Section I: Your Innovation

What student/classroom/school needs were your trying to meet?

I visited Puerto Rico to learn about the art, culture, and history of Puerto Rico to expand cultural knowledge and understand cultural identity to create a classroom that is reflective of our Hispanic student population.

What are 2-3 important new learnings you gained from your summer learning experience and/or your Circle Members?

I learned from my visit to Puerto Rico how diverse the island is and how colorful it is: from the music, murals, landscapes, food, and the people. I want to bring elements of the island to my classroom-building a colorful and inviting classroom that inspires my students to learn and feel welcomed.

Describe your solution and the key decisions you made in its creation.

I have generated a list of of ideas and projects of cultural events that my students and their families can participate in during and after school. I learned how important it is to have an inclusive classroom that incorporates books and learning experiences that reflects my students' cultures and traditions. I am currently working on building a diverse classroom library that reflects the cultures of my students and families. I will be hosting a cultural literacy night.

Section II: Impacts in your Classroom, School and Community

How has your innovation impacted learning in your classroom or community? (If you innovation is still in progress, explain how it will impact your classroom or community.)

My learning experience in Puerto Rico inspired me to create a more diverse library that incorporates more books about Puerto Rico and from Puerto Rican authors. Eventually I want to build my classroom library to reflect the cultures of more Hispanic countries that reflect my student populations. I also want to work on building our school library to incorporate more Hispanic authors and literature reflecting our school population.

In what ways does/did your innovation encourage students/communities to take action or ownership?

My innovation was inspired by my past, present, and future students. I needed to experience one of their cultures to be able to make better connections with my students and their families. I needed my classroom to reflect my students and make them want to learn and feel welcomed. I want to incorporate my experiences and learning and include more of our school community and families.

Section III: Lead, Learn, Innovate

In what ways was your Innovation Circle experience transformative for your teaching?

It is important to learn about your students and their families. When you are able to understand your students' cultural, experiences, and upbringing-you are able to make connections with them and their families and develop relationships to increase student learning success.

Describe 1-2 key moments in your Circle Sessions or Summer Learning Experience that were important to this experience.

I learned about the importance of being flexible.I had an itinerary planned, but sometimes the best made plans do not work out. This was an important trait to have this school year-being flexible.I was able to see what schools looked like in Puerto Rico. I observed parents dropping their children off and students playing during gym classes outside. I also learned the importance of community in Puerto Rico and the varying landscapes of the island-from the cities to the beaches to the mountains.