The Cardinal

Alondra Pacheco
Spanish Teacher, University School, Hunting Valley

Let’s get together Ohio! We would like to invite our AATSP (American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese) members and OFLA members to follow our “AATSP Ohio Buckeye Chapter” Facebook page. To connect with our members, we have been posting several events of interest to Spanish teachers in Ohio. Check it out if you are looking for enrichment activities and cultural events in your area. Please send us a message if your town is hosting a Hispanic cultural event and we will be happy to post it.  Also make sure you keep an eye out for our upcoming get togethers and join us for coffee to talk about what AATSP can do for you.

Ohio’s 18th Century French/ American-Indian Renegade

Dr. Roger Anderson, Assistant Professor of International Languages & Cultures
Central State University

Situated in what was once called the “French Crescent” of west central Ohio (Fox & Piston-Hatlen, 2019, p. 174) is the village of Fort Loramie in rural Shelby County. French immigrants populated the area, including nearby towns of Versailles, Frenchtown, and Russia (supposedly named by former soldiers of Napoleon, who immigrated here and likened its flatness to the plains of Russia).

Today’s Fort Loramie is named after the War of 1812-era fort, built at the orders of General “Mad” Anthony Wayne. The fort once stood upon the earlier site of the infamous “Frenchman’s Store”, the trading post of Pierre-Louis Lorimier (a.k.a. “Peter Loramie”) (“Fort Loramie History,” 2023).

Kimberly Clifford, Assistant Professor Educator of American Sign Language
Clermont College, University of Cincinnati

On an unexpected new journey, one that I was reluctant to take, I learned that multiple modalities of language teaching can benefit students and be effective.

I have taught American Sign Language in a college classroom for twenty-three years. However, at the twenty-year mark, things took an unexpected turn, thus beginning my new journey. I remember sitting in a department meeting in January 2020 as my colleagues were discussing mandatory training for those teaching online. I tuned out, saying to the colleague next to me, “I won’t ever teach online, so I don’t have to worry about this.”

Well… never say never. What happened just two months later changed our world and much of the world of education. After spring break in 2020, I tried to salvage the last two months of our class through WebEx and Canvas. Then I taught summer completely synchronously online via WebEx. These were uncharted waters for me for sure, and my students and I all learned as we went. 

Muskingum University Announces New Degree Program in Global Studies

Dr. Kathleen Cunniffe Peña
Assistant Professor of Spanish, Muskingum University

Beginning in Fall 2023, Muskingum University (New Concord, Ohio) will be offering a major and minor in Global Studies. Responding to downward trends in language enrollment, faculty in World Languages and International Affairs were tasked with re-imagining our programs within a Global Studies model. This was a daunting task that challenged us to engage in conversations across campus about what language-learning could and should look like in the year 2023. Ultimately, our aim was to create a program where Muskingum students could contextualize their world language studies within a professional career path. The result is an interdisciplinary, highly flexible program with courses from diverse areas such as Computer Science, Theatre, Business, Geology, and Philosophy. 

Hind Haddad, International Academy of Columbus, Arabic Teacher 6-8

During the summer, I attended three conferences where I met world language teachers from across Ohio. We discussed similar world language classroom issues. Our language is not one of the core subjects in schools, and students may not take it seriously due to the lack of understanding of the importance of having a second language with a good level of proficiency. On top of this, at my middle school, Arabic class does not count on our students’ report cards and it often seems like a waste of time for students. 

Many recent studies show that learning a second language is leveraging students’ ability to reach higher-order thinking, and we, as educators of world languages, realize the importance and benefits of knowing more than one language. These discussions with other world language teachers raised a primary question: How do we emphasize the strong connection between the excellence of their world language proficiency and their future chances as a student in higher education institutions and their career life? My own experience of learning English was challenging. English was not offered as a core class at my school or university. However, I attended some private lessons and I noticed a great improvement in my opportunities, such as working with the national language center and the students’ cultural exchange program, which led me to find a career in the United States. Learning English was a blessing in my life and I wish for the same type of experience for our students.

Milton Alan Turner
French and Spanish Teacher, Saint Ignatius High School

In a July 16, 2023 article on Forbes.com entitled, “Is DEI officially dead?” https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2023/07/16/is-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-officially-dead, Janice Gassam Asare wrote, 

DEI in higher education is facing repeated attacks. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has become one of the most vocal figures in the anti-DEI movement. In May of 2023, DeSantis signed legislation prohibiting public colleges and universities from funding DEI initiatives in the state of Florida. An anti-DEI legislation tracker from Bestcolleges.com revealed that as of June, there were several states where anti-DEI legislation had been introduced or approved including Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Oklahoma. (Gassam Asare 2023)

But what is it about DEI that is triggering attacks or backlash? Why are diversity, equity, and inclusion now viewed as bad things? Isn’t creating an environment of respect and belonging something to which we should all aspire?