Extended Shownotes: https://www.micheleschmidtmoore.com/podcast/59 You might not realize it, but the child sitting next to yours in their third-grade classroom could be a budding multilingual superstar. Join me, Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore, as I sit down with the seasoned educator and English language learner teacher, Andrea Bitner, to discover the fascinating intricacies of supporting multilingual students in education. Andrea, with her 23 years of experience, shares riveting stories about her students - many of whom only realize their bilingual abilities around third or fourth grade - and their journey of becoming leaders in their own families by helping their parents navigate the community. We then navigate toward the poignant tale of the Lopez family, a courageous family of seven children who Andrea had the honor of teaching. Their story inspired Andrea to put pen to paper, resulting in her book 'Take Me Home'.  We discuss her and her colleagues' efforts to support the children academically and the beautiful tradition of celebrating graduating seniors with a "T-shirt Day" every year. Amidst these celebrations, we also touch upon the heartbreaking story of Nancy, one of the Lopez children, whose loss had a profound impact on the family. Tune in to hear how Andrea shares her passion for multilingual education and how it inspired her to create her passion project encapsulated in Take Me Home. Connect with our Host Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore on Instagram Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore on Twitter Dr. Michele Schmidt Moore on Facebook Connect with our Guest @andreabitnerbooks on Twitter @andreabitnerbooks on Instagram Teach Better Network Podcast Support the showGrab Your Free Project You 30-Day Action Planner! How's it going? Share your experience with Project You Want to get started with your own podcast? Check out Krystal Proffitt's in-depth course. It was invaluable in the reboot of Design Lessons. Krystal's teaching style is precisely what you need to organize and launch your own passion project podcast. Please note that this is an affiliate link. If you join Krystal's course using this link I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Want to know more about my experience with the course. Send me a dm @mschmidtmoore on any of the socials or email me at [email protected]