TABE NOTICIAS

As we wrap up the school year, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all of you, the incredible bilingual educators of this beautiful state of Texas. Your unwavering dedication and exceptional work have positively impacted the lives of our students and their families, and for that, I am immensely grateful.

Despite the challenges we faced this year, you displayed remarkable resilience and creativity, ensuring that our bilingual learners received the highest quality education. Your passion and expertise in nurturing their languages and socio-cultural development have been truly inspiring.

Now that summer break is upon us, I encourage you to take time for yourselves—to rest, recharge, and reconnect with loved ones. This well-deserved break will enable you to return to the classroom with renewed energy and enthusiasm in the Fall.

I would also like to invite you to join us for our upcoming events. Please visit www.tabe.org/upcomingevents to explore the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. Also, don’t forget to save the date for our highly anticipated annual conference in McAllen, TX, from October 18th to 21st, 2023! The TABE 2023 Conference promises to be an enriching experience, featuring renowned speakers (like Dr. José Medina and Dr. Mike Mena!), interactive workshops, and invaluable networking opportunities. Stay informed by visiting www.tabe.org/tabe2023 and following us on social media!

Once again, thank you for your outstanding contributions and unwavering commitment to bilingual education! Ustedes son el corazón y el alma de TABE, and together, we are shaping a brighter future for our students. Enjoy a well-deserved summer break, and we look forward to reconnecting with you soon.

Ms. Karina Chapa

TABE Executive Director

kchapa@tabe.org

@TA4BE @bilingualpride

¡Ya estamos en verano y listos para cerrar otro año escolar! Thank you, teachers and administrators, for another great year! We value your dedication and commitment to serving bilingual students and their families. ¡Que disfruten de sus vacaciones con sus seres queridos y encuentren tiempo para su salud mental!

We would like to thank everyone that attended TABE’s 2nd Dual Language Symposium on June 21st - 22nd. Wow! What a phenomenal event! It was an opportunity to listen and learn from experts in the field and amazing educators in dual language immersion environments. The three pillars of dual language immersion programs were definitely applied through two days of robust learning. ¡Mil gracias a todos los oradores y docentes que nos pudieron acompañar!

But wait, there is more to come! TABE Talks, Bilingual Director’s Back to School, the Dual Language Best Practices, and of course TABE 51th Annual Conference in McAllen, Texas. We look forward to seeing you at all or any of the events TABE carefully plans for you educators, administrators, students, families, and communities.

Thank you again for your commitment to serving bilingual students. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable summer vacation!

¡Mil gracias!

Dra. Xóchitl Anabel Rocha

TABE President

This year, several members of the TABE board participated in the 6th Annual Dual Language Symposium in Puerto Rico. This event attracts leading researchers and expert practitioners in the field. Great way to represent Texas. Congratulations Dr. Esquierdo, Dr. Tinajero, Dr. Hernández, David Nungaray and Altagracia Delgado. TABE well represented!

Hugo Hernandez, TABE’s Legislative Chair, was invited to submit a proposal to present at the Content Language Integration (CLIL) conference. The proposal was accepted. The organization is based in Europe, and it will hold its 2023 conference in England. This international event welcomes researchers, teachers, and practitioners invested in learning effective language pedagogy, sustainability, and social justice practices aimed at supporting bilingual learners. Over 20 nations including Australia, China, Finland, Germany, Greece. Ireland, Spain, etc. will be represented. His presentation is titled: Bilingual education in Texas: a journey of resilience, hope, and success. Caminante no hay camino se hace camino al andar.

Part II: The Infancy Years: Challenges and Opportunities

The October 1966 NEA’s (National Education Association) Tucson Symposium on “The Spanish-Speaking Child of the Schools of the Southwest” and the succeeding follow-up conferences in San Antonio in 1967 and Austin in 1968, presented hard evidence establishing the “why” and the “what” of bilingual education. Part 1 in the earlier TABE newsletter on gauging our progress also previewed how national and state-elected officials were mobilized and inspired to enact legislation enabling the implementation of the first public funded school programs for “disadvantaged LESA” (Limited-English-Speaking-Ability) children. This was an important first step in meeting the urgent goal set by the 1966 Tucson leaders and visionaries: “…to make bilingual education the rule rather than the exception”.

What the spin-off series of the Tucson meetings, including the final 1975 gathering in Albuquerque, New Mexico were also able to achieve, was to introduce school and government policy officials to a new brand of non-mainstream/non-traditional education leaders. Their roots were firmly anchored in Texas tradition and the more menacing ethnocentric aspects of the state’s culture. More important, they possessed an intense dedication to rebuilding an outmoded school system based on policies and practices of forced assimilation. The leading cultural warriors of the time were: Dr. José A. Cárdenas, The Honorable Senator Dr. Joe J. Bernal, Dr. Blandina “Bambi” Cárdenas, Dr. Josué González, and Dr. Severo Gómez. Some are no longer with us, yet not forgotten.

To continue reading click HERE.

Mr. Rudy Rodríguez

The Center for Bilingual Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley would like to give TABE mil gracias for supporting the 2023 Torneo de Ortografía on April 1st.

The regular 88th Texas session was adjourned on May 29, 2023. This session was unique in more than one way. From heated debates on school vouchers, teacher raises, public funding, gun control, to the historical expelling of a legislator in nearly 100 years, this session will be one to remember in years to come. In his session, Jesse Romero, former TABE’s lobbyist, motto: Educate, Collaborate, and Advocate gained a new meaning. TABE was intentional about creating alliances to support key legislation impacting bilingual education in Texas.

