Celebrating a sense of belonging during Hispanic Heritage Month
When Yennifer Reyes, Mexican-American history teacher at Seagoville High School, announced to her class that they would be making tortillas as part of their lesson on Mesoamerica civilizations and to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, one of the new students perked up.
The student, Reyes said, did not speak much English but she didn’t need to in this case—she understood the language of tradition. Reyes remembers the student saying, “Yo sé hacer tortillas,” and Reyes knew then that would be her student’s moment to shine, to bring to class something that meant so much to her.
Since she began teaching Mexican-American studies last year, Reyes has emphasized in her classes the importance of being seen. For her, culture is about global interconnectedness, the realization that paths meet in one way or another.
“In ethnic studies, there are many opportunities for students to relate to the material and to each other, which helps them feel connected and allows them to understand each other better,” Reyes said.
A Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet graduate, Reyes served as community liaison at Seagoville for two years before transitioning into teaching. She first taught economics, but took advantage of the opportunity to teach ethnic studies when the position became available because it held special significance to her, the child of Salvadoran immigrants and wife to a Mexican-American.
“I have seen both cultures, and of course, being American as well, I understand what it’s like to adapt and find a sense of belonging. I feel that’s what I bring into my classes,” she said.
Seagoville’s ethnic studies program offers two tracks: Mexican-American studies and African American studies. Both courses are popular, Reyes said. Students who have taken African American studies note frequent similarities between African and Hispanic cultures.
“When students discuss Mesoamerican tribes, they’re able to connect African civilizations to Mexican civilizations and realize that we are very much alike. This process brings a sense of belonging for everybody, and they get to learn a little bit of history from one another,” Reyes said.
For Hispanic Heritage Month, Reyes said she collaborates with the Spanish National Honor Society to organize a program featuring student-led skits about famous Hispanic figures, dances, and music performances.
She is planning a Día de los Muertos event where students create altares, participate in a gallery walk, distribute pan de muerto to teachers, and include music and dance performances, often involving the school band or folklorico dancers.
“The spooky season is popular with our students, and I plan to use it to incorporate classroom lessons into activities that we can share with the rest of the school,” Reyes remarked.
As a teacher, Reyes said she takes pride not only in introducing the richness of Hispanic culture to her students but also in making them feel seen. With roughly 150 students taking her class, she thinks it is important her students feel valued and included. She said.
“I’m very big on mental health. I try to integrate that into the classroom to ensure every student feels seen, because it’s difficult when you have 150 different students to make each one feel welcomed, seen, and understood,” she said.
Reyes believes the commitment to visibility and belonging extends beyond her own classroom, crediting the district for creating an environment that supports this type of work.
“I want students to remember me as someone who created a safe space—a classroom where they felt a true sense of belonging—and who maintained a universally positive culture,” she said.
