and teaching middle schoolers how to dissect and analyze a text, but my current position at my current school has been fulfilling as I feel like I am functioning less as an "intellectual" and more as a true "public-servant". 

My students come from all over the world and are new to the United States. They arrive at my school for various reasons and with various backgrounds and needs. I often receive them in fragile states as so much is new to them: a new country, a new culture, a new school, and a new language. It is my job to foster these students and to be their point of contact and advocate in the building. 
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Most of my students are Latinos and speak Spanish, but this year I have had the opportunity to work with some Middle Eastern students whose "home-language" is Arabic. The blending of Spanish, Arabic, and English in the classroom often looks like playing a game of "Password" or "Pictionary" as we try to communicate with cognates, gestures, and images....and frankly, it is so fun. Often times the classroom seems to erupt into a party of sorts as we play with language and practice daily dialogues or listen to music to que vocabulary retention. My kids are learning English and they are excited to use it in a safe place in hopes to bridge the gap of understanding between fellow English speakers and now their new Arabic-speaking friends. This "safe place" for the English Language Learners is essential as this class period is a mere forty-five minutes in their day; while the rest of the day they are immersed in English and as a result they often remain silent as they are not yet comfortable in their level of output in English. Therefore, my class period allows them to dabble in trial and error before they head off to their classes where they are learning Algebra, Chemistry, and Physics in a foreign language. 

There have been so many fun and fulfilling moments this school year...too many to document, but here is a quick list below of some highlights for my own rememberance and for your reading if you'd like a "glimpse" into an ESL teacher's life.

• One of my (favorite) students is a Spanish speaker primarily, so we speak in "Spanglish" when I am helping her in her World History class. As we were working on a biography about Napoleon she whispered, "Profe, ¿Cuántos años tiene?". I said, "Guess...qué piensas?". She pondered for a bit as she doodled Napolean's signature hat and she said, "Two-Eight ''. I smiled and said, "Oh, you get extra credit. Buena respuesta!" and then, "No, I am thirty-two". She then gasped and her eyes shot open. I smiled and thought, "oh she must be shocked by how young I look", but that thought was broken as soon as she said, "Profe, tiene bebes?!". I said, "No babies!" as I shook my hands and head. She then grew louder and said, "Profe, necesita bebes! Necesita! Necesita!". I laughed as I gestured a single finger to my lips hinting at her to lower her voice. I then continued to giggle as I asked her, "Why do you want me to have children so bad?". And she said, very fervently, "Profesora, usted es una maestra tan maravillosa y cariñosa... sería una buena madre. Necesitas tener bebés.". For those of you who do not speak Spanish, throw that sentence into google translate....it made me tear up as her words flowed so freely and passionately. I thanked her for her compliment and I said, "No sé si tendré hijos, pero sé que amo a los niños que se me presentan.".

• One of my Arabic-speaking students has found it entertaining to "quiz me" with Arabic vocabulary. A couple of times I have surprised him by guessing a meaning...merely from my knowledge of linguistic cognates and some rather extensive latin from my nunnery days. It has been fun to learn a new language from my student and I think it has also helped build a positive teacher-student relationship.

• This year I introduced ​"Music Mondays" as a way to identify key vocabulary and repetitious verb phrasing. It began with me sharing a song and providing a worksheet for students to complete as we listened to the song 3-4 times....and now it has quickly evolved to students bringing their own music in and presenting it to the class. Students share and present their favorite song in English, but at the end they also recommend a song from their home country. It has been a powerful way to share culture as well as build up a joyful community.

• When I am not directly teaching my ESL class, I am "pushing into" my student general content classes. This year, I have been "pushing in" more math classes as my students have been struggling in that area. Now, I am not a "math-girl"...I never took physics and I graduated high school taking only the basics....all my AP classes were in the humanities. With that said, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting into the classroom and re-learning (better yet, actually learning) algebra, geometry, and physics. I sit next to my kids and learn right alongside them and then quickly have to synthesize tools for them to understand the lesson that was just taught. It is truly teaching on the fly and it has quickly become a source of adrenaline and fun for me. Plus, I think it has been beneficial for my students to see me in the "learner roll". To them, in their language classes, I may seem an expert; however, in their math classes they can see me taking notes, paying attention, making mistakes, asking the teacher questions, and trying my best even when I do not fully understand. Furthermore, my kids are learning math! And they are getting excited about it...like me. It has been so fun and it makes me even think...maybe one day...I'll be a math teacher.

• Personal Academic/Professional Victory: ​This year I completed my official certification as a CLDE teacher (Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education)! I am so excited to add this onto my teaching license as I am currently licensed to teach English 7th-12th grade and this endorsement permits me to teach K-12th. This means that I have the transitional power to teach any grade k-12th which personally excites me because I have always wanted to have a taste of every grade level. And, now that I have taught middle school and high school...maybe in the near future I'll get to teach some babies in elementary school (and just the thought of that makes me very excited).  P.S. Shout out to Regis University for my Master's Degree (2020) and for the scholarship and references for the completion of my newest certification.

I am thankful for my current position and all the learning and growth that I have experienced as an educator. I feel that I am being of service to others (and the broader community) while being honored and respected as a professional. I look forward to the second half of the year and I am sure I will be back on here to brag more about my kids.

P.S. I encourage you to get outside of your comfort zone and go learn something new. I have found so much pleasure from learning math again...I hope you too can experience the joy of being a "forever-learner".