Students at EW Stokes Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.,  in Caroline Hutton’s garden class read Margarito's Forest. Leading up to the week, the class discussed how they care for nature in their lives, who cared for places before, and who might be here later. Margarito's Forest was a foundational text for this topic, while also incorporating themes of resistance throughout history. Hutton stated, 

I appreciated that the book told the history frankly, yet in an age-appropriate way for elementary kids. It was also interesting to share with the students that the book was trilingual, including a language that most of the students are not familiar with, Kiche.

Students in Caneisha Mill’s U.S. history class at Hardy Middle School (DCPS) asked to learn about important Central American leaders, artists, and activists. They noted that during Latinx Heritage Month that the culture is celebrated — but not the people. After learning about the different people in the lesson, students said that everyone should know about Ernesto Cardenal. Cardenal was a priest, poet, and activist who worked to overthrow the Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza. His lyrical poetry highlights and details Central American history, his views on politics, and his dedication to love and spirituality. In many ways, he used his literary work as protest. Mills will be incorporating Cardenal’s poetry into the rest of the academic year’s advisory meetings. Continue reading.

MARYLAND

On October 6, Teaching for Change and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Maryland, College Park hosted Salvadoran American journalist Roberto Lovato for a virtual talk about his new book Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and Revolution in the Americas. Over a hundred participants attended the event from cities and states across the country including, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Texas, Illinois, and the author’s beloved state, California. 

The event was moderated by Teach Central America advisor, Ana Patricia Rodríguez, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures where she teaches classes on Central American and U.S. Latina/o literatures and cultures. Read more and view the full author talk. 

The University of Maryland’s Stamp Gallery hosted a free show titled, Connected Diaspora: Central American Visuality in the Age of Social Media. The exhibition casts light on a new generation of artists who visually reflect on U.S. Central American lives and experiences in the era of social media.

These new voices from the Central American diaspora have built a creative community that transcends state lines and borders. Their practices range from delicate ceramic sculptures to large scale paintings to digital art — exploring images of displacement, war, and trauma. Contemplations on everyday life, nature, and architecture, coupled with insights on invisibility and empowerment, are all manifested in this visual assembly. — UMD Stamp Gallery

During the exhibition, the Stamp Gallery and La Casa de la Cultura El Salvador joined for an artist panel moderated by Wanda Hernández with Beatriz Cortez, Teach Central America advisor Muriel Hasbun, and Connected Diasporas artist Kiara Machado. View the Connected Diaspora Artist Panel below.

View the keynote address and a walk-through video below.

Rosanne Skirble’s Español en Nuestra Comunidad class at Montgomery College hosted invited guests to share their immigration story and describe their work in the community at large. Their speakers  included the editor of the Tiempo Latino newspaper, the founders of the GALA Hispanic Theatre, University of Maryland professor of Latin American Studies specializing in Central America, plus other Latinx leaders in the arts, food, economics and government.

Skirble shared that in Montgomery County, Central Americans comprise the largest majority among our Spanish speakers and has been the focus of their 2-hour weekly class, introduced into the non-credit curriculum for the first time this fall semester. The class has also served as an opportunity for a Montgomery College intern from El Salvador to help with technical issues and weigh in on the various subjects the class discusses. Skirble shared that the mission of the Español en Nuestra Comunidad course is to raise cultural and linguistic bridges with the large Spanish-speaking population in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. 

Robin Keys’ students at Greenbelt Middle School in Prince George’s County, Maryland, participated in a lesson on trade in Central America. Students created graphs to illustrate import and export trade to the United States and Central American countries and examined the impact trade had on those countries, making a chart that highlighted the reasons people may leave Central America.

VIRGINIA

NEW YORK

Columbia’s Teachers College & the Institute of Latin American Studies presented “Central American Youth Speak Back — The Power of Testimonio.”

The virtual workshop series was organized and led by Yianella Blanco, doctoral student, instructor, and student teaching coordinator with the Program in Social Studies of Teachers College at Columbia University.

The workshop centered the testimonios of Central American immigrant youth. Together, participants read and listen to a variety of Central American testimonios and think through how these (and others) challenge understandings of the relationship between American empire and imperialism with Central American migration. 

View presentation slides.

MICHIGAN

Cayer Mott of Ironwood Area Schools had her classes investigate U.S. involvement with the the civil wars in Guatemala and El Salvador through the use of film and literature. Mott’s classes viewed If the Mango Tree Could Speak and explored the website "When We Were Young There Was a War." Her students were curious to find out how the children (in Mango Tree) were doing now as adults (introduced in When We Were Young.) They were saddened by the living conditions and the challenges the children faced. They couldn't imagine having to live in that kind of environment and recognized that the opportunities they enjoy are not universal.

