BTE Educator Mentioned in DCPS Chancellor Letter
Note: DCPS Chancellor Letter Press Release from Bilingual Teacher Exchange.
WASHINGTON, DC (28 February 2018) — Bilingual Teacher Exchange (BTE) educator, Luz Mireya Peláez López, employed with Houston Elementary School in Ward 7 in Washington, D.C., was recently mentioned in the 23 January 2018 “From the Chancellor’s Desk” for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). What follows is the complete release as found on the DCPS website.
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From the Chancellor’s Desk
January 23, 2018
Dear Friends,
One of the ways we educate the whole child in DCPS is by exposing students to the world outside of their school, their city, and their country. We want our students to be prepared for success in an increasingly globalized world — students who are informed about news, are familiar with other cultures, and understand other languages. In addition to offering world language in every school, we also have 11 dual language programs in our district that educate students in both English and Spanish!
Dual language is an enriched educational program in which students study DCPS grade-level content in two languages. The program is designed to help students develop strong reading, writing, and speaking skills in two languages, as well as foster an appreciation of and respect for other cultures and languages as they prepare for a globalizing world and economy. Approximately 3,500 students in DCPS participate in dual language, including at three schools that opened new programs last year: Houston Elementary School, MacFarland Middle School, and Roosevelt High School. This week, I want to take you into classrooms at two schools that are educating their students in English and Spanish.
At Houston Elementary School in Ward 7, the school is in its second year of offering dual language Pre-K classes. In the fall, Pre-K4 students at Houston ES worked on identifying the letters in their names, and learned vocabulary words in Spanish for different elements of nature, including the parts of a tree. Pre-K4 Spanish teacher Mrs. Peláez spent circle time by first asking students to repeat words out loud, like hojas (leaves), agua (water), and tronco (trunk), and then asking them to point out those parts of a tree using the display in her classroom. Students also visited different Learning Stations in their classroom like music, art, and building blocks, but had to select and verbalize the name for their learning station in Spanish first.
At Bruce-Monroe Elementary School in Ward 1, a dual language school, 3rd grade math teacher Ms. Alcalde says that teaching in two languages helps students not just improve their communication, but their skills in other subjects as well: “It’s true that math is all numbers, but nowadays, math is another language as well. They have to comprehend and understand the content, and as long as they understand it in one language, they can transfer it to another.” Third grade student Hossam Nouddine, who has been at Bruce-Monroe Elementary School for four years, says that his favorite part of school is getting to expand his vocabulary: “I love learning here, and every day I learn at least one new word in a different language. Sometimes more.”
As a part of implementing A Capital Commitment 2017–2022, DCPS will continue to expand language opportunities for our students through additional world language classes and the dual language program, in addition to many other global studies offerings. As we prepare all of our students for a global future, I look forward to seeing the many ways our young people see, speak, and understand new parts of the world around them!
Respectfully,
Antwan Wilson
Chancellor
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The complete DCPS transcript can be seen at http://bit.ly/2GCQsFG
Washington, D.C.-based BTE — a one-stop recruitment and staffing source matching schools and bilingual teachers — provides native speaking bilingual educators to support global language and cultural learning. www.bilingualteacher.org
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