Tag Archives: Latino American Teachers

Kindergarten teacher Edwin Sorto: His kids learn to salsa dance!

Posted on by

Here’s a teacher you’ve just got to get a kick out of. He’s Edwin Sorto, a kindergarten teacher at KIPP Promise Academy, a public school in Washington, DC. In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Edwin is a professional salsa dancer, and he loves to teach his young students to dance, too!

To supplement the usual curriculum, Edwin has integrated dance into his lesson plans. He believes that learning to dance helps his students obtain a well-rounded education, and it teaches important life skills such as discipline and social skills. “They work incredibly hard at both academics and dance,” Edwin once explained. “This is just one more thing that keeps them engaged in school.” This amazing educator has the kids almost-expertly performing salsa, merengue, and bachata. He has even taught them choreography from Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video.

Edwin was born in El Salvador, and immigrated to the United States at the age of 14. He was raised in a family where dance was a part of everyday life. Edwin believes that it’s best to learn how to dance when people are young because children pick up dance moves more easily and they are less inhibited than adults.

Edwin received his teacher training at Capital Teaching Residency, an organization which trains new educators in the DC area. There he partnered with a master teacher for one year at KIPP Promise Academy. Once he completed his training, he was allowed to create his own lesson plans. Now, groups of 25 to 30 students meet with him every day for his special afternoon classes where he leads physical education, art, and cultural activities.

When he’s not working with his kindergartners, Edwin travels around the country performing salsa with a dance team called Casineros. He also performs with Cazike, a Latin dance company run by his wife who also teaches at KIPP Promise Academy.

Enjoy this brief YouTube video of Edwin with his dancing kindergartners below:

Educator Dr. Rebecca Palacios: A 2014 inductee into the National Teachers Hall of Fame

Posted on by
Rebecca Palacios

Early childhood educator Dr. Rebecca Palacios, in 2014, when she was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Our nation’s schools are fortunate to enjoy the limitless talent and dedication of many remarkable Latino teachers. One of these is Dr. Rebecca Palacios, an early education teacher from Corpus Christi, Texas.

Rebecca has long been recognized as a champion for better education for Latino students. Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, she learned about American discrimination against Latinos first-hand. Her father, a World War II veteran who worked for the public park service in Texas, often spoke to her about the discrimination faced by Latinos in America. He talked about not being able to eat in segregated restaurants or use segregated water fountains. He shared stories of rules that forbade him from speaking Spanish in school.

Despite the obstacles faced by Latinos in America, Rebecca excelled in school. In fact, she was the first in her family to pursue a higher education. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1975 in Early Childhood Education from the University of Texas, Austin. The following year she earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi. In 1996, she completed the requirements for her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas, Austin.

Following her college graduation, Rebecca taught elementary school in the Corpus Christi Independent School District. There she taught Caucasian and Latino students in kindergarten, first grade, and third grade, first at Lamar Elementary and then at Zavala Elementary. Throughout her long and distinguished career, she became one of the most outspoken proponents of improved educational opportunities for Latino students. She also became one of the most celebrated early childhood educators in the country.

Rebecca’s career in Corpus Christi’ schools spanned more than 33 years. Following her retirement in 2010, she continued to work as a consultant for the district by mentoring other teachers. For her many contributions to the field of education, this chalkboard champion was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) in Emporia, Kansas, in 2014. To learn more about Rebecca, read this post at NTHF.

Teacher Dolores Huerta dedicated her life to helping migrant farmworkers

Posted on by
Dolores Huerta

Teacher Dolores Huerta dedicated her life to helping migrant farm workers.

Like many people who have heard of farm labor leader and civil rights advocate Cesar Chavez, I have also heard of his right-hand woman, Dolores Huerta, elected vice president of the United Farm Workers Union. But did you know she was also a teacher?

Raised in Stockton, California, Dolores graduated in 1955 with an AA and her teaching credentials from the College of the Pacific. After her college graduation, she accepted a teaching position in a rural Stockton elementary school. She had been teaching for only a short time when she realized she wanted to devote her vast energy to migrant farm workers and their families. “I couldn’t stand seeing farm worker children come to class hungry and in need of shoes,” she once explained. “I thought I could do more by organizing their parents than by trying to teach their hungry children.”

After just one year, Dolores resigned from her teaching position, determined to launch a campaign that would fight the numerous economic injustices faced by migrant agricultural workers. Joining forces with the legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez, the intrepid educator helped organize a large-scale strike against the commercial grape growers of the San Joaquin Valley, an effort which raised national awareness of the abysmal treatment of America’s agricultural workers. She also negotiated contracts which led to their improved working conditions. The rest, as they say, is history.

