This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters
Amy Zimmer, Chalkbeat
Yan Carlos Mejia sees himself in his students.
Mejia, who teaches students learning English as a new language at the Bronx’s Castle Hill Middle School, came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic when he was 13. He felt frustrated to leave his friends behind and was “scared, speechless, and struggling with English.”
“When I teach, I’m reminded of myself sitting in the corner of the classroom, feeling helpless, trying to blend in, and feeling invisible,” he said. “The only time I felt truly alive back then was when I listened to my teacher read aloud. For a moment, I could lose myself in the characters and their stories, walking through their lives.”
Now, nearly a decade into his career as an English as a New Language teacher, he has made it his mission to bring stories to his students that they can relate to — and he’s found creative ways to do that.
After realizing he was having difficulty making connections between the English Language Arts curriculum and his multilingual learners, he came up with a dream plan. Mejia would visit several of his students’ home countries — Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil — and gather books and teaching ideas, from folktales to contemporary works by Latin American authors, to create lessons that could more meaningfully connect with his students.
“How can you relate to or understand a character or story if you have no prior knowledge? How can you participate in ‘turn and talk’ if you lack the answers? How can you identify and analyze different types of conflict if you can’t relate to them?” Mejia asked. “I knew I had to do something.”
He was able to put that plan into action this summer when he became one of the 365 teachers from across the country to win a $5,000 grant from the Fund for Teachers. These prestigious summer fellowships fund self-directed travel projects. (Applications are now open for the fund’s summer 2025 grants.)
For example, after visiting the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico, he incorporated pictures from his visit into a “do now” classroom activity. He also used videos from Machu Picchu in Peru to create engaging discussion questions.
Across New York City, more than 16% of students are English Language Learners, and many of these students struggle in school. Just 62% of seniors learning English graduated in 2023, compared to the overall citywide graduation rate of 84%.
“Often, we see English language learners as lacking something because they don’t yet know English,” Mejia said. “However, they possess a wealth of knowledge in their first language. As teachers, our job is to provide access to grade-level content while they acquire English.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
I never dreamed of becoming a teacher. In fact, my biggest aspiration was to be a news anchor, specifically for Telemundo. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I worked as a freelance journalist for various Spanish media outlets. However, I quickly realized that I wasn’t happy. I didn’t enjoy writing or creating content just for “views” or “likes.”
I vividly remember discussing my frustrations with a high school teacher of mine, who suggested I apply for the New York City Teaching Fellows program. She remembered my involvement in student government, where I served as vice president, and how active I was in the school community. Now it makes sense why I was labeled “teacher’s pet” in the yearbook!
Out of curiosity, I decided to apply for the program, and the rest is history. The moment I stepped into the classroom during my internship, I fell in love with teaching.
In my ICT (integrated co-teaching) transitional bilingual classroom, I love collaborating with my co-teacher to create lessons where students are actively engaged and moving. The goal of this program is to help students who are not proficient in English gradually transition to English-only instruction. We start by providing instruction in their native language while teaching English. As their English proficiency improves, more instruction is given in English, helping them keep up academically while developing language skills.
My co-teacher, who is special education certified, suggested trying parallel teaching. We both instruct at the same time, often dividing content based on students’ needs, and we put a whiteboard in the middle of the room for clarity. For example, one teacher may provide instruction in the students’ native language, while the other focuses on English. At first, I was hesitant because of the noise level — since we do both talk at the same time — but now that we’ve set clear classroom norms, the noise is more manageable. This approach allows us to better target students’ specific needs and provide tailored support, ensuring they remain engaged and productive.
All of my students are immigrants and English language learners. Given the current misinformation about immigrant communities, I use the Courageous Conversation Protocol to initiate discussions and reflect on what’s happening in the world. This helps create a safe space where students feel comfortable sharing their opinions and feelings. I provide them with the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue, helping them process and understand the issues that affect their lives.
One challenge is that MLLs can be hesitant to participate in class discussions, fearing they might mispronounce words. To support them, I provide wait time, sentence starters, sentence frames, and tiered vocabulary. It’s also important to create opportunities for them to take on leadership roles in the classroom, boosting their self-esteem and helping them realize they have so much to offer — and they truly do.
As an adult, I’m still in contact with my high school and middle school teachers. In fact, they were the ones who wrote my letters of reference for my second master’s and doctoral programs. I often think about one teacher in particular, Ms. Negron. I don’t remember the specific lessons, group work, or sentence starters we used, but I’ll never forget how she made me feel — like I mattered. I remember how she asked us questions and genuinely listened to us.
That’s the kind of teacher I aspire to be: one who makes each student feel important, one who listens, one who asks thoughtful questions. I aim to create a student-led classroom where every voice is heard.
One of the most impactful books I’ve read is “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson, which was a required reading for my school leadership program. This powerful work opened my eyes to the intricacies of social hierarchies and the deep-seated inequities that exist in our society. It challenged me to reflect on how systemic issues influence my students’ lives and learning experiences.
By understanding the concept of caste, I’ve become more aware of the barriers my students face and the importance of advocating for equity in the classroom. This awareness has prompted me to create more inclusive and supportive learning environments where all students feel valued and have the opportunity to thrive.
Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org.
Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
In this issue:
Read our October issue, here.
To receive the latest issue of The Current in your inbox, subscribe here.
Prek-12 Teachers Can Apply for up to $10,000 for Self-Designed Fellowships
HOUSTON – Fund for Teachers, one of the country’s largest investors in preK-12 teachers, today opens its 2025 grant cycle, inviting teachers with a minimum of three years classroom experience to design fellowships (anything/anywhere) that enrich their careers, support student success, and strengthen schools and communities.
The application is available at fundforteachers.org and is due by January 23, 2025.
Recipients will be notified in April.
Since 2001, Fund for Teachers has awarded more than $36 million to 10,000 teachers who pursue knowledge and skills in the United States and around the world (170 countries, to date).
“Teachers introduce skills, facilitate dialogues, and prepare students as informed citizens,” said Karen Eckhoff, Fund for Teachers’ executive director. “Funding their professional and personal development is a vital way to keep teachers in the classrooms and make classrooms engaging spaces for students.”
Last summer 365 teachers, or FFT Fellows, pursued unique, experiential fellowships using $1.6 million in grants. From this cohort, 67% teach at Title I schools where more than half of their students receive free or reduced lunch — an education-sector identifier of underserved student populations. Fund for Teachers also invests in teachers by awarding Innovation Circle Grants that fuel Fellows’ independent research during the summer, followed by virtual collaboration with other Fellows throughout the fall and classroom implementation in the spring.
Visit Fund for Teachers’ website, Facebook, or Instagram sites for more information about the grant opportunity and listen to teachers share the impact of their grants on the non-profit’s podcast.
In this issue:
Read our September issue, here.
To receive the latest issue of The Current in your inbox, subscribe here.
In this issue:
Read our July issue, here.
To receive the latest issue of The Current in your inbox, subscribe here.
In this issue:
Read our May issue, here.
To receive the latest issue of The Current in your inbox, subscribe here.
In this issue:
Read our April issue, here.
To receive the latest issue of The Current in your inbox, subscribe here.
In this issue:
Read our March issue, here.
To receive the latest issue of The Current in your inbox, subscribe here.
In this issue:
Read our inaugural issue, here.
To receive the latest issue of The Current in your inbox, subscribe here.