Joy and Justice in Education with 2021 U.S. Teacher of the Year Juliana Urtubey

What if we recognized language learners as linguistically gifted individuals, rich in stories, knowledge, and potential? In episode 127 of Growing with Proficiency The Podcast, I have a powerful conversation with Juliana Urtubey, 2021 U.S. Teacher of the Year, where she shares her inspiring framework of Joy and Justice in Education.

Rooted in her experience as a bilingual special education teacher, Juliana offers practical ways to recognize students’ strengths, build classroom community, and redefine what success looks like in education.

Why This Matters for Language Teachers

Juliana’s 5 Pillars of Joy and Justice offer a roadmap for transforming how we support language learners:

Make Room for Reflection

This important pillar is to identify who might not be experiencing joy or belonging in your classroom and adapt to ensure inclusion. Juliana emphasized that you want to look at your school context, whether it’s a whole school or a classroom.

Growing Collective Wellness

Creating a supportive space where everyone—students, teachers, and families—thrive through mutual care is Juliana’s first pillar. Juliana often gives the example of a front office staff who is rude and has a deficit mindset towards the parents who are learning English as a second language. Juliana encourages those schools to ask themselves, “How can we make those office spaces more friendly? How can we put up more signs in all the languages our students speak? How can we use resources like technology at our disposal to do translation?”

Recognize Brilliance

The next pillar is to see beyond language proficiency levels by valuing students’ stories, strengths, and cultural wealth. Juliana shares a story about a student, Vanessa, who was misidentified as an English learner despite her linguistic gifts. She explains how she helped Vanessa recognize her linguistic abilities and build confidence.

Value Inter-Generational Learning

In this pillar, Juliana explains that teachers should see families as holders of valuable knowledge, not just as participants in school events. We need to create spaces for families to share their knowledge. Juliana explains, “Our families come with so much knowledge, so many dispositions, so many stories that can help our school.” She shares an example in episode 127 about family members at Crestwood where they built a garden together. Listen here. 

Design for Collaboration, Not Compliance

This pillar consists of building a learning environment where student voices shape classroom practices, fostering a sense of ownership and purpose. It’s important to involve students in decision-making to foster a sense of ownership and belonging. In episode 127, Juliana discusses the benefits of collaboration over compliance in creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment. Listen above.

Advice for Language Teachers

I also asked Juliana for advice on incorporating the joy and justice framework into language teaching. Juliana encourages language teachers to promote linguistic giftedness and tie language learning to personal language stories.

She also emphasized the importance of reflecting on personal language experiences and sharing them with students and the role of language teachers in promoting diversity and fostering a multilingual society.

This episode will encourage you to see your students through a strengths-based lens, redefine what “success” means in language learning, and create a classroom culture that honors every student’s journey. Ready? Click above or here to play!