The Language Access Lectern | a PGLS Podcast | Episode 5
Comprehensive language access is about more than interpreting services. Teachers play a crucial role in developing tailored curricula for English Learner (EL) students. K-12 Language Access Consultant Mark Byrne spoke with Jose Torres of Baltimore City Public Schools about the importance of role models in the classroom and educational materials that meet the unique needs of secondary English learners.
You can listen to episode 5 of the Language Access Lectern here. Keep reading for a recap of Mark and Jose’s engaging conversation, which emphasizes the power of innovation in education.
Answering the Call to Serve English Learner Students
Mark: What brought you to this point in your career as an educator and advocate for English Learner students?
Jose: I’m from a migrant family. My parents and siblings all used to travel as farm workers, tomato pickers, or line pickers for whatever was in season. There were eight of us, and all of my siblings were born in different states. I guess it was instilled in me as a child that you go where the need is.
I’m a teacher and have spent well over two decades working with English learners. I’m originally from South Florida, where the predominant language is Spanish. I moved to Baltimore in 2006 because there was a demand for bilingual instructors like myself. I started working in the refugee centers and community college.
Mark: That’s a very courageous thing to do, to put yourself where you’re needed.
Jose: As the youngest of eight, my mother instilled in me from a young age that I had to finish high school and get an education. I like to tell my students my story and show that I came up in a similar situation as they did. You can do something more, but you need an education—don’t throw this opportunity away, because there is a bigger world out there.
Mark: Sometimes, we take opportunities for granted, so it’s great to hear how your family has pushed you forward. Now, you’re taking those same lessons and applying them to your students.
Jose: Back to why I moved here. I think our students from a predominantly Hispanic population need to see people in teachers’ positions because there’s that whole adage about seeing somebody who resembles me in leadership. More importantly, building those relationships with the students, and not just making it about your race or skin color, can help them make the best of their opportunities.
Mark: Self-belief is a big part of that. If you don’t believe in yourself, you’ll have a hard time running through the wall that’s blocking you.
Jose: When you don’t have much growing up, you have to make use of what is around you. I try to tell students that maybe there are financial struggles at home, parents are at work a lot, but what do you have around you? Homework assignments, projects… Don’t turn away from that. Build on them and get something out of it. When you’re older, you’ll be able to put that in your toolbox. Language acquisition is a tremendous tool.
Writing a Textbook to Meet the Needs of English Learners
Mark: Talk to me about what inspired you to put pen to paper and build a textbook to support language acquisition for English Learners.
Jose: Working in refugee centers and the community college, I was around students who resembled my parents. I saw how they would struggle, and the books we used were inadequate. I’m putting it very kindly. I remember asking the director of the college where I worked, can you get us better books? Because these books are—and I don’t mean to sound rude—but they are no good. They’re not serving the language skills these students need at the very basic level.
He kind of joked about it, saying if you don’t like these books, then make your own. Well, be careful who you say that to. I went home, thought about it…and you know what? Maybe I will write my own book.
I reached out to an old professor for advice and started experimenting. It turns out, when teaching adults phonics and the accompanying image is aimed for children, it is somewhat insulting. I started grabbing different images and noticed adult students becoming more engaged. Then, I started collecting data and linking it to assessment scores. Sure enough, when we compared those numbers with the sample groups, we could see a difference. The college was sold on it, saying I had solved one of the big issues they faced. Then, I presented it and received an achievement grant to publish and print it.
Mark: How many were you able to print at the start? What does the business of textbook publishing look like?
Jose: I showed the prototype, then the college bought hundreds of copies.
Adapting to Virtual Learning with EL Students
Mark: How many versions of the textbook have you produced over the years?
Jose: The first edition came out in 2016. We were riding on that for a few years, and then the pandemic hit. Everything stopped, and everything hit rock bottom. As instructors, we had to evolve what we were doing when school went virtual.
Mark: Education was certainly impacted by the pandemic. Do you think there are silver linings from the experience with COVID-19, or do you think or is that was lost time?
Jose: Remember what I was telling you earlier? When I was a kid, I had to make use of what I had. This is an ongoing theme that I share with my students. Having to rely on virtual classes and doing things online changed the game. The first edition book, which was great for its run, did not fit into this new online world, so I had to create a second edition that goes with virtual learning.
I decided to create a video component that goes with it. All the major activities in this textbook have video components with individual QR codes on the pages. So, if a student is going to practice pronunciation, a sentence, or a conversation, they use their smartphones, and the QR code takes them right to the video. Teachers don’t have to sit there and try to find a website or a link; they can just use that QR code.
Students can practice independently at home. A student might hit snags, and they feel like the whole class is leaving them behind. Now, with these QR codes, they don’t have to feel like they’re falling behind. They can always go back and keep working on things.
This second edition came out in 2024, so it took me about two or three years to put it together.
Mark: What would be the most inspiring piece of feedback you’ve gotten over the years?
Jose: Teachers using the book say it’s refreshing to work with materials created by a teacher who’s actually using their own stuff. A lot of times, as teachers, we get handed these books and materials from higher-ups who probably haven’t sniffed a classroom in 20 years. I’m just a working teacher in the classroom every single day, so when I hear that from other teachers, it’s nice to know.
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