Descubriendo los recursos culturales de Estudiantes Indígenas Latinoamericanos a través de la literatura [Discovering the cultural resources of Latin American Indigenous students through literature]

While educators and researchers make notable progress for Spanish speaking students in the United States, Latin American indigenous students are a growing, yet overlooked population with rich cultural resources, including additional languages, that often remain hidden. In this article, we share how culturally relevant literature facilitated a teacher’s discovery of a Guatemalan student’s unique linguistic and cultural strengths as a member of the Kaqchikel people. In order to help other educators develop an awareness of indigenous students’ often veiled cultural roots, we shed light on native people groups in Latin America and their growing presence in U.S. schools. Through this account of a teacher learning about the languages and literacies of her student, we explain how culturally relevant texts may be a key element in discovering indigenous students’ hidden cultural and linguistic strengths. The authors suggest other texts and resources to assist educators to identify and better serve students from various people groups in Latin America.