First Person is where Chalkbeat features personal essays by educators, students, parents, and others thinking and writing about public education.
“I do not speak Spanish.”
These were the first words I muttered to myself when I was told, in July 2023, that I had been tapped to become the interim assistant principal at Forest Glen Elementary, a Spanish immersion school in Indianapolis.
I hadn’t taken a Spanish class since high school.
I am a Black man, and my entire career, I have taught at or led schools where at least 80% of the students looked like me. I got into this profession to serve these students because, growing up, I did not get my first Black male teacher until eighth grade and didn’t have another one until my junior year of high school.
I graduated from an HBCU, where a professor told our class that education is the civil rights issue of our generation. That shaped my entire teaching philosophy. I realized that, as an educator, I could lean into challenging systemic inequities. In addition, I wanted to be a mirror through which my Black students could see themselves teaching and leading schools.
When I was placed at Forest Glen, I never imagined it would allow me to tap into the things that first inspired me to become an educator. But it did.
Forest Glen Elementary School has almost 1,000 students in pre-K through sixth grade. Many of the students come from Spanish-speaking homes.
I remember the first time I stepped into a Forest Glen classroom, eager to engage in the lesson and offer support and feedback. But I was completely lost within a minute as the teacher spoke to students in Spanish. Desperate to keep up, I tried using a translation app, but the class had already moved on by the time it processed the words. I realized then that I was experiencing what many families face when they arrive in the U.S.
In this setting, I struggled to see how I, the only Black male adult in the building, could have an impact. For the first time in my 14-year career in education, self-doubt kicked in.
But as the school year unfolded, I tapped into the philosophy of being a servant leader — that is, tailoring my leadership to the school and students I was serving. It wasn’t easy. I had to adjust and redefine what my role would look like. By being present in the classrooms, learning alongside the students, spending time with Spanish-speaking parents, and participating in our school’s Hispanic Festival, I learned much more than the basic Spanish phrases I came in with.
The annual Hispanic Festival is one of the school’s biggest events. Each kindergarten through sixth grade class selects a country and creates a performance inspired by it. The event is held over four nights; each night, the school gym is standing room only. I learned a lot about the rich cultures at Forest Glen through the flags and projects displayed throughout the building, as well as the costumes and performances at the main event.
Forest Glen is a school full of rich traditions, but I was able to start new traditions, too. With the talented culture team at the school, we hosted a pumpkin patch in the fall and a “Mom Prom” in the spring. We gave away family gift baskets to students who had perfect attendance. In May, we hosted a school-wide awards program.
I learned about myself as an educator and a leader. I realized that my students cared less about my rudimentary Spanish skills and more about my commitment to them. Through messages, thanks, hugs, fist bumps, and gifts both during my time there and now after, I could see that I was making a difference and that the students appreciated my efforts. I also developed a strong rapport with the teachers in the building. I appreciate Dr. Smith, our superintendent, who saw that I needed a place like Forest Glen at that moment in my career. I am forever grateful for the opportunity he provided for me and for the Forest Glen colleagues who embraced me.
Students need teachers who look like them and share the same experiences. I know I did. Still, my time at Forest Glen showed me that authentic, empathetic leadership can transcend language and cultural differences.
By the end of the year, I had developed a newfound appreciation for the richness of what a Spanish immersion school could offer to students, regardless of their background and home language. My challenging yet rewarding year at Forest Glen made me more resilient and strengthened my skills in cross-cultural communication.
In short, it brought me closer to the leader I have always aspired to become.
Dr. David McGuire is Principal in Residence at Rooted School Indy and serves as treasurer for the Indiana Alliance of Black School Educators. Dr. McGuire hosts The Recess Podcast, where he has real conversations about students and schools.
