CNN iReport

When students at North Atlanta High School enter my English classroom, I feel fully responsible for their academic, linguistic, social, and overall development. To help close the achievement and social gap at our school, I have founded and developed a supplemental instructional model called La Comunidad. La Comunidad is an instructional model used to help teachers who are Non-Spanish speakers work more effectively with students whose native language is Spanish. A key element of my educational philosophy is that learning English and the concept of teaching literacy are very different. Also, teaching in a school that is very diverse has its challenges beyond academics. With ongoing tension between Black and Latino students at our school, I also use strategies that I developed for La Comunidad to help Black and Latino students define their own academic and social identities. The images provided will demonstrate how students were able to learn and socialize together during a surprise Quinceanera and a Quinceanero that I organized and sponsored for two of my students. I use this traditional Mexican celebration as one of the many instructional strategies of La Comunidad. In my classroom, we are a community of learners within the Small Learning Community of International Business and Marketing. My students are very intelligent and willing to learn. It is my hope that they become the walking personification of greatness.