Humility in teaching means recognizing that learning is a shared experience—one that require openness, reflection, and willingness to step outside one’s own perspective. This winter quarter, I began taking Spanish lessons to better connect with the large number of multilingual students at my school placement who speak Spanish as their home language. While this decision was practical, it was also deeply personal. Learning another language as an adult has given me a direct glimpse into the challenges my ML students face when navigating through an education system set up in English. I’ve had many moments of self-consciousness when speaking Spanish, particularly about my pronunciation, which has made me more aware of the vulnerability students experience when speaking in a second language. This process has reinforced the importance of patience, encouragement, and creating a classroom environment where ML learners feel safe to express themselves without fear of judgement or dismissal.
Beyond just communication, this experience has shaped how I advocate for students and their families. Understanding even just a little of their linguistic experience helps me engage more intentionally with the students and their communities. Although I am at the very beginning of my Spanish-speaking journey, I’ve learned that humility is a necessary ingredient for learning something new, and that sometimes it’s helpful for students to see the teacher experience the struggle of learning as well. Next quarter I will continue to try more verbal translaguaging techniques as I acquire more Spanish vocabulary.
Below is a screenshot of when I first started my lessons.
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