A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

I am a 25 year veteran of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system in Charlotte, NC. Presently, I am teaching at Merry Oaks International Academy, an Equity Plus II school with an enrollment of 725 students from Pre-K through Fifth Grade. Over 50 countries of origin are represented among the student body and staff where cultural and racial diversity is celebrated. One of the most effective strategies I use in my teaching is photography. Since my children are non-readers I use lots of pictures/photos to label the classroom. Each year I make a daily schedule using photos so that my students can better understand sequencing. My students love to go to the writing center, especially after I have introduced their name cards with their photos. These cards not only help them identify their name, they also learn to read the names of their classmates. This year our first unit of study is entitled Family. We will be learning that families are different sizes, their structures are different, and that families work, play, and learn together. I cannot think of an easier way to teach these concepts than by using actual photos of my students' families. During home visits and orientation, I plan to take lots of pictures to use with this unit. I have also found that even my non-English speaking families become very communitive when I ask to take their picture. Another unit of study entitled Friends is where I plan to use photos of my students in publishing a class book in which my students model these concepts of friends: helping, sharing, working together etc. One of my favorite parts of this unit is the concept that animals are our ?friends? and that they need love and attention. I plan to photograph pets my students own including the ones in our classroom and have them write and publish a ?Pet Care Manual?. I have relied upon my Polaroid or 35mm camera to get photos for the activities mentioned above which was both costly and ineffective time-wise. I have done some research on purchasing a digital camera and can see where one in my classroom would enhance my students' learning in the labeling of the classroom (centers, cubbies, and supplies), make unit studies more meaningful, and improve parent-teacher communications (bulletin boards, newsletters, and web page).