Alma Exley Scholars honored in 1998 and 2017 recently connected at an educational conference in Providence, Rhode Island, and learned they had a lot in common.

Por favor desplácese hasta el final de la historia para leerlo en Español. 

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona was the keynote speaker at the Northeast Regional Conference of the Multistate Association for Bilingual Education (MABE). Chastity Berrios Hernández was attending as a bilingual teacher at Clinton Elementary School in New Haven.

Dr. Miguel Cardona with Chastity Berrios Hernández, left, and Marnelia Martïnez, also a bilingual teacher at Clinton School in New Haven.

Speaking Up at a Young Age

Dr. Cardona spoke about a turning point when he was a young student in Meriden, Connecticut.

“Up until middle school, they called me Michael in school,” he said. “One day in seventh grade I asked my mother what it said on my birth certificate, and she said it was Miguel.

“The next day I went to the office and respectfully got the attention of the secretary. I asked her to make sure that all the school records listed my name as Miguel. From that day forward, I was Miguel in school.

“For me, that name became such a central part of me,” he said. “My parents had taught me to be unapologetically me, to embrace my identity, my culture, and my home language as the superpowers that they are.

“As my career has progressed, I’ve become more vocal about it,” the Secretary said. “When the President introduced me as Secretary of Education, I said I was as American as apple pie—and rice and beans.

A Culture of Low Expectations

“For far too long, our multilingual, multicultural students have internalized a culture of low expectations,” he said. “Their backgrounds have been treated as deficits to be overcome rather than assets to make their classrooms and their communities stronger.

“That’s unacceptable. That’s why I have worked so hard to raise the bar in education for our multilingual learners. That’s why I have traveled the country to speak at conferences like this to emphasize the countless academic and economic benefits of dual-language programs.”

Chastity Berrios Hernández with Marnelia Martïnez and Melanie Rodriguez, right.

Importance of Speaking Up

Ms. Berrios told me that she loved hearing that young Miguel Cardona had taken the initiative to speak up for himself. “Unfortunately,” she said, “many students don’t do so, thinking it will be considered disrespectful or out of line.

“For too long, bilingualism in the USA has mostly been viewed negatively and as a burden or deficiency,” she said. “However, identity starts with one’s name, which should be written and pronounced correctly.

“If we educators want to honor students, the first step is to write and say their names correctly. Honoring who they are and where they come from fosters culturally responsive teaching and learning.

“Like Dr. Cardona, I learned that I had to find the courage at a young age to speak up for myself unapologetically,” Ms. Berrios said. “When I entered Clinton Avenue School as a fourth grader, I had just arrived from Puerto Rico. My English was limited. I had left everything behind—friends, family, school—to dive into my new reality. I was facing a new culture, language, and traditions.

“At home, the message was that to be fully bilingual was a good thing. But my new world seemed to be presenting a different message of discomfort for those who spoke only one language.

“I have learned over the years to embrace my story,” she told me. “I wanted to become the example—as a teacher of color—that I wish I had seen when I was growing up.

“Mi identidad Boricua es todo para mi. (My Puerto Rican identify is everything for me.) Being able to speak Spanish and English has opened up deep layers of understanding for me.”

It gives me great pleasure to tell this story of Ms. Berrios and Dr. Cardona, who are among the more than 30 outstanding Alma Exley Scholars who are making a difference in the lives of countless students in many different ways at the local and national levels.

• Woody Exley

Destacando la educación bilingüe

Los becarios Alma Exley ganado en 1998 y 2017 se conectaron recientemente en una conferencia educativa en Providence, Rhode Island, y aprendieron que tenían mucho en común.

El Secretario de Educación de los Estados Unidos, Miguel Cardona, fue el orador principal en la Conferencia Regional Noreste de la Asociación Multiestelar para la Educación Bilingüe (MABE). Chastity Berrios Hernández asistía como maestra bilingüe en la Escuela Primaria Clinton en New Haven.

Hablar a una edad temprana

El Dr. Cardona habló sobre un punto de inflexión cuando era un joven estudiante en Meriden, Connecticut.

“Hasta la secundaria, me llamaban Michael en la escuela”, dijo. “Un día en séptimo grado le pregunté a mi mamá qué decía mi acta de nacimiento y me dijo que era Miguel.

“Al día siguiente fui a la oficina y respetuosamente llamé la atención de la secretaria. Le pedí que se asegurara de que todos los registros escolares indicaran mi nombre como Miguel. A partir de ese día fui Miguel en la escuela.

“Para mí, ese nombre se convirtió en una parte central de mí”, dijo. “Mis padres me habían enseñado a ser yo sin pedir disculpas, a aceptar mi identidad, mi cultura y mi lengua materna como los superpoderes que son.

“A medida que mi carrera ha progresado, he hablado más al respecto”, dijo el secretario. “Cuando el presidente me presentó como Secretario de Educación, dije que era tan estadounidense como el pastel de manzana… y el arroz y las habichuelas (frijoles).

