There is something magical about Puebla that keeps me coming back year after year. As I journey home from my fourth time there, I find myself reflecting on the invaluable experience that this city and its teachers bring to my life as an educator. For a little background, the Bueno Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder has hosted the Literacy Squared Conference for the past four times in this picturesque town about 200 miles from Mexico City. The conference is not just informational, but it inspires and teaches me to stay humble and focused on the greater cause: Supporting emergent bilingual students in the United States. I would like to briefly share the highlights that resurface time after time during this week-long event. Indulge me as I describe them the PUEBLA way.
Passionate teachers: The teachers in Puebla schools face multiple challenges, including a lack of resources and, based on U.S. standards, overcrowded classrooms. How would you feel if you had 30+ students in a first-grade classroom with no additional support? And yet, the teachers don’t complain. They hold incredibly high expectations for all kids! During my conversation with Maestra Irene, she expressed, “Maestra Mónica, tengo mucho orgullo de decir que, de mis 31 estudiantes de primero, todos menos uno pueden leer a nivel, de corrido, y con comprensión.” (“I’m proud to say that, out of my 31 first graders, all but one read on level, fluently, and with good comprehension.”) Can you imagine that accomplishment? With no testing or intervention resources involved!
Unique conference sessions and school lesson delivery: The conference offers plenary and breakout sessions, a mix of both English and Spanish. These include research-based sessions in culturally relevant lectoescritura, biliteracy education practices, and much more. Similarly, the maestras at the schools prepare engaging lessons for conference participants to observe. Something I experienced consistently during this visit was the use of music, singing, and movement in every lesson in all grade levels. I participated in singing and dancing, of course!
Excited students: Students wear uniforms, and their hair is combed to perfection with lots of hair gel. They welcome us with pride and do a variety of performances. And if you know the Mexican school system, you will always expect to see los honores a la bandera y la escolta (honoring the flag). I always sob during this event. It reminds me of my childhood.
Best connections with U.S. colleagues: Meeting colleagues, teachers, and administrators from different districts in the United States is one of the highlights of the conference. The bonding is almost immediate. In a very short time, we make connections with other educators who share the same mission of learning best practices to support emergent bilingual students. We all unite with a ¡Sí se puede! attitude! Our immigrant students in the U.S. deserve it!
Language-rich interactive classrooms: Students dialogue, talk, and talk some more, using both informal and academic language. They are encouraged to do so to build a sense of community. They move from whole-class to small groups, to partners, and back to whole-group. This validates our foundational 7 Steps to a Language-Rich Interactive Classroom resource (Seidlitz & Perryman, 2021). Students comment, ask questions, respond to questions, cuentan chistes (tell jokes), and interview us, los maestros americanos (the American teachers) to no end. Students and teachers love our visit! They all take out their phones to take photos and selfies.
Abundant joy: I leave Puebla with tears in my eyes every time I go. Attending the conference recharges my soul. I come back ready to incorporate the lessons I learned from the docentes estelares de la SEP (stellar teachers) into an updated ¡Toma la palabra! version, where I will try to convey the richness and joy I witnessed in those classrooms. If teachers in the Mexican school system are able to create such magic, so can we! A big thank you to all who make this experience possible.
¡Juntos, hacemos la diferencia!
PUEBLA
Passionate teachers
Unique conference sessions and school lesson delivery
Excited students
Best connections with U.S. colleagues
Language-rich interactive classrooms
Abundant joy
Seidlitz Education 