Teachers, We’re Moving Forward With Intention and Purpose This New Year!

A promotional graphic featuring A.C. Quintero with a smiling face, encouraging teachers to evolve with intention and purpose. The image includes several book covers in comprehensible Spanish and website information.

We are on the brink of yet another year! I want to thank all of the amazing teachers from Teaching From the Trenches . I hope we have made meaningful strides together as we navigated best practices, shared laughs, learned how to outsmart students (my favorite). Most importantly, we’ve developed more sustainable practices that protect & extend our mental health. Click here a lesson sample on how I preserve my energy.

Graphic showcasing three book covers by A.C. Quintero, including 'Tres citas para el prom,' 'Un día en Palenque, Colombia,' and 'La vecina chismosa,' with colorful background and text highlighting adventure themes.

This year was full of adventures. With a small but dedicated team of editors, proofreaders, artists, and partners, I was able to publish three books. Las tres citas para el prom with Voces marked my third collaboration with them, along with La vecina chismosa and Un día en Palenque, inspired by research and a trip I took to Palenque Colombia. See group picture below (that group happened to be there the same day as us).

Group of people seated in a shaded area, some in traditional attire, with a fence and buildings in the background.

I truly enjoyed presenting at MITTEN in March and helping at the Command Performance Books booth. I also traveled to Greece and Turkey with Carrie Toth and her amazing family and friends. Made lots of memories, and anxiously awaiting the next transatlantic adventure.

Joyful and Rejuvenated: Reflections on CI Mitten

In October, I was invited to keynote the Nebraska Language Association’s annual conference, where I tried Runza for the first time and loved it. Most importantly, I met so many hardworking and delightful teachers. It was a privilege to talk about preserving our sanity in this profession.

Two smiling women posing for a selfie in a conference room filled with seated participants engaged in activities.

On the health front, I made significant improvements in my mobility through physical therapy… and did not need surgery. This might seem like a small victory, but it has had a major impact on my daily life.

Disclaimer: this picture was last year (Barranquilla), and I am actually working toward gaining this level of flexibility again. Almost there!

A woman performing a yoga pose on a mat in a bright, modern living space with large windows.

I look forward to new adventures, partnerships, and continuing to share resources and energy preserving classroom hacks that make teaching more sustainable and a little less stressful.

This year also brought its share of heartache. I lost my beloved cat, Zoe, and a dear teacher friend who remains in my thoughts often.

A slightly blurred portrait of a woman with curly hair, smiling softly for the camera.

A few weeks ago, we also said goodbye to my grandmother Mimi (pictured in her younger years), who passed away at the age of 81. She was a true trailblazer, and we share many commonalities. She was a CPS teacher who realized the classroom was not her calling, earned her master’s degree, and became a counselor. She retired from Department of Children and Family Services and later opened a laundromat in her suburb. She was always on the move, traveling and exploring the world. She will be deeply missed, but her spirit will live on in her children and grandchildren.

Thank you again for your advice, engagement, and interaction throughout the year. I hope we continue to grow into more savvy, resilient teachers in the New Year.

Click on the links below for new resources, classroom hacks for saving your sanity, and the most popular videos from this year.

Starting the Year with Great Intention and Purpose

Blogs and Videos for Revisiting Routines and Best Practices

Breathe. Batch. Balance. Simple Ways for Teachers to Avoid Burnout!

5 Teaching & Self-care Hacks that Worked First Semester!

5 Reminders You Need for the Final Stretch Before Break

New Year Themed Resources

And for New Year’s, there are two activities, including “No te metas con mis metas,” a reading paired with a goal-setting activity that helps students reflect and plan for the year ahead and Año Nuevo, Metas nuevas which centers on the future tense in Spanish.

Promotional graphic for a new Spanish classroom resource titled 'El Ritual de la Maleta', featuring activities to learn about end-of-year traditions in Colombia and Latin America.

Coming Soon… Real Soon!

An illustration promoting A.C. Quintero's upcoming books, featuring the titles 'La Venganza', 'La Vecina Chismosa', and 'Un día en Palenque, Colombia', alongside colorful graphics and festive elements.

Comprehensible Novels for the Classroom

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