Una cultura de bajas expectativas

“Durante demasiado tiempo, nuestros estudiantes multilingües y multiculturales han internalizado una cultura de bajas expectativas”, dijo. “Sus antecedentes han sido tratados como déficits que deben superarse en lugar de activos para fortalecer sus aulas y sus comunidades.

“Eso es inaceptable. Por eso he trabajado tan duro para elevar el nivel de la educación para nuestros estudiantes multilingües. Es por eso que he viajado por todo el país para hablar en conferencias como ésta para enfatizar los innumerables beneficios académicos y económicos de los programas bilingües”.

Importancia de hablar

La Sra. Berríos me dijo que le encantó escuchar que el joven Miguel Cardona había tomado la iniciativa de hablar por sí mismo. “Desafortunadamente”, dijo, “muchos estudiantes no lo hacen, pensando que se considerará irrespetuoso o fuera de lugar.

“Durante demasiado tiempo, el bilingüismo en Estados Unidos ha sido visto de forma negativa y como una carga o una deficiencia”, afirmó. “Sin embargo, la identidad comienza con el nombre, que debe escribirse y pronunciarse correctamente.

“Si los educadores queremos honrar a los estudiantes, el primer paso es escribir y decir correctamente sus nombres. Honrar quiénes son y de dónde vienen fomenta la enseñanza y el aprendizaje culturalmente receptivos.

“Al igual que el Dr. Cardona, aprendí que tenía que encontrar el coraje a una edad temprana para hablar por mí misma sin pedir disculpas”, dijo la Sra. Berrios. “Cuando entré a la Escuela Clinton Avenue como estudiante de cuarto grado, acababa de llegar de Puerto Rico. Mi inglés era limitado. Había dejado todo atrás (amigos, familia, escuela) para sumergirme en mi nueva realidad. Me enfrentaba a una nueva cultura, idioma y tradiciones.

“En casa, el mensaje era que ser completamente bilingüe era algo bueno. Pero mi nuevo mundo parecía presentar un mensaje diferente de malestar para quienes hablaban un solo idioma.

“A lo largo de los años, he aprendido a aceptar mi historia”, me dijo. “Quería convertirme en el ejemplo, como maestro de color, que desearía haber visto cuando era niño.

“Mi identidad Boricua es todo para mí. (Mi identidad puertorriqueña lo es todo para mí). Poder hablar español e inglés me ha abierto profundos niveles de comprensión y de cómo interactúo con los demás reconociendo los diferentes dialectos”

Es un gran placer para mí contar esta historia de la Sra. Berrios y el Dr. Cardona, quienes se encuentran entre los más de 30 destacados becarios Alma Exley que están marcando una diferencia en las vidas de innumerables estudiantes de muchas maneras diferentes a nivel local y nacional.

– Woody Exley

(Muchas gracias a Chastity Berrios Hernández por la traducción.)

Congratulations to Dr. Santosha Oliver, 2007 Alma Exley Scholar, on her appointment as assistant commissioner for standards and instructional programs for New York State Public Schools.

What a happy surprise to run into her at the annual conference of the National Association of State Boards of Education in San Diego. Dr. Oliver’s team was presenting on a years-long initiative to revise the high school graduation requirements in New York State.

Prior to moving to Albany for her new job, Dr. Oliver had been assistant superintendent for Windsor, Conn., public schools since 2016. She began her education career as a science teacher at East Hartford High School. Subsequently, she served as coordinator of assessment, evaluation, and research for the East Hartford Public Schools; assistant principal of the O’Brien STEM Academy of the East Hartford Public Schools; and the administrator in charge of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the Manchester, Conn., Public Schools.

A graduate of Manchester High School, she holds a B.S. degree in biology from Morgan State University and a Ph.D. in genetics and developmental biology from the University of Connecticut. She earned her Connecticut teaching certificate in the Alternate Route to Certification.

I’m so proud of Tosha and all she has accomplished in her illustrious educational career. She has had a big impact along the way, from the classroom to the office, and now she has the opportunity to make a difference on behalf of the 2.5 million public-school students across the state of New York.

I’m also grateful to the supporters of the Alma Exley Scholarship Program, who made it possible for us to recognize Tosha’s potential and give her a boost as she began her career in education.

Best wishes, Tosha, for continued success.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of attending a speech by Dr. Miguel Cardona knows what an inspiring and compelling speaker he is. As U.S. Secretary of Education, he speaks from the heart as a devoted advocate for the nation’s students and educators.

He was in top form again recently when he addressed the graduates at the annual commencement ceremony of Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City.

Speaking about the state of the nation’s schools following the pandemic, he compared the education community to a wilted flower. And he urged the graduates to become master gardeners in reviving the nation’s schools.

Honoring Grandparents

First, though, he acknowledged the honor of receiving Columbia’s Medal for Distinguished Service.

“I accept this on behalf of Avelino and Maria Cardona, and Germana Muniz,” he said, “my grandparents who took a leap of faith and traded paradise for the projects, so their children and grandchildren could have a better life. This award is theirs.”

