STORIES FROM OUR CLASSROOMS

By Arnoldo Jimenez 

Teaching for Change has opened up a new world for me.  As the ESOL Department Chair at Buck Lodge Middle School in PG County, I am always trying to find ways to advocate for my students who mostly come from Central America. 

The Introduction to Central America lesson has allowed me to show our teachers how they can make better connections with our students. The lives of many of our students are indirectly affected by what went on in Central America years before they were born. Teaching about Central America allows us, as educators, to bridge a gap of unknown knowledge of violence and civil wars where students are better able to understand the why questions they have created such as “Why did you leave me behind to come to the United States?”or “Why is our country so violent?” or “Why did our family members have to die?” 

Teaching the Central America lesson allows us to dig deeper into a continuous, dark United States history where others typically have to pay for our involvement. 

Our teachers absolutely loved and enjoyed this lesson, which was used during our teachers workshops. It gave them an opportunity to interact, engage, and discover new history.