When it comes to honoring Hispanic heritage, I try to encourage my fellow educators to embrace curiosity. As both a teacher and a student, I’ve experienced the flattening impact that labels can have in an educational setting. We think, “Oh, these students are English language learners,” and just by grouping them together in our minds that way, we sometimes begin to think that their needs, strengths and even their identities overlap more than they actually do. To truly honor our students’ identities, we have to stay curious.

I support dual-language and ENL programs in western New York, and I’m a product of a bilingual program myself – a bilingual student turned bilingual educator. For me, the work of honoring identities during Hispanic Heritage Month isn’t confined to a month-long celebration; it’s essential to recognizing and affirming the home languages of bi/multilingual students.

One conversation I consistently have with my colleagues is that Hispanic/Latinx individuals are not a monolith. While the bulk of the students we serve right now are Puerto Rican, we also have students from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and beyond. Just last year, we welcomed a wave of students from Venezuela and other Latin American countries. Each of these groups uniquely navigate the United States and bring different experiences with them.

It’s easy to think, “Oh, it’s Hispanic Heritage Month, and these are my Latinx students. What I’m doing honors all of them.” But the reality is, we have to start peeling back the layers and asking more questions. We have to push back against any thinking that lumps student populations together as a monolith and remember that they carry rich, diverse identities. Yes, there are some commonalities among their experiences, but how do we draw out those unique perspectives from our students? How do we show enough curiosity to express that we accept and honor their full identities all year round?

Ask Questions, Avoid Assumptions

Sometimes, we assume that because of a student’s last name, they know everything about their culture. We might think they’re the experts and expect them to teach us. This can put a lot of pressure on students, especially those born in the United States. While we think we’re centering their experiences, we might be unintentionally forcing them to carry the weight of representation for their entire culture. In reality, our students are navigating multiple worlds, multiple identities. Two students from the same background – even the same home – can have vastly different experiences and relationships with their culture.

We also have to recognize the political climate in which we’re teaching and the messages our students are constantly processing from what they hear in the media. While we may want to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we might be standing in front of students who are still developing their identities – students who might be pushing back on what feel like constraints or even feeling embarrassed about some of the things they hear said about their culture. 

The key is to ask a lot of questions and avoid assumptions. The students in front of us who identify as Hispanic/Latinx are navigating many different worlds. And here’s another layer: What do they want to be called? That has real implications.

Attend to the Pronunciation and Spelling of Names

One simple but powerful way to honor students is to ask, “How do you want me to say your name?” I remember navigating school spaces as a student and now as an adult, feeling exhausted from always having to say, “My name is Claribel.” And people would respond, “Oh, Clare–bel, Claire-uh-belle.” I got so tired of correcting them that I started minimizing myself. But now I am very intentional when I say, “No, my name is Claree-bel,” because it’s part of who I am. I’m not going to change my name, my culture or my identity just to make someone else feel comfortable.

Even something as small as honoring an accent in a name is meaningful. My last name, González, has an accent over the ‘a,’ and that matters to me. As an adult, I still have to advocate for the correct spelling of my name because people often disregard accent marks, even though they are an essential part of my identity. A lot of us can relate to that. In trying not to “ruffle feathers,” we often start questioning who we are and where we fit. When we say students’ names or write them on the whiteboard, are we using correct accents? Are we honoring their entire being? 

Partner With Students’ Families

Another way to expand our understanding of our students is by partnering with their families and gathering their stories. One project I’m working on focuses on connecting to the community and centering the familial perspective. I work with 11th and 12th graders, and we’re inviting those students to interview new arrivals from Latin America and their caregivers. Through these intimate one-on-one conversations, we’re asking, “What do you want to highlight? What do you see that’s missing?” These stories help us bring their expertise into the classroom and curriculum and give us a more nuanced picture of the identities our students are navigating.

We have to remember that, like our students, families don’t always see themselves as experts, but their perspectives are invaluable. It’s essential to strategically partner with them to infuse their voices into the learning experience, always being mindful that while one perspective is important, it’s never the entire story of Latinx culture or even a specific subgroup.

As we wrap up Hispanic Heritage Month, I want to invite my fellow teachers to refresh your curiosity about your students and their lives. Our students are navigating multiple identities and many different worlds. As teachers, our job is to ask the questions and create spaces where they feel accepted, where they know, “I am accepted. You are accepting my entire being. And I don’t have to fit a mold that’s been created by someone else.”