Five ways to bring culture into your world language class without sacrificing teaching time A Día de los Muertos ofrenda. Photo: Eneas De Troya, CC BY 4.0, via World History Encyclopedia. You walk into class and everyone is excited. It's a fun day: food day, piñatas, Día de los Muertos, and all the cultural enrichment that makes teaching a world language so special. So why do we struggle to make culture connect, and to make those lessons truly relevant? Every time I attend a

By Erin E.H. Austin We all have that “hill we will die on”—that thing we just won’t give up on because we feel so passionately about it. Educators, I find, have more than most, and I’m no exception. One of the hills I will die on is believing learning targets are useless. (Yes, I said it.) I hate that learning targets have been pushed onto teachers like so many other meaningless mandates of the past, and I long for the day they simply disappear. Why do administrators push f

In the spring of 2026, four sections of the University of Denver’s first-year Spanish program piloted non-traditional grading policies inspired by Joe Feldman’s Grading for Equity. Arguing that traditional grading policies erroneously prioritize rules compliance over subject mastery, this book advocates for classroom practices which could be described as anywhere from groundbreaking to heretical. My own experience with them was overwhelmingly positive, and while they are not

In 2026, students completing the first-year Spanish sequence at the University of Denver (DU) were given the opportunity to take the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) to earn credit for their summative speaking assessment. Results demonstrated that our program is not only meeting but exceeding our proficiency targets. While financial barriers will likely require a cheaper test for expanded integration at DU, we hope our experience motivates you to consider trying out ext

The last bell has rung. The grades are in. The classroom is quiet. Whether you teach Spanish 1 or AP French, you just made it through another school year. And before you completely collapse on the couch (you've earned it), there are a few things worth doing that your August self will absolutely thank you for. This isn't about working through your summer. It's about being intentional with it so you rest well, reflect honestly, and come back in the fall ready to do this better

I was overjoyed when my two kids got their first passports! From the time they were born, my husband and I were in agreement that traveling internationally with them would be a priority, and we would do what we had to do to make that happen. We now have a 6- and a 9-year-old who love collecting passport stamps and trying out different languages and food. Those stamps, however, feel like they are not so much made with ink but with actual blood, sweat, and many tears! After s

By Paola Valladares Research shows that one of the most exhausting times in a teacher’s year is right now, that stretch when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it still feels miles away. Students are restless, teachers are tired, and everyone is ready for a break. So, what can we do? Here are some ideas to make the final weeks of the semester both meaningful and productive without burning out. 1. Revisit and Reflect on Goals Make a list of the learning goals