Posts by Ruben Perez:

Podcast: Why won’t my Hispanic students speak English?

I wanted to talk about today’s topic. I know it can be politically loaded. And what I would like to do is take the political thread out of it in order to better serve students. Which is often the case, when we take out some of the elements of anything…

How do I get my immigrant students to want to speak English? Part 4

This series shares lessons I learned during a summer session with middle school students labeled “reluctant” to learn English. Follow the links for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of the series. Lesson #4: Model a temperament that promotes and maintains a safe environment. Don’t be caught off guard…

How do I get my immigrant students to want to speak English? Part 3

This series shares lessons I learned during a summer session with middle school students labeled “reluctant” to learn English. Follow the links for Part 1 and Part 2 of the series. Lesson #3: Teaching requires much less effort when you first focus on the strengths students possess. Discovering the assets…

How do I get my immigrant students to want to speak English? Part 2

This series shares lessons I learned during a summer session with middle school students labeled “reluctant” to learn English. Follow this link for Part 1 of the series. Lesson #2: If you want people to “want” to do something different—especially something they consider unpleasant—adding robust joy is a must! In…

How do I get my immigrant students to want to speak English? Part 1

While most immigrant students roll with the punches and learn the necessary materials presented to them, there’s always a small group that needs a little extra attention. Years ago I was asked to teach a course for English language learners (ELLs) during summer school at the middle school level. Our…

To Nag or to Ignore: That Is the Question

Because a considerable portion of our job is to redirect counterproductive student behavior, should we immediately jump into action when we feel a “disturbance in the Force?” (And don’t you just love Star Wars?) Another common reaction to misbehavior is to ignore it, especially when educating boys, allowing students to fatigue…

How can we help our students from poverty be more successful?

When people are struggling to meet basic needs, they are more likely to be concerned with issues of survival. I explained our definition of poverty in my last blog. People will have difficulty learning if they lack basic resources, especially if they: are hungry (possible lack of financial resources) lack…

What is poverty?

There is a lot of discussion circulating on other blogs, in articles, at conferences, and in other hot spots that argues about what poverty really is. In our work at aha! Process, Dr. Ruby Payne uses a definition of poverty that is similar to the European Union definition (p. 6)…

Understanding self-definition

Today’s topic is not an easy one to discuss. I put it under the category of “self-definition” in the diversity umbrella. It is important to acknowledge the ways in which people define themselves, whether by their skin color, the language they speak, the music they listen to, or any other…

An invitation to discuss diversity, cooperation, and more!

Before I continue posting more comments and information pertaining to diversity, I would like to encourage anyone one reading this site to add their comments, anecdotes, or questions. My initial entry, “Diversity: Four Overlapping Mindsets,” is merely a launching pad for conversation. As I add more entries, I will further…