When I learned that I'd be attending Language Advocacy Day (aka LAD) in Washington as ACTFL TOY, I didn't know what to expect. To be honest, I grew up in a home where making your voice heard on government matters involved holding up signs at marches (or at our tiny town's dump, the local gathering spot!) and writing letters to the local paper -- not sitting down with lawmakers and talking to them. I also felt a bit distant from the term advocate. It sounded like something that other people, People Who Knew Things about Government, would do. Me, I'm just a middle school teacher. It turns out, rather like Monsieur Jourdain of Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, who learns in middle age that he's been speaking prose his whole life, I am an advocate. And if you're reading this blog, well, you probably are, too. Here is a brief quiz if you're feeling unsure: • Do you think that Congress should fund world language learning? • Do you think that world language teachers should receive the same student loan forgiveness benefits as other shortage-area teachers (eg STEM, SPED)? • Would you like to see more support for implementing the Seal of Biliteracy in your state? If you answered YES to one or more of these questions, you should seriously consider blocking off February 4-5, 2021 on your calendar. That's when the next Language Advocacy Day takes place. There are three parts to the event, which is meticulously planned (amazing guest speakers! mentor-mentee program! gourmet food! state-based email groups! glossy program full of important information! awards reception! a customized schedule for you to visit your Senators and Congressperson! swag!).
On Day 1, our group of 200+ gathered in the morning to learn about legislative priorities regarding language-learning. This was a bit overwhelming for a newb like me, who responds to online JNCL Action Alerts but doesn't know the lingo or how face-to-face visits work. I learned a lot by watching Amanda Seewald role play Congressional visits with friendly, and then unfriendly, legislative aides...who were played by actual staffers on the Hill! We then practiced in groups how to make our asks, and how to succeed with them. I left feeling a bit more prepared, but still firmly gripping the dog-eared page of legislative asks in my program. The afternoon was devoted to Congressional visits. I had a detour in my schedule, as tradition calls for the Language Teacher of the Year to meet with the U.S. Secretary of Education. To say that I felt conflicted about this visit would be an understatement. It was important to me to wear a bright blue blazer adorned with a rainbow flag and MTA union pin so that I could express my values about public education for all young people in the US. Perhaps it was kismet that the President gave an off-script, "freewheeling" speech at the White House that afternoon, thereby tying up Secretary DeVos for the entirety of our scheduled meeting time. Instead I got to meet two career DOE employees who work in International Affairs, and DeVos' Deputy Secretary, Dr. Mick Zais. Unlike Secretary DeVos, who has a BA (insufficient to teach long-term in my state!) and no classroom teaching experience, Dr. Zais studied at West Point, has a PhD, retired from the US Army as a brigadier general, and was superintendent of South Carolina schools. I think that my Kentucky-born Army colonel father-in-law, also rather blunt and not impressed by my bleeding heart liberal values, provided me with good background for this meeting! Before the photo op at the end of our meeting, the General told me, "If my French teacher had been as pretty as you, I'd have learned a lot more French." Well, then. Next, I traveled with the Massachusetts delegations to the offices of Senators Warren and Markey, and with ACTFL Executive Director Howie Berman and past ACTFL TOY Ted Zarrow to the office of Representative Kennedy. As we made our pitches, the aides listened carefully. Some took many notes, others...not so much. Despite my skepticism that anything would come of these meetings, today I heard that Representative Kennedy has co-sponsored the BEST Act. That alone feels like a huge success from my perspective! The final part of LAD took place the next morning, when we enjoyed two amazing guest speakers and shared our experiences out on the Hill. I loved that Leslie Baldwin had us make a Flipgrid to recount our adventures from the experience. You can see my video for Massachusetts there, as well as many other great stories from the day! I am an advocate, and I have a new skill set thanks to this event. Thank you JNCL-NCLIS for sponsoring this tremendous Language Advocacy Day, and thank you ACTFL for including me in my role as TOY. UPDATE: Angelika Kraemer of Cornell's Language Resource Center interviewed me about LAD for the LRC podcast, Speaking of Language. Give a listen here.
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Who's that dame?Middle school French teacher obsessed with building students' proficiency via thematic units & authentic materials. Smart teacher blogs:
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