Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Pontier.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ryan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in a monolingual and monocultural town in Central Jersey where people generally looked like me and sounded like me. I accepted this as the norm until high school, when I had the opportunity to attend in the much more diverse town next door. I witnessed significant segregation but was unknowingly privileged to not ever be discriminated against. I did not question the fact that my honors classes were mostly white, that students in those classes spoke English or that we were expected to not only attend college but also attend the best college possible while our darker-skinned, multilingual peers often had little expectation to continue their education.
Beginning in seventh grade, I started taking Spanish classes. I liked them and I was good at Spanish–or at least that’s how I felt based on the congratulatory responses I constantly received for my incremental learning. An influential Spanish teacher in high school convinced me that I should major in Spanish in college and study abroad to hone my skills. As part of my undergraduate experience at Boston College, I spent my junior year living in Madrid, Spain, where I lived with a host family and attended classes at a local university. I distinctly remember sitting at my desk in our apartment on Calle Narváez, looking at the window, watching the buses roar by and smelling dinner being prepared, and realizing at that moment that I wanted to use Spanish in my adult life. I figured if I could use it at work or at home I would be happy, but that doing so in both realms of life would make me lucky.
Upon college graduation, I moved to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas as a Corps Member with Teach For America and to teach third grade in Spanish at a bilingual school. I had officially moved from a world of privilege and prestige to one of financial instability and stigma. Although my students and families boasted a variety of skills, knowledge, and experiences, including bilingualism, the focus was constantly on what they did not yet know, have or do. I especially noticed this deficit perspective with regards to language. My students were classified as “at-risk” in part because they were learning English, but their abilities in Spanish were rarely considered. They were told that what they could do in English wasn’t enough, and the celebrations that I experienced with my small steps in Spanish were non-existent for my students who were making strides in English (and across all subjects!). I realized I was in the middle of a double-standard, one in which I reaped the benefits as a white male and my Latinx students were considered “less than.” I knew here that I would fight for my students, all of whom deserved the same privilege as I had, and that this would be my career path.
I chose to move to Miami after my two-year commitment with Teach For America ended, and I taught for one more year, this time in English as a second-grade teacher with a much more diverse group of students. Again, I noticed a deficit perspective surrounding my students as well as the suggested instructional approaches that only served to further the privilege of those who were–by none of their own doing–already viewed as “on grade level” or “advanced.” Language was a particular interest. I wanted to know how students developed different languages and dialects, how we could best support them at school, how we should assess them, and how to learn from them and their families.
After my year of teaching in Miami, I wanted to learn more about education from a broader perspective, and I became the Dean of Students and Associate Site Director for Breakthrough Miami, an educational non-profit that prepares highly motivated, high-achieving, under-resourced students for rigorous high schools and colleges. I worked with middle school students and their families, learning about the various options in Miami and beyond. Language was almost always part of the conversation whether it was bi/multilingualism or dialect-based. It became clear that, in order to best support the students and families I was working with, I needed to further my own education.
I applied to several universities across the country, and the University of Miami was ultimately the best fit to complete my Ph.D. in language and literacy learning in multilingual settings. My research investigated the teaching practices of bilingual preschool teachers working in a bilingual school. I was always challenged to be critical in my learning, to ask what strengths were observable, why things were the way they were, what the challenges were, and how to approach each situation flexibly, caringly, and openly.
I have since worked at both Miami Dade College and Florida International University as a professor of education, where my duties include preparing future teachers to work with bi/multilingual students and to continue to investigate the instructional practices teachers use as they work with bi/multilingual students. I am always learning from my students, who have knowledge and experiences often different from my own.
I am lucky to be raising two bilingual daughters with my wife. I get to use Spanish and English every single day in both my personal and professional roles. In nearly everything I do, I fight for a strengths-based approach to bi/multilingualism, and I get to do it here in Miami, a city I love.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road is often not smooth. I swore I would never return to school after college. I distinctly remember sitting in a high school classroom looking down at the old linoleum floors thinking that I would be happy to never see them again. But my experiences prevailed, and school it was–both as a teacher and as a student.
Coming to be a professor was also not something I ever thought was in the cards. When beginning graduate school, I had no idea what the end goal was, other than to learn about bilingualism. I saw how many of the early career professors were working tirelessly and not spending the time with their families that I knew I would want to. I figured academia was not for me. I had also thought I was done teaching, but an opportunity at Miami Dade College became available, and I figured I’d give it a try. It turns out that I absolutely love teaching college-level courses and being able to draw on my learning and experiences combined with those of my students. I have realized that I can be the professor that I want to be, not necessarily who I saw while in graduate school.
I am also able to combine my passion for advocacy and policy change my serving on a number of boards, including Sunshine State TESOL, Miami-Dade TESOL, and P.S. 305. Choosing whether to take time away from family to engage in these activities is always difficult, and I often feel that I have made the wrong decision, but I know that I am doing my best.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Florida International University – what should we know?
I am currently Visiting Assistant Professor at Florida International University in the School of Education & Human Development. In this role, I prepare future educators to work with bi/multilingual students and conduct rigorous research that explores the ways that current teachers work with their bi/multilingual students. I am often sought after to provide professional development to teachers, supporting their knowledge and experiences in the classroom as they engage with students who are learning English and another language.
When I work with teachers, students, administrators, or other education stakeholders, I listen. This is important, especially in education, because so many educators have had their voices silenced. Learning from their experiences helps me provide meaningful support in service of providing all children with an equitable educational experience.
I am also a white male who works in the field of bilingual education, and often early childhood bilingual education. People are often surprised at my interest in these topics, but to me, they are massively important and have helped my family and me, and I firmly believe that all children deserve the same.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Curiosity. This is slightly ironic, because when my children ask me “why” it always drives me nuts. But it’s important because we learn when we ask questions.
Being bilingual is a huge part of who I am and has opened doors that would have otherwise likely remained shut. When we use more than one language, we can interact with more people, we are exposed to other worldviews, and we often develop greater understanding.
Contact Info:
- Address: 11200 SW 8th St
Miami, FL 33199 - Phone: 786-520-6566
- Email: rpontier@fiu.edu
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