A, Is for Abuela

A, Is for Abuela depicts the story of an ELL student’s first day of school, the events leading to it, and the connection she makes with her teacher despite the language barriers. It is written in English with Spanish phrases, and it is a story that connects both our ELL students and their educators in the simplest of ways. It tells a story about family, love, and education. It comes from a place of personal experience. Reading about Lolita and her first day of school will help students and educators alike to understand the immense role they play in each other’s lives. Making that connection with your first teacher here in the United States is not easy. But when that teacher is Ms. McCallister, a woman who pushed through the barriers to see how Lolita was feeling, it reminds us what it means to truly educate our students not only intellectually, but also academically.