In the 88th. legislative session, TABE was intentional about collaborating with key organizations such IDRA, Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition, and the Texans Care for Children As a result of this collaboration, we had the opportunity to meet with the Mexican American Legislative Caucus in Austin on March 13th. Ms. Karina, Chapa, Executive Director, and Hugo Hernández, Legislative Chair, had the opportunity to meet with legislators and staff members. They were debriefed on matters related to bilingual teacher shortages, program models, and were encouraged to support legislation that elevates linguistic minority students in Texas.

In addition, Mr. Hugo Hernandez, TABE legislative Chair, visited the Texas State Capitol on April 19th and testified before members of the Education Committee on behalf of HB 3303. This bill had the intention of creating certification pathways that would incentivize bilingual certification in secondary grades. This bill was sponsored by Senator Bobby Guerra from McAllen. Furthermore, letters of support were drafted supporting key pieces of legislation.

Attached you will find a document that provides a summary of key legislation related to bilingual education from the 88th session. Special recognition to IDRA and Dr. Sikes for sharing this document and for collaborating with TABE.

To view attachment click HERE.

Mr. Hugo Hernandez

Do you remember playing Rock, Paper, Scissors? Rock, Paper, Scissors is a fun and easy hand game that was used to make minor decisions when you and your friend could not agree on something or just simply as entertainment to pass the time. Educators can now bring a version of rock, paper, scissors into the classroom through the use of Rock, Paper, Show Me. Rock, Paper, Show Me functions as a Total Response Signal when making choices. To integrate Rock, Paper, Show Me in the classroom instruction, first explain the different hand signals that will be used.

The teacher will then pose a question and share the multiple answer choices. After providing thinking time, the teacher will signal to students to be ready to share their response.

Teacher says Rock (students do a fist), Paper (students show open hand), Show Me (students will show their answer choice by raising one, two, three, or four fingers) making it visible for the teacher. Finally, the teacher will scan the room to gauge student understanding.

An extension to Rock, Paper, Show Me can be found HERE.

Ms. Felicia Salinas

TABE thanks Ms. Susan Valverde with Sylvan Learning for their generous donation towards our organization!

Lowman Education LLC,

Peoples Education, Inc. DBA Mastery Education

Lectorum Publications

Hatch Early Learning

IXL Learning

Learning A-Z

Lexia

GlobaLingo Education Consulting, LLC

Really Great Reading

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Be GLAD

Okapi Educational Publishing

Pacific Learning

Amplify

Vista Higher Learning

Seidlitz Education

Istation

Renaissance Learning

Teaching Counts!

Velazquez Press

Curriculum Associates and Ellevation Education

Data Recognition Corporation (DRC)

Summit K-12

Plus the more than 20 exhibitors that have registered so far. If interested in signing up as a sponsor or exhibitor, please visit: www.tabe.org/tabe2023 Please note: After June 1, sponsorship packages will not include a presentation slot.

HAABE celebrated teachers and students alike at its 41st Annual HAABE Banquet on April 29, 2023. The event was held at the beautiful Hilton University of Houston. The brillant, Carlene Thomas, served as the Master of Ceremony for this joyous event. Campus and District Teachers of the Year were honored for their excellence in teaching Emergent Bilingual students in bilingual, dual language, and ESL classrooms. These teachers represented nine school districts in the Houston Area. To read more about this event and learn about upcoming events, please visit www.HAABE.org. Congratulations to HAABE!

Congratulations to BEAM for another successful symposium. The 39th annual BEAM Symposium was held on April 1, 2023 in Irving, Texas. The theme, The Power of Together: Juntos Logramos Más, brought in the amazing Silvia Dorta-Duqe de Reyes.

Districts from all over the Dallas-Fort Worth area were in attendance. Congratulations to the BEAM executive board on another successful event.

Con actividades para los niños desde el nacimiento hasta los 6 años.

Como padres, ustedes pueden ayudar a su hijo a tener un buen año escolar. He aquí algunas ideas.

Hello all!

Hope you had an amazing Spring semester and that you have a restful summer!

There are important things that one can do to help one feel revitalized after a busy semester. Remember to get your sleep in now that you can, take care of yourself by taking 15-minute walks daily. Take your shoes off and feel the grass, get some fresh air, and use this free time to catch up with friends and family.

Friendly reminder to take advantage of this free time to study for any exam that may be coming up in the future. For future educators, there are online programs such as 240 and Certify Teacher that can help prepare for certification exams. Some universities provide codes that may help you get a discount on these online programs. TExES 391 Core Subjects is also available for purchase to study. Form a study group if possible and hold each other accountable kindly. Ask your advisor if your university offers tutoring services to prep for exams. Take breaks while studying so it is not an overwhelming experience.

If you are taking summer courses plan on studying each evening at least for an hour. Time goes by quickly, invest in your future. Wishing you the best! ¡Si se puede!

Con cariño,

Aneth Marlene Jimenez

BESO Student Rep.

Share your stories and ideas with us at tabenoticias@gmail.com

Respectfully,

Dra. Lileana Ríos-Ledezma,

TABE Newsletter Chair

Email: tabe@tabe.org
Website: https://tabe.org/
Location: Po Box 37130, San Antonio, Texas 78237
Phone: 2109796390
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TA4BE
Twitter: @TA4BE