Great Message from a Great Educator

I’m pleased to share these excerpts from Secretary Cardona’s speech. It’s a great message from a great educator. Since we honored Miguel with our scholarship in 1998, he has served as an inspiring leader as a teacher, principal, district administrator, state commissioner, and now as our nation’s premier educational leader. All who support the Alma Exley Scholarship Program are proud of Secretary Cardona and wish him well on his journey in education in the years ahead.

The Best Profession

Secretary Cardona told the graduates they were joining or advancing in the best profession at a time when they are needed the most.

“I gotta be honest,” he said. “I get inspiration for learning from all different places…even music. In fact, there is a New Yorker whose musical catalog is a soundtrack to my journey in education. Anyone ever hear of Marc Anthony?

“Well, he sang a song that, to me, is the perfect metaphor to the role of education in this country at this time. The song is Flor Pálida, which translates to wilted flower.

Education Has Become Like a Wilted Flower

“After the pandemic, education was a Flor Pálida: a flower wilting under a storm like no other.

“Marchita y desojada, casi pálida, ahogada en un suspiro.” It was gasping for air, wilted and missing its vibrant petals.

“Like the learning of our young people, it was severely disrupted.

“Mental health needs escalated.

“Academic levels hit the lowest marks in decades.

“And opportunists who stand to benefit from framing public education as a dead end created culture wars to divide school communities in order to privatize public education—the great equalizer.

“Yes, education emerged from the pandemic as a Flor Pálida.

Educators Must Become Master Gardeners

“The thing is, graduates, to recover the strength, vibrancy, and beauty of a wilted rose, you need master gardeners.

“If our education system is the wilted rose in a garden, you are the master gardeners who will bring our garden back to life.

“You are the master gardeners whose efforts will lead to a garden of beautifully diverse flowers that will continue to grow and bring hope to this country and this world.

“The song says, toward the end, ‘Recuperó el color que había perdido porque encontró un cuidador que la regara.’

“It recovered its beauty and color because it found someone to water it.

“De aquella flor, hoy el dueno soy yo!”

“Meaning, I now am responsible for that flower.

“We now are responsible for education.

Confident in the Future

“And with the master gardeners here, whether you enter the classroom, non-profit, or administrative positions, I am confident in the future of our 65 million students in America.

“So as you go forward on your journey, Teachers College degree in hand, I encourage you to muster your will in three big ways.

Passion, Not Position

“First: keep the will to chase your passion, not position.

“Look, I know how tempting it is to see your end goal as a particular job. 

“But if you wait for the position you want to demonstrate the will we need, you might miss an opportunity to make a difference for students–here and now.

“I have the same passion today to serve my students, close achievement gaps, and give them every opportunity to succeed, as I did when I was a 21-year-old fourth-grade teacher with 23 students. Today, the scope is just greater. My passion never changed.

Prioritize Systems, Not Superheroes

“The second area where we need your willpower in education is in the will to prioritize systems, not superheroes.

“I’m sure your studies here at Teachers College have shown you: there are pockets of excellence all over this country. Name any state, and you can find a superhero principal or an all-star superintendent doing incredible things.

“With your Teachers College training, you might well become the next superheroes in education. I hope you will.

“But let’s also be clear: what we need to focus on is building systems, not superheroes. Our goal is to have the improvements we bring to education outlast us in our current roles.

“So if it’s working, sustain it. If it’s broken, reimagine it. And if it doesn’t exist, build it.

“Remember: investing in our children is no different than investing in defense–both protect our tomorrow. We can’t do that without systems that last.

Teach Kids, Not Curriculum

“That brings me to my final piece of advice about how we apply our will in education.

“It came from a special education teacher in Connecticut, Rindy Hardy.

“At the time, I was just 21, and I was getting ready to leave after finishing as a student teacher. This was back in the 1900s.

“At my farewell party, she pulled me aside and said,“Miguel, never forget – you teach kids, not curriculum.”

“I think it was her way of warning me: you’re gonna get overwhelmed with the requirements of the curriculum. All the paperwork. All the rules. All the mandates from the central office.

“But you can’t lose sight of what this is really all about: working for children. Working for families. Working for people.

“Education is a people business.

Focus on Improving the Lives of Students

“See, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many degrees you have.

“It doesn’t matter what letters you have after your name.

“It doesn’t even matter if you know how to write policy.  

“What matters is if you are able to use your God-given gifts to improve the lives of the students you serve. If you do, you will always be happy.

“Passion, not position. Systems, not superheroes. Kids, not curriculum. Imagine what’s possible when you put the full force of your will behind each of those priorities.

“Now more than ever, we need your courageous leadership in education.

“That means breaking the mold. It means challenging the status quo. It means being willing to get a little uncomfortable for your beliefs.

“If your bold ideas and leadership are not making some people uncomfortable, you are not pushing hard enough.

“Today, as you embark on the next phase of your journey in education, one where you serve as master gardeners responsible for cultivating a beautiful garden of learners, you will use what you learned at Teachers College to make a difference for children, and for our country.

“With you as master gardeners—our country is in good hands. Congratulations again to the Class of 2023, and thank you!”

Click here to read the entire speech.

• Woody Exley