“The idea is to find ways—both big and small—to help AAPS students be agents of change.”
In a demonstration of professional development and cross-cultural collaboration, AAPS Spanish teachers Kristi Shaffer and Marieta McGraw recently participated in an innovative educational program in Puerto Rico, focusing on environmental justice and sustainable teaching practices.
The program Global Environmental Justice and Praxis: Action, Advocacy, and Learning in the Classroom, organized by the Center of Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Michigan and the University of Puerto Rico, took place from February 10th-16th in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
“This experience gave us specific examples of environmental justice projects around the world, and in Puerto Rico, that we will share with our students,” said Shaffer, who teaches at Huron High School. “The idea is to find ways—both big and small—to help our students be agents of change. We were able to see firsthand examples of how Puerto Ricans are struggling due to the changing climate. “
She said they participated in site visits to a fishing village where fishermen are struggling to make a living due to changing conditions on the coast so they can share that experience with their students. They also visited a school on a site visit and saw how their students are growing a community garden and conducting research related to climate change.
“We now have them as a partner when we want to have a video meet-up or collaborate on small projects related to climate issues,” she said.
The program, organized by the University of Michigan’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies in partnership with the University of Puerto Rico, brought together 28 Puerto Rican educators and seven mainland U.S. teachers for an intensive exchange of teaching methodologies and environmental justice perspectives.
Shaffer and McGraw, who splits her time between Ann Arbor Open and Pioneer High School, joined the other teachers in Puerto Rico for the International Institute’s 10th Annual Teacher Curriculum Development Program.
Through the exchange of experiences and professional knowledge, McGraw said the educators are designing curricular materials based on good practices and global cases, as well as creating opportunities for a cultural and educational exchange between schools.
“For example, I’m in communication with one of my colleagues from Puerto Rico in order to establish penpals between my students and his students,” said McGraw, who participated in the program as a teacher working in collaboration with five other teachers from Puerto Rico. As well, we are planning to do a video conference, during which my Spanish 1 students, who are currently studying the unit about different schools around the world, will have the opportunity to ask questions in Spanish about what the school experience in Puerto Rico is like and share about our school.”
She calls the experience “incredible, eye-opening, and very enriching.”
Wanda Toro-Zambrana, a teacher at Scarlett Middle School, participated as a facilitator in the previous year’s program and continues to shape its direction through her role on a teacher advisory board in partnership with the University of Michigan Center.
“As a facilitator during the UM-URP workshop, I had the privilege of engaging with colleagues from other disciplines in the design and planning of curriculum content to support teachers across the United States and Puerto Rico—my homeland,” says Toro-Zambrana. “This collaboration resulted in the exchange of information, ideas, perspectives and resources connecting local and global practices. Long-lasting partnerships were established as a result of these amazing experiences.”
The experience gave specific examples of environmental justice projects around the world and in Puerto Rico that the teachers will share with their students, they say.
“The idea is to find ways, both big and small, to help our students be agents of change. We were able to see firsthand examples of how Puerto Ricans are struggling due to the changing climate. We participated in site visits to a fishing village where fishermen are struggling to make a living due to changing conditions on the coast and can share our experience and what we learned. We also visited a school on a site visit and saw how their students are growing a community garden and conducting research related to climate change, and now have them as a partner when we want to have a video meet up or collaborate on small projects related to climate issues.”
Kristi Shaffer
Shaffer said there is a lot of talk about Puerto Rico sin puertorriqueños—or “Puerto Rico without Puerto Ricans.”
But hearing about recent historical and climate events, such as how Hurricane María and the earthquakes afterward in 2019 and 2020 caused so many Puerto Ricans to leave Puerto Rico was something she had not fully understood.
“Puerto Ricans have been leaving the island in large numbers due to these crises, but no one wants a Puerto Rico without Puerto Ricans,” she said. “I want to bring these topics into my classroom at different levels. For example, in level 1, students learn about identity, and we can explore the identity of Puerto Ricans who live in the mainland U.S. versus those who still live on the island. In higher levels, when we talk about the environment, we can talk about climate migration that Puerto Rican people are experiencing and the historical context of migration from the island.”
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