Cayer Mott added that she lived in Guatemala the year after the civil war ended in order to study Spanish. She fell in love with the country, culture, and people. “It was one of the main reasons why I chose to become a teacher.”

MASSACHUSETTS

Rachel Frenkil of Gann Academy teaches a Spanish course on Latin American political history. For Teach Central America week, they incorporated stories, figures, and music from Central American countries. Frenkil and students read the New York Times article, Cuba y Venezuela: adios revoluciones because of its inclusion of Nicaraguan history. The classes explored the history of the Somozas and Sandinistas — the students were fascinated to learn more about past dictatorships, revolutionaries, and differences between the countries

Remote Instruction

To support remote instruction, we created online role assignment templates for several lessons featured on the Teach Central America website. We  also added new resources, including new books and teaching guides appropriate for use with elementary students.

Central America: An Introductory Lesson

We added remote access handouts for this lesson. Learn more

Geography is History: Locate the Countries of Central America

We added remote access handouts for this lesson. Learn more. 

Beauty and Eco-Relationships in the Natural World of Central America

We posted this new art lesson by Karen Brown for elementary and middle school. Students learn about three different animals — a bird, a frog, and a butterfly. All these creatures are indigenous to Central America and help students understand the region’s ecosystems. Learn more.

National Events

Below are some events offered by collaborating organizations to deepen understanding about Central American history and culture. 

Related Resources

A Focus on Literature

Freedom Reads: Anti-Bias Book Talk, Episode 6 – Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora del arcoíris

In the recently launched video series, Freedom Reads, we introduce children’s books using an anti-bias, anti-racist lens as a strategy to talk about issues around race and the world with children. For #TeachCentralAmerica week we added a segment to the series on the book Rainbow Weaver / Tejedora de Arcoirís by Linda Elovitz Marshall, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri. Watch Episode 6 below.

Learn more about the Freedom Reads Series.

Also see: Central America Social Justice Booklist

The Color Line Belts the World: Race, U.S. Empire, and Children's Literature

The Institute on Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at Lehigh University held a virtual panel on September 8 with children’s literature scholars Marilisa Jimenez Garcia, Alia Jones, Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, and Lara Saguisag. The title, stating “the color line belts the world,” is from W. E. B. Du Bois (1906) who explained that  white supremacy and anti-Blackness are the organizing principles of the U.S. imperialist project. He also argued that transnational solidarity among Black and Brown peoples around the world is a powerful, necessary force for combating U.S. economic, political, and military expansion. 

In line with Du Bois’s analysis, the event panelists examined how our cultural narratives — specifically our narratives for children — are shaped by and respond to the United States’ racist empire-building project. 

Panelist, Sonia Alejandra Rodriguez, PhD, Associate Professor at LaGuardia Community College (CUNY) led a virtual workshop titled, (Im)migration in Chicanx & Central American Children’s Literature, which featured recommended Central American texts, literature analysis strategies, and migration in children’s literature. 

Rodriguez shared a multitude of recommendations and suggested readings for combatting Central American erasure in children’s literature. During the presentation, she recommended Caravan to the North, a young adult title by Central American author Jorge Argueta. Rodriguez shared:

One of the reasons that I like Argueta’s Caravan to the North is because he highlights so much about Misael and those traveling in the caravan are going to miss about their country. Argueta does this in a very emotionally, beautiful descriptive way throughout the book. And this is only one example and it says:

I love my country/ So, so much/I love to plant the fields/See the corn come up/And the little beans sprout./ Every year in May/the whole family/ gets the land ready/for planting/we do the weeding/the fertilizing/We pray for a good crop/And when the first rains fall/we get up before sunrise/we feel happy when we put/the best of the corn and the beans/in our Mother Earth” (Argueta 12). 

And so I highlight this passage in particular not only because I said I think it challenges this misconception or this American exceptionalism that folks are leaving their country and that “USA #1” but also to highlight that happiness doesn’t start or isn’t at the end of the migration journey. That, that, how do I say this in a different way? That happiness doesn’t just start when immigrants get to the United States.

View the full panel and learn more. Rodriguez’s presentations starts at 1:05*

#TeachCentralAmerica

Organizations across the nation joined us virtually in support of #TeachCentralAmerica week!