Although there are several fairly good juvenile biographies of this extraordinary woman, there is no definitive adult biography about her. The closest thing to it is A Dolores Huerta Reader edited by Mario T. Garcia. This book includes an informative biographical introduction by the editor, articles and book excerpts written about her, her own writings and transcripts of her speeches, and a recent interview with Mario Garcia. You can find A Dolores Huerta Reader on amazon. I have also included a chapter about this remarkable teacher in my second book, entitled Chalkboard Heroes.

Educator Braulio Alonso: Teacher, US veteran, and first Hispanic president of the NEA

Posted on by
Educator Braulio Alonso

Educator Braulio Alonso” Teacher, US veteran, and first Hispanic president of the NEA

There are many valiant American veterans who have also served in the classroom. One such American hero is Braulio Alonso. This distinguished educator and World War II veteran can boast numerous accomplishments during his lifetime.

Braulio was born the son of impoverished cigar makes in Ybor City, Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, on December 16, 1916. Braulio graduated in 1935 from Hillsborough High School, the valedictorian of his class. He was also the valedictorian of his college class when he graduated from the University of Tampa in 1939.

Braulio began his teaching career as an instructor of physics and chemistry courses at Henry B. Plant High School in Tampa, but when World War II erupted, this chalkboard hero enlisted in the United States Army in 1941. He was immediately sent to officer candidate school, and later he became part of the 85th Infantry Division in North Africa. The former classroom teacher was promoted to Battery Commander for the 328th Artillery Battalion, taking an active part in the Italian campaign. He was among the first Allied soldiers to liberate Rome. By the time he was discharged from the service, Braulio had earned a Bronze Star with Cluster and a Purple Heart.

When the war was won, Braulio resumed his career as an educator. He was named the director of Adult Education and headed an on-the-job training program for returning veterans. He also taught classes and served as a principal at several schools, including West Tampa Junior High, Jefferson High School, and C. Leon King High School.

Always intent upon improving the quality of education, Braulio became the president of his local teachers’ union. He eventually was selected the president of the Florida Education Association, where he led the drive to integrate the organization. In 1967, he was elected the president of the National Education Association (NEA), the first Hispanic to hold that office. While NEA president, Braulio worked to persuade teacher organizations throughout Europe to join with the NEA for an international conference to combat racism, anti-Semitism and apartheid. He served as the secretary of that joint effort. In 1966 he became an international figure when he was asked to mediate a dispute among teacher organizations and the Bolivian government. This was the first of many missions Braulio undertook to mediate disputes, including efforts in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Brazil, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Ghana.

This remarkable chalkboard hero passed away of natural causes in 2010. He will be missed, but certainly not forgotten. To read more about him, see this online article published by the NEA.

Chicago’s Ricky Castro named Illinois Teacher of the Year 2017

Posted on by
Ricky Castro

Chicago’s Ricky Castro named Illinois Teacher of the Year 2017

It is always inspirational when a member of the teaching profession is recognized for their dedication and hard work. One such dedicated educator is Chicago’s Ricky Castro, a high school World Languages teacher who was named the 2017 Illinois Teacher of the Year.

Ricky was raised in Humboldt Park, a Puerto Rican community on Chicago’s west side. As a youth, he got involved with gangs, ditched school, and struggled in his classes. He credits a caring junior high school teacher for helping him turn his life around. As a young man, Ricky earned his Bachelor’s degree in English from DePaul University and his Master’s degree in Education from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Because mentoring was such a positive experience in his own life, Ricky wanted to create similar experiences for students who were struggling with making unwise life choices. Shortly after going to work at Elk Grove, Ricky established Estudiantes Unidos, an after-school mentoring program. The program is staffed by 40 high school student mentors who are paired with Grove Junior High School students that are in need of positive influences. The students meet every two weeks to discuss principles of character and leadership, participate in team-building activities, and work on community service projects. The hope is that these mentors will encourage their younger peers to make wiser decisions with their lives.

Ricky also helps lead Elk Grove High School’s Latino parent outreach organization, Familias Unidas. This organization helps parents become part of the school setting. As part of the outreach, Ricky inaugurated Saturday outreach events out in the community where Spanish-speaking teachers host parent-teacher conferences.

“What makes Ricky remarkable is his constant dedication to long-term solutions,” asserts Elk Grove High School Principal Paul. “He’s not a teacher who only thinks what a class day should be like. He thinks about what a whole society should look like.”

Under his teaching, 80% of Elk Grove’s ninth grade Latino English Language Learners qualified to move into “mainstream” courses in just one year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education website. For his outstanding work with his students and their parents, Ricky was named the Illinois Teacher of the Year in 2017. This award is sponsored by the Illinois State Board of Education.

To read more about this amazing chalkboard champion, read this article published in the Daily Herald.