Margarita Rodriguez is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Dept of Education studying with Dr. Amy Kyratzis. Rodriguez completed both her undergraduate and MA degrees at UC Irvine, where she discovered her passion for language acquisition and bilingual education. She has spent the last three years as a bilingual elementary school teacher working with kindergarteners and fourth-graders. The faculty and work being done at UCSB to understand and support bilingual language development and education drew Rodriguez to stay in Southern California for her graduate education. Apart from her studies, she enjoys reading, music, sunny beach days, and spending time with family.
GGSE: How did the lock-down affect your teaching experience? Did transitioning to an online format present any positive teaching opportunities?
Rodriguez: One of the biggest ways in which lockdown impacted my teaching was by highlighting the inequities faced at so many levels of education. Students in the same classroom were living drastically different experiences at home, and finding a way to ensure that our students were learning in a way that was accessible to everyone became not only more important than ever before, but also much more challenging. Grace for my students and myself became more important than ever before. The days were long and oftentimes far from perfect, but we made the best of a tough situation and that was all I could ask of my students and myself.
It may be an unpopular opinion, but online learning provided a number of positive learning opportunities for myself and my students. We rethought so many of our day-to-day procedures that the school is hoping to implement a few into the in-person format. One of the biggest impacts was the ability to work with smaller groups of students at a time. Splitting the class allowed me to get a better understanding of my students’ strengths and needs, along with building strong relationships with my students. We were also able to take some amazing virtual field trips to places we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. We visited numerous national parks from California to Alaska, the forests of Costa Rica through a connection with our local university, and numerous other places that allowed us to bring the concepts we learned in class to life. Additionally, my students learned to problem solve and collaborate with each other in new ways. They formed their own Zoom meetings outside of class time to work on assignments together, learned to use our online learning platforms in new ways, and even taught me a thing or two about Zoom’s newest features.
GGSE: What factors regarding UCSB’s work toward bilingual education stood out in your university decision process?
Rodriguez: I was most impressed by the way in which the work that comes out of GGSE values and honors heritage languages and the commitment to supporting heritage language development. I also have a soft spot for developmental psychology and applied linguistics, which are both areas that the faculty in the department have experience in and integrate into their work in bilingual education. This made UCSB the perfect environment for me to combine my interests.
GGSE: What benefits does bilingualism offer students later in life?
Rodriguez: The cognitive benefits of bilingualism, along with the possibility for future employment/financial opportunities, are just some of the more long-term reasons I've heard for families wanting their children to be bilingual. There is still a lot we don’t know about the complexities of bi/multilingualism and its benefits, but from a personal perspective, its connections to identity and culture, while allowing for an appreciation for the different ways in which we communicate, make important arguments for the long-term benefits of multilingualism and multilingual learners.
GGSE: What are some of your favorite ways to stay active? Are you looking forward to either ocean or mountain activities while in Santa Barbara?
Rodriguez: Adventures are my absolute favorite way to stay active. Whether it’s walking around and exploring a new city, or a hike with friends or family, adventures tend to be the best way for me to sneak some movement in. I’m excited to get to the trails and do some hiking. I’ll mostly be enjoying the ocean from the sand—it’s the perfect place to get some reading done and relax, which I’m also hoping to do.