Learning alongside your multilingual learners, starring Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, Ed.D.
Meet Our Guest(s):
Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan, Ed.D.
Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan is president of the Valley Speech Language and Learning Center in Brownsville, Texas, and a research associate at the University of Houston’s Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics. She has dedicated her career to researching language and literacy development among Spanish- and English-speaking students, collaborating on national projects sponsored by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development and the Institute of Education Sciences.
A respected leader, Cárdenas-Hagan chairs the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities and serves on literacy advisory boards for New York City, Utah, and Texas. She is also the author of Literacy Foundations for English Learners: A Comprehensive Guide to Evidence-Based Instruction, a book that helps educators implement the structured literacy approach with English learners. She has received numerous awards, including the Margaret Byrd Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Dyslexia Association.
Meet our host, Ana Torres.
Ana has been an educator for 30 years, working in both the K–8 and higher education sectors. She served as an administrator and instructor at various public and private colleges and universities and as a bilingual and dual language teacher, dual language math and reading interventionist, dual language instructional coach, assistant principal, and principal in K–8 schools. Ana is currently the Senior Biliteracy and Multilingual Product Specialist at Amplify, and delivers literacy and biliteracy presentations across the nation. Ana’s passion and advocacy for biliteracy and support for all students from all walks of life has led her to educate leaders, teachers, and parents about the positive impact of bilingualism and biliteracy in our world.
Meet our Classroom Insider, Eric Cross.
Eric Cross is a middle school science teacher who hopes to someday be a lifelong educator, like the guests on Beyond My Years! In each episode, Eric connects with host Ana Torres to discuss her guests’ best insights gleaned from their long and rewarding careers in the classroom. Then, Eric talks about bringing some of their wisdom into his current classroom and busy life.
Transcripts and additional resources:
Quotes
“First come in with the attitude of I'm a learner, too. I want to learn about you, and you'll learn about me.’”
“You don't have to be an expert in every single language. You just need to know enough about that language to serve your students.”
“I look at the faces of the students that are there and that motivates me. All the other noise doesn't matter because I'm there to help them reach their dreams.”
“I am an educator of all students, it doesn't matter who they are.”
“As a teacher, you're always confronted with things that you may not be strong in. Like, it's part of the job. And that hits you. And I'll be transparent, it hits you in the ego.”
“You're always going to be presented with people that you don't feel properly equipped to serve. And that's okay. It's part of being a human. So what do we do? We go and find resources so that we can become better.”