KCPS teacher wants students learning multi languages to connect self and cultures

Editor's Note: This interview is part of an ongoing Star series highlighting Kansas Citians from historically under-represented communities and their impact on our region. The series builds on The Star's efforts to improve coverage of local communities. Do you know someone we should interview? Share ideas with our reporter J.M. Banks.

Olivia Flores knows too well that in an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to communicate across cultures is more vital than ever. It’s why the 32-year-old educator combines her love of teaching with her passion and advocacy for multilingual resources in public schools. to help create opportunities for her students to thrive.

For the past four years, Flores has been part of an active language immersion program at Paseo Academy of the Fine and Performing Arts, a Kansas City Public Schools District high school.

Recently Flores sat down with The Kansas City Star’s culture and identity reporter, J.M. Banks, to talk about language immersion, bilingual resources and the need for prolonged linguistic studies from kindergarten to high school.

Banks: Can you begin by telling me about your early life and upbringing?

Flores: I am really thankful to have a supportive environment. My father is a Mexican from Veracruz, Mexico and my mother is second generation Irish-American from Ohio. They met in Chicago and moved us out there. I attended a public school that was filled with confidence and love. I was in an environment that was competitive and I just thought everyone received a public school education like mine. It wasn’t until I got to college that I realized that my public school experience was not the same as everyone. I began focusing on literature and teaching in the public school system.

Can you tell me about your work

I think I am in my 11th year of teaching. It has been over a decade. I have been teaching since I graduated in 2014. I work at Paseo now and this will be my fourth year at Paseo. By practice I am a literature expert and studied it in college. When I came to Paseo they asked me to teach a few of my literature classes in Spanish. They explained to me they started a new program at Paseo that would be a dual language course.

What made you want to go into those particular areas for a career?

So in KCPS we have two elementary schools that do language immersion. Then they graduate and had nowhere to go and continue that, which is often the case in the United States. We will be graduating our first class that would complete Kindergarten through 12th grade in a language immersion program.

What are the challenges that you face in your career?

The schooling structure. I think some times we can get tied up in the way that we think things are, or the way they should be. I think the way that the system is structured is not always conductive for culturally responsive education.

How do you feel your work impacts the community around you?

With me, in my classroom, the education can be a place where students can continue to grow and even find more of themselves. I think being able to help families who are under resourced, who don’t have access to linguistic resources. We want our students to be prepared by being multilingual in this big world.

What is the most fulfilling part of your work?

I think that the community of a school is the most important society building opportunity that we get. We get to help them learn how to be wonderful human beings. Education is something that can allow someone to become their full selves. I thought it was the most fun profession when I was thinking about my career and what I wanted in life. We get to motivate and encourage students to reach their full potential.

Do you have a personal motto or philosophy that guides you?

I have a few but I think one key one would be a poem which is called Invictus. It basically says though things are tough you will get through. It really grounds me in kind of why I am doing this work.

What are your goals for the future with the program?

My goal is that KCPS continues to invest in leadership for the program and recruiting. Dual language belongs in public education because that is where our cultural and linguistic resources are. I would love for language immersion to flourish as a really great option for all kids if they want it here.

What advice would you give to someone who is looking to follow the same career path as yourself?

Celebrate and embrace your identity so that you can give yourself grace as you are learning to be an educator. Make sure that you are always having fun and don’t lose sight of what brought you to the work.