Inside Dallas ISD

For Esmeralda Martinez, a Spanish and leadership teacher at Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, paving the way for student success and contributing to a legacy of leadership are her priorities and her passion. She moved to the United States when she was 5 years old and recalls translating for her mother from Mexico and her father from Colombia as she grew up learning English as a second language. Combined with her positive experiences with teachers in her Dallas ISD schools and her involvement in Skyline High School’s League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) council, Martinez realized she…

Language professionals play an important role worldwide in connecting nations, fostering peace and understanding, and encouraging growth and development. The team of almost 30 translators and interpreters in Dallas ISD who help connect families, students, and schools is no different. Their efforts toward engagement and understanding and those of interpreters and translators worldwide are celebrated and recognized on Sept. 30 during International Translation Day. The day was established in 2017 through a resolution from the United Nations General Assembly. “The theme for this year’s International Translation Day is ‘translation unveils the many faces of humanity,’ and that’s exactly what our…

Since he was a student going through the deaf education program at W.W. Samuell High School, Bobby White has known he wanted to return to Dallas ISD as a teacher to provide high-quality services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Now, with 20 years of teaching experience and 10 years serving the district, White is bringing awareness to the importance of sign language and other resources in honor of the International Day of Sign Languages in September and beyond. As a deaf education teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School, White said one of his favorite parts of…

When Daniel Negrete was a student at Woodrow Wilson High School, one of his friends asked him to join the ballet folklorico ensemble. He eventually joined, and his performance of “El Jarabe Tapatío” in front of the whole student body during a pep rally changed his life. Performing in front of a live audience sparked something in Negrete, making him think “Wouldn’t it be great if I could do this forever?” In a full circle for him, Negrete returned to Woodrow as a teacher and is now the head director for the iconic Sweethearts drill team, assists Marissa Marez with…