SAINT PAUL, Minn. — As St. Paul students begin their second week of summer break, educators like Chong Yang are working.
Chong came to the city in 1980 as a refugee and was a student in St. Paul Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. After graduating college, she quickly returned to SPPS to teach for what would become 25 years.
Today, Yang is a coordinator for what's called Culturally Responsive Instruction, and now educators at a two-day expo are exploring what that means. Yang says it's not about replacing curriculum but making it relevant.
"St. Paul has just been a hub of immigrants and movement and it has become quite diverse," Yang said. "We look at Shakespeare and how do I connect it with my students' lived experiences, their cultures, their language?"
Some elements of the expo include celebrating what educators are already doing and inspiring them to do more, like involving community in the learning process. It's why Marvin Anderson, director of Rondo Commemorative Plaza, spoke to educators Monday.
"So many of our kids are from Rondo and they moved away from Rondo but they know their roots," Yang said. "They can, if we just go back to the resources that are available in the community."
Meanwhile, May Lee Xiong gave educators practical examples of what's working at her school, like encouraging students to talk about their cultures and families. She's principal of Txuj Ci HMong Language and Culture Lower Campus as well as a Bush Fellow.
Kindergarten and first grade teacher Liz Bishop says, so far, the expo is helpful.
"One big takeaway was just the impact that an educator can have on a student's trajectory," Bishop said. "As I'm thinking ahead to fall already, how I'm going to take those opening weeks to really get to know kids in a different way."
Yang says when CRI is absent, students may feel alienated or dehumanized, which can lead to lack of engagement and poor grades.
"When it works, when someone practices CRI and brings me in, engagement increases, motivation increases, I feel seen, I feel heard, I feel valued," she said.
The expo continues Tuesday at Washington Technology Magnet High School. This is the third year the district has held it. The district says American Rescue Plan funds are covering the costs.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.