Carrollton Junior High School Teacher of the Year Vanessa Cataldo poses with one of her classes.

Cataldo: Honoring culture is important when teaching English

Until high school, Vanessa Cataldo saw her bilingual and bicultural self as an anomaly. A native of Puerto Rico, she grew up in a military family, moving from place to place and school to school. It wasn't until she took a high school course called Careers in Education that she figured out her life experience would turn out to be a huge blessing to her and her students. 

Cataldo is an ESOL, or English to Speakers of Other Languages, teacher at Carrollton Junior High School. An internship component of the high school course she took opened her eyes to an education opportunity that honors the intrinsic value of multiculturalism. 

"With college getting closer, I knew I wanted to major in education but did not know what I wanted to teach," said Cataldo, who was attending her ninth school, Collins Hill High School in Cobb County, when she took the Careers in Education course. "I had an internship at an elementary school for eight weeks and was placed in an ESOL class working with first graders. Mrs. Zakis, the teacher, was Cuban and spoke Spanish. She had been raised bilingual and bicultural like me; it was the first time I had ever had an educator who shared a similar background." 

Cataldo said she watched how Zakis leveraged her two languages and culture to create a classroom that celebrated diversity and saw each student’s background as a gift, not a weakness they had to improve upon.  

"I left that classroom with two desires," she said. "I wanted to have a multicultural classroom that celebrated diversity, and I wanted to use my bicultural background as an asset to my students."  

Cataldo said being a bilingual and bicultural teacher placed her in the unique position of serving her students beyond classroom walls. 

"I quickly discovered during my first year as a teacher that the need was great for a Spanish speaker who could communicate with Hispanic students and their families, and this has continued to be true throughout my career," she said. "I have learned that most parents want to be involved in their children’s education but don’t know what to do or how to help. Many are afraid of the language barrier or do not understand the cultural differences."  

Cataldo said a universal desire among parents is to be a "mother hen" providing nourishment and warmth for their children, but not being able to communicate with teachers and schools can greatly affect their ability to do so.  

"I get a thrill from helping parents and caregivers in this situation," she said. "The relief that floods in their faces when they realize they can be heard and understood without things being 'lost in translation' is priceless. The relationships I have built with my students and their families have granted me a front row seat to understanding how to best teach them and advocate for them." 

Cataldo, who entered her 11th year teaching this year, is starting her third year at CJHS. During her short time, she has impressed her peers so much that they voted her to be their Teacher of the Year representative for 2021-2022. 

Travis Thomaston, principal of CJHS, notes Cataldo ensures her students not only achieve communicative competence but academic competence as well. 

"She is one of those teachers whose influence reaches far beyond the classroom," he said. "Her personal integrity and high moral character serve as a model for all students and teachers.  While many educators teach quality lessons, Ms. Cataldo  is the lesson for her students."

Thomaston said last Christmas, Cataldo provided Trojan #bilingual T-shirts for her students, making them feel special and included – and cool.  

"Mrs. Cataldo not only serves in the role of ESOL teacher, she is a liaison between school and families in our community," said Thomaston. "She is the go-to for connecting our families with our school in regards to relationships. She not only serves our students, but other Spanish-speaking students and families in our community by helping them navigate challenges. Landing this educator two years ago was an absolute grand slam for our school." 

Cataldo gets reflective when she looks back on her life and career. She thinks back to when she was a little girl and her mother, whom she calls Mami, used to sing a little song to her in Spanish about a “mother hen” taking care of her baby chicks. Her mother, knowing Cataldo would be the first generation of their family not to grow up in Puerto Rico, was very protective of the culture and was determined her daughter would always cherish it.  

"The unintended consequence of being a bilingual and bicultural teacher has been that I became like the hen in the song Mami used to sing to me," said Cataldo. "My greatest joy has been providing warmth to my students through authentic connection, empathy, and creating a safe space for them to be celebrated for their uniqueness. I pray they never forget that they will always have a safe, warm place under my two wings."