Andrea Olatunji

Award-winning author and seasoned educator Andrea Olatunji lives by her mission to validate and instill an appreciation for diversity in young children. She developed a passion for languages and cultures early on in her twenty-year-plus career. She has taught English as a Second Language and Spanish in her native Uruguay and here in the United States, gaining valuable expertise with diversity and multicultural environments. Her award-winning children’s book series, Nuestra Fauna, is a fantastic resource to learn Spanish in a contextualized and fun way. The series features Latin American fauna while teaching important values. Among the awards her books have received are the International Latino Book Awards for best Educational Picture Books, the prestigious International Book Awards, the Moonbeam Spirit Award, and the Cover Design Award by KidsShelfBooks. Being an educator, Andrea couldn’t help but create educator guides for these books including lesson plans, guiding questions, project ideas, and assessments. Andrea lives with her husband and son in in the Dominican Republic where she draws inspiration to write. To learn more about Andrea Olatunji and her books visit: www.cuentacuento.com

Thursday Tip 3- You can’t just transfer your in-person class to virtual.

It was Friday. I was in a faculty meeting when we heard that schools were closing due to COVID-19. We had to recalculate our direction and plan to start virtual teaching the following Tuesday. I was teaching six Spanish classes to middle school kids. Great kids. I had been using a lot of technology in […]

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Thursday Tip 5- Don’t assume your students understood your instructions.

This is hard to do during virtual or in-person classes, but of course, the former emphasizes the challenge. Many times, as teachers, we make many assumptions and think that our kids got it. Probably, they didn’t. Here are some things you can do to ensure comprehension: Focus on one set of directions at a time.

Thursday Tip 5- Don’t assume your students understood your instructions. Read More »

Thursday Tip 7- No matter what you teach, talk about the importance of embracing diversity.

As a mom and a teacher, this past year brought a lot of uncertainties and anxiety about my kid’s education. Are they learning enough? Will they be at their reading level next year? etc. When I manage to relax and see the silver lining, I focus on what’s most important. I want my kids to

Thursday Tip 7- No matter what you teach, talk about the importance of embracing diversity. Read More »