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Culture Connects Purugganan Home Learn More Inspiration About the Author |
About the Author
My name is Hayley Purugganan, or Mrs. P as my students call me, and I am a Spanish teacher at Calistoga Junior-Senior High School. I teach all grade levels and all Spanish levels as a department of 1: Spanish I, II, III and AP. I did not grow up speaking Spanish at home, but my enthusiasm for the language came at a young age when Spanish was introduced at my public elementary school in New Jersey. This passion for the language snowballed into a passion for culture, eventually leading me to explore South America via various study abroad programs during my time at University of Colorado as an Anthropology major. After graduating from college, I moved down to Argentina to continue my fluency journey and ended up living in Mendoza for the next two years working as a wine tour guide.
Upon returning to the states, I eventually found my way to Sonoma County and pursued a new career path: becoming a Spanish teacher. I received my teaching credential in 2018 and have been teaching ever since! I’ve spent the majority of my teaching career in Calistoga teaching to a student population that is 86% Heritage Spanish speakers. I love teaching to this population as we are able to engage with the language in a more authentic setting reading novels, watching films, and engaging in projects.
That being said, I couldn’t help but notice that my heritage speakers were succeeding at a lesser rate than non-heritage speakers. Why was this happening? This shouldn’t be the case! Something needed to change, and that something was me. This was the impetus for my research this year. Upon finding the M.Ed. program in Innovative Learning Touro, I wanted to use this opportunity to reflect on my practices and learn new strategies/methods to create a more inclusive environment where all succeed.
Upon returning to the states, I eventually found my way to Sonoma County and pursued a new career path: becoming a Spanish teacher. I received my teaching credential in 2018 and have been teaching ever since! I’ve spent the majority of my teaching career in Calistoga teaching to a student population that is 86% Heritage Spanish speakers. I love teaching to this population as we are able to engage with the language in a more authentic setting reading novels, watching films, and engaging in projects.
That being said, I couldn’t help but notice that my heritage speakers were succeeding at a lesser rate than non-heritage speakers. Why was this happening? This shouldn’t be the case! Something needed to change, and that something was me. This was the impetus for my research this year. Upon finding the M.Ed. program in Innovative Learning Touro, I wanted to use this opportunity to reflect on my practices and learn new strategies/methods to create a more inclusive environment where all succeed.
Reflections on your Journey
My research paper is aptly titled: [The] Effects of Culturally Relevant Teaching on Heritage Speakers in the Spanish Language Classroom. It is through this research that I was able to dive into the principles and philosophies that guide culturally relevant and culturally responsive pedagogy resulting in higher achievement (both academically and socially!) for the heritage speakers in the Spanish Classroom. While there is still much for me to improve and build upon, I am so grateful for this journey and this initial step in ensure that all of our students, especially the “minority” that is soon to be the “majority”, feel empowered and motivated to succeed in an environment that accommodates for their cultural products, practices and perspectives.
Lasting Learning from the Innovative Learning program
I am so grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the Innovative Learning program. From the creative tools introduced in class, to the rich discussion and new perspectives gained, I am forever changed as an educator! The research inspired by this program has made permanent transformations in the way I view my role in the classroom and how to best use this role to ensure that learning is accessible to all students.
I will continue to employ the strategies and resources introduced in this program to better my practice and inspire academic growth.
I will continue to employ the strategies and resources introduced in this program to better my practice and inspire academic growth.