S9/E2: Embracing Spanglish as Translanguaging in the Classroom with Alexandra Medrano

Highest Aspirations

How can educators shift their practice from tearing down students for translanguaging or using “Spanglish” to building this up? How can tactics like co-teaching and professional learning opportunities be leveraged to support multilingual students and create more equitable classrooms? What can educators do to incorporate their students’ entire linguistic repertoire and validate their experiences in the classroom to build confidence?

Spanglish has historically been discouraged in both English and Spanish classrooms across the US. However, by discrediting this blended language we are not allowing students to use their entire linguistic repertoire. Not only is Spanglish, which is the blending of word parts from both Spanish and English, a significant part of many heritage Spanish speaking students’ identities, it is a valuable form of translanguaging.

To explore this topic in depth, we spoke with Alexandra Medrano, a teacher in Colorado who shares her journey from discouraging to celebrating Spanglish in her classroom. She also highlights other strategies she uses to create a more supportive and welcoming learning environment.

Alexandra (Alex) Medrano was a founding team member of DSST: Conservatory Green High School, a public charter school in North East Denver. The school is now in its fifth year, and her role has changed from founding Spanish teacher to Senior Academy Dean of Culture and instructional coach. For the last three years, she was the campus Multilinigual Education program coordinator, ensuring that emerging bilinguals receive effective instruction in their content courses by monitoring English proficiency data, analyzing gaps between emerging bilingual and monolingual students, and leading professional development to staff about the best practices to support emerging bilinguals.

Additionally, she co-taught English language development integrated history courses, with explicit language instruction. Alexandra is a 2013 Colorado Springs Teach for America alumni and has earned a master's in Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity from CU Boulder. This is her tenth year in education.

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