" I also have a dream!"

Four decades after Martin Luther King’s most famous speech called "I have a dream..." delivered on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, it still can be used to educate and inspire students to speak about their own dreams. In addition to the rich historical information provided about the way life used to be before the Civil Rights Act, I like to use the inspirational side of the text to motivate my Hispanic students to set their own goals.

After listening to King’s speech, some of my second grade students dared to say … “I also have a dream!”

• “My dream is that one day…I will go back to Mexico to visit my family.”

• “My dream is that one day… I will speak English like him [MLK].”

• “My dream is that one day… I will get a good job and be a millionaire”

What is your dream? Don’t give up! Be persistent!

A new Adventure!

For the past four years I have made my New Year Resolutions under the influence of the joy that the spirit of Christmas brings to our lives –sometimes too perfect and beautiful to become true–. Regretfully enough, those resolutions were forgotten by the time school started over. Therefore this year I am determined to welcome 2010 with changes that take immediate effect in my life.
For instance, one of my resolutions is to challenge myself to do new things that will allow me to grow both personally and professionally. “Writing in the Digital Classroom” is a perfect combination to achieve this goal. I am not tech-savvy at all or a fluent writer, but I think it is time for me to embrace this new episode in my life. There is this “voice” inside me that wants to be heard, and the students I teach need someone to help them build their own voices. This is going to be a thrilling challenge.
At this point of my life, things are spinning fast and it feels as if I were riding a roller coaster. There is so much to learn, but I firmly believe that “practice makes perfect”. I hope I will learn to enjoy all my rides in Digital Land.

Teaching languages is one of my passions. I have been doing it for over 10 years. Currently I teach Spanish and ESOL in the Horry County Schools. My interest in languages and their cultures date back to my childhood when I used to accompany my grandmother to her clients' houses. Some were from Austria and others were from Germany. I loved listening to them, even if I did not understand a word of what they were saying. My eyes wondered around their belongings and pictures that hung on the walls. I was curious but I did not dare to say anything; I was too shy.

As soon as I graduated from high school I pursued my undergraduate career in Teaching English as a foreign Language. I took a number of subjects in the humanities that have been enlightening. I also had the opportunity to travel abroad as a foreign language student and meet people from different countries as well as teach my native language in the USA. I have always marveled at how a language shapes people's minds and behaviors.