Every day, teachers ask students to write.

But how often do we ask them to write the stories that only they can tell?

In this solo episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán reflects on a question that emerged while preparing for a workshop on poetry, identity, and place: What stories are we inviting students to preserve?

Too often, writing becomes an exercise in compliance—responding to prompts, meeting standards, or completing assignments. But writing can also become an act of remembering, honoring, and preserving the people, places, and experiences that shape who we are.

In this episode, Roberto explores how educators can move beyond asking students to write about content and begin inviting them to write from their lives.

This conversation is an invitation to rethink writing, not simply as an academic task, but as a way for students to discover themselves and leave something meaningful behind.

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"Our greatest contribution may not be the lessons we teach, but the space we create for students to tell the stories only they can tell."

Teach in Truth.
Lead with Courage.
Belong to a Community That Gets It.

As educators, we often focus on what we're going to teach. But what if the most important part of teaching happens before we ever step into the classroom?

In this solo episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán reflects on preparing for an upcoming workshop with the Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau, Alaska. As he revisits his presentation, he realizes that the workshop isn't really about poetry—it's about humility, listening, and honoring the stories that already exist within every community.

Rather than arriving as the expert, Roberto shares why he's choosing to enter as a guest and what that shift has taught him about culturally sustaining teaching, place-based education, and the importance of helping students tell their own stories.

• Why every community already possesses wisdom
• The difference between teaching as an expert and teaching as a guest
• How place shapes identity
• The power of listening before speaking
• Helping students become experts on their own communities
• Why culturally sustaining teaching begins with humility
• Questions every educator should ask before teaching in any community

Whether you teach across the country or across the hallway, this episode is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and recognize the knowledge students already bring into the classroom.

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Key Reflection

"Before we teach, we should learn. Before we speak, we should listen."

Teach in Truth.
Lead with Courage.
Belong to a Community That Gets It.

What if multilingualism isn't something to overcome—but one of a child's greatest strengths?

In this episode of Our Classroom, Roberto Germán sits down with educator, school leader, and multilingual education advocate Elise Genao to explore the power of translanguaging and why honoring children's full linguistic identities creates stronger learners and more inclusive classrooms.

Drawing from her experience as a teacher, instructional coach, administrator, and consultant, Elise shares how educators can move beyond deficit thinking and embrace language as an asset.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• What translanguaging is—and what it is not

• Why multilingualism is a strength, not a barrier

• Common misconceptions about multilingual learners

• Practical classroom strategies that honor students' home languages

• The connection between language, identity, and belonging

• How school leaders can better support multilingual students and families

• Why every educator—not just bilingual teachers—has a role to play

This episode is a reminder that when students are invited to bring all of who they are into the classroom, everyone benefits.

"Students shouldn't have to leave part of themselves at the classroom door in order to learn."

Elise Genao is an educator, instructional leader, and consultant with extensive experience supporting multilingual learners. She is passionate about helping schools create language-rich environments where every child's identity is valued and every language is seen as an asset.

Teach in Truth.
Lead with Courage.
Belong to a Community That Gets It.