Starting the School Year: The Challenges of Culturally-Linguistically Diverse Students

Welcome back to the 2016-2017 school year!

The middle school language development coaches (LDCs) are excited to begin blogging this year. We will be sharing materials and resources about culturally-linguistically diverse (CLD) students and celebrate the growth of our CLD students and all of the staff that helps serve this population.

As a white, middle-upper-class man, I am blessed with so much privilege in my life. My mother is a teacher and my father is a business man. As a child, I had all of the benefits of a home language/culture that easily matched with the language/culture of my school. I shared this short film to remind us that many of our children have cultures/language at home that are not always valued in school. With a little empathy, we can learn about the unique journey of our CLD students and help build the bond between school and home to empower them with bicultural and bilingual identities.

With our changing roles this year, we are so excited to work with as many people and teams as possible. Please continue to visit our blog; visit our resources section that we will continue to build. Also, book us for an appointment, consult, co-teaching, co-planning, or anything else that might help support culture, language, and academic growth for all of our students.

We look forward to the school year and we look forward to sharing the growth of CLDs, our own teaching practice, and the amazing work done by all professionals in the middle schools.

¡Hasta la próxima vez amigos!

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Teaching and Learning: Language and Culture

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