For example, last summer, she trained a group of Panamanian teachers.

Through one
teacher's digital story, she learned that the person believed Americans were cold,
emotionless people. This led to a productive class discussion about cultural
differences in how people greet one another and their ideas about personal space.

"I think a lot of intolerance comes from the unknown. So, trying to make the
unknown known, I think, is really important, even in a language classroom."

As many teachers know, classrooms can be unpredictable. At any given time, a

student may say something to accidentally hurt or embarrass another student from a
different culture.

To lessen this problem, Melendez has her students vote on rules for shared respect.
And, they are asked to follow these rules throughout the course.

Stabler-Havener says students can also practice respect by the way they use the
language. For example, they can express possibility by saying, "Maybe this is what
is happening" instead of saying, "This is true for every person in this culture."
And, they can show respect for others' opinions with language like, "I see your
point but..." rather than "As we well know..."