Takeaways from the Heritage Teacher Summit

(This is the second part of a two-part blog post…find part 1 here!)

Hello friends! As promised, here are my takeaways from the second half of the sessions of the Heritage Teacher Summit! Don’t forget, tickets are only on sale until 2/29/24, so grab your ticket before they close! You have access to the sessions until 8/31/24, so plenty of time to watch. Grab all the details (and your ticket) here!

Session 7: Self-care & SEL: Teaching Ideas for When You Need a Break, Jen Lopez

I really, really enjoyed this session. My dear friend Jen is such a wealth of knowledge at all things heritage-teaching related, but her humility and vulnerability make listening to her such a treat. I love that she presents ideas on how to take a whole class period and give yourself, and your students, a break. First, she presents great ideas to help your students unpack or set down the weight they are carrying (I, too, despise “gratitude” activities because I feel like they completely ignore reality). Then, once they’ve done that, she shares ideas for helping them tap into what they are thankful for, and finally, ideas for just spending some joyful downtime in class. I’m looking forward to trying these with my own students!

Session 8: Supporting heritage learners in World Language classes, Kristin Montgomery

I met Kristin several years ago when Mary Beth and I were invited to do a workshop at the Minnesota state conference (MCTLC), and it was so lovely to meet with someone so passionate about serving heritage students, particularly in dual language settings. This session is a great resource for teachers who have heritage students mixed into their regular Spanish classes; she shares a ton of suggestions, from broad mindset shifts about how we should approach our role in that context, to detailed tips to share with your heritage students. Don’t miss it!

Session 9: Teaching SHL in secondary schools: An antiracist, decolonial and culturally responsive curriculum proposal, Dr. Aracelis Nieves

This session was so hard for me to watch because she chose to do it as a Powerpoint presentation (with audio/video, which I’ve never seen before). So, that meant I couldn’t access it on my phone and I had to download it on my computer and open it using Powerpoint, and then let it play, meaning I couldn’t be using my computer for anything else. All that to say, it felt like such a win when I was finally able to watch it and let me tell you, this session is GOLD. Dr. Nieves will share her curriculum for three levels of heritage courses that are targeted for secondary schools and very appropriate for MS and HS; she will share her overall plan for each year, what she focuses on, and some of her (amazing, beautiful) wins. She also weaves throughout consistently reminders of why she does what she does. Even if you have an established curriculum already, her reminders about how to approach these classes in an antiracist, decolonial, and culturally responsive way are powerful and really accessible. And I can’t wait to add a few of her assignments into my existing curriculum…starting with the “If only / Si sólo” poem. 

Session 10: Navigating Non-Binary Inclusivity: Conversations Inspired by Gloria Anzaldúa’s ‘Borderlands,” Abelardo Almazán-Vázquez

Friends, if you have not had the pleasure of learning from my dear friend and colleague Abelardo, it’s time. Every single time I get to attend one of his sessions I just try to take in all of his humility, bravery, and wisdom. I learn so much every time. In this session, Abelardo talks about different excerpts of Gloria Anzaldúa’s book “Borderlands” that he has used with his advanced Spanish students, and how he has used it as a springboard with his students to discuss critical topics with his students such as: language as rebellion, challenging the gender of language and machismo, and translanguaging. I invite you, too, to get to know and appreciate my friend and his contributions to our field. You will not be sorry.

Session 11: Cultural study and ancestral teachings through legends: los guaraníes y la leyenda del mate, Cecilia Cummaudo

This was such a fun session to watch, I feel like I got to know Cecilia so well by watching it! I loved that one of her goals for this course is to center the voices and stories of traditionally oppressed groups in the Spanish-speaking world. She shared lots of practical ideas about how she decides what to teach, giving room for both student and teacher voice. My favorite part was the in-depth explanation of her unit on mate and the the guaraní, it sounded like such an amazing unit! It would be great for an upper level Spanish class as well. She generously shared a fantastic reading with us that would work in either your heritage or upper level classes; I also loved how she brought it alive for her students. So many fantastic ideas in this unit! 

Session 12: Preventing Burnout for Spanish Heritage Teachers, Adrienne Brandenburg

This session is my session (obviously), so I won’t tell you how amazing it is 🙂 But I hope it is helpful for you, especially if you are a newer heritage teacher. I talk a little about why burnout is particularly prevalent for heritage teachers, and some of the things that have helped me.

This is such an incredible lineup of sessions, friends. I hope you’re convinced too! For a price point of $49 and 6 months of access to these 6 sessions PLUS 6 more…it is really an unbeatable option. And if you’re keeping track, you’ll see that many of the sessions are relevant to all Spanish teachers! (See the chart I had to make myself below.) Don’t miss this amazing PD opportunity; tickets are only on sale until February 29, 2024. Grab your ticket before it closes!

	Specifically for heritage Spanish teachers	For any Spanish teacher	For any World Language teacher
Session 7: Self care and SEL	X
Session 8: Heritage learners in mixed classes		X	X
Session 9: SHL curriculum	X
Session 10: Anzaldúa’s “Borderlands”		X
Session 11: Los guaraníes y la leyenda del mate		X
Session 12: Preventing Burnout	X

Happy teaching, friends!

Adrienne