The Potomac School system decided that it was going to institute an English-only

policy. This means that the students who speak another language at home and/or have difficulty

understanding English, will not be able to speak in their most comfortable language. Ms.

Mancini does not believe this is a fair policy. Neither does Ms. de Leon. However, their

colleagues believe that this policy is the right choice. The news was broken in an employee

meeting, where tensions began to escalate regarding the situation.

I believe that Ms. Mancini should stand up for her students and try to change her

colleagues’ minds. This can be a difficult task to accomplish, so I believe that she should first

start by teaming up with Ms. de Leon. I then believe that the two of them should try to talk to

their colleagues one-on-one, explaining their concerns. From there, I think they should speak

directly with the principal and any higher-up officials in the school board. The two teachers

could even try to have a school board meeting where they can get together with a group of

people to all express their concerns.

I would absolutely reach out to Ms. de Leon after the faculty meeting. I think that it is

extremely important that she knows that a colleague is on her side, and that she has a partner to

try and fight for their students. I would pull her aside after the faculty meeting and ask to meet to

chat privately. If Ms. de Leon left too quickly after the meeting, I would reach out to her via

email and/or the next day in school.

If an English-only policy was put into place at a school I worked in, I would be upfront

and honest with all of the students. It is important that they know this policy is not put into place

because of anything they did, instead because of something out of their control. The last thing I

want is for them to feel like it is their fault. I would allow students to ask questions and have
vulnerable conversations about this change, while being there to guide our discussion in the right

direction.

If I am ever faced with this predicament in my educational career, I will do everything I

can to advocate for the students. I will not rest until I know that every student is given a fair

opportunity in their education. I truly do not believe that any child should be blamed for

speaking a different language. Instead, we should be celebrating this! We should be sharing their

knowledge with other students, and vice-versa. Every child deserves a fair chance at their

education.