Where Hannah Writes

Not going to church on Easter may feel weird. But I would like to suggest that celebrating Easter at home this year may be the best way to align with the spirit and purpose of this celebration. We celebrate Easter as a day to remember that Christ displayed the most wondrous love that this world has ever known through his death and resurrection. He died in our place and rose victorious over death that we may live with him forever. On this celebration of life, we are invited to love our neighbors, as Christ instructed.  How is staying home a way to love our neighbors? By not gathering together physically, we are protecting one another and we are protecting our neighbors, the ones who we come into contact with at work and at the grocery store. By not gathering together physically, we are placing their safety above our desire to fellowship with one another. By not gathering together physically, we are limiting the chances of spreading the virus while being asymptomatic. By not gat...

Teachers across the world are teaching in virutal classrooms and connecting with their students via email, YouTube, Remind, Google Classroom, Zoom, and any other digital platform possible. Originally, I mistakenly thought that remote teaching would give me time to read a book or learn a language. Instead, I am finding that it takes just as much (maybe actually more) time to be a virutal teacher. It has been a juggle of emails and lesson plans and online platforms and grading and zooming and keeping students informed and answering their questions and checking on them and washing my hands. But during these weeks, I have been inspired by my colleagues who are reaching out to their students and creating normacly for them in so many creative ways. I see teachers connectingwith their students every single day on Zoom. I see teachers contacting their students via phone. I see teachers creating opportunities for students to use technology to have class discussions and meaningfully engage with ...

As a langauge teacher, I spend more time than most people explaining the importance of learning another language. There are certain benefits to language learning that are commonly recognized and frequently cited.  Learning a language can ease travel experiences during international vacations, allowing you to order food, hail a cab, and find a bathroom with confidence. Being bilingual may result in a greater income or increase your options in the job market.  Learning a language is a good brain workout. The effect that language learning has on the brain is not unlike the effect that exercise has on the muscles. I do not intend to diminish these financial, travel, and intellectual benefits. I want my students to know that being bilingual can help them get a job, and I support brain exercise.  But learning another language  is so much deeper and fuller than these surface level benefits.  Why does language learning really  matter? Learning a language is v...

Hispanic Heritage Month begins tomorrow. It lasts from Septemer 15th to October 15th and the Independence Days of Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua all occur during Hispanic Heritage Month. Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming were all part of Mexico prior to 1836 and 1848, and according to the Census Bureau, there are approximately 60 million Hispanic people in the United States. Before it the month begins, I want to address the question that someone may be thinking:  Why isn't there a month for white people? It's not fair that there is a month for African American and Hispanic people and no month for white people. As a child, I remember asking my parents why there isn't a "Kid's Day". I reasoned that "Kid's Day" should be a national holiday, just like Mother's Day and Father's Day. My parents explained to me that every day was "Kid'...

Abortion has been in the headlines regularly over the past few months. Some states are banning it while other states are expanding access, and everyone has an opinion, including the governor of the state of Alabama, Kay Ivey.  Ivey issued a statement  in May after signing the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, a bill that greatly limits abortions in the state of Alabama. Ivey wrote, "To the bill's many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians' deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God." Ivey was right about every life being precious.  Ivey was right about every life being a sacred gift from God.  However, when we declare that all life is a sacred gift from God but only defend certain forms of that life, I fear that we are doing a poor job of convincing anyone that we actually believe what we say.  When people hear us say that all life is precious and see us fight onl...

I love to praise God through dance, and I love the Church. I love to share this praise in church with the people of the Church, and I want them to understand more about this dance we do and why I love to do it so much. What is praise dance? Praise dance is not performance, it is ministry. Praise dance is not cute choreography paired with a churchy song, it is a prayer too deep for words. Praise dance is not entertainment, it is an outward expression of inward worship, an overflow of what is in the heart, an invitation to join in adoration of the One deserving of all exaltation. Why do people praise dance? If I had words to adequately explain what is happening in praise dance, there would be no point to praise dance. Praise dance exists because it cannot be explained. It is an expression of the unexpressable. In dancing, I can express things that I do not have words for. Dance communicates emotions that words like "gratitude" and "awe" and "love...

Lazy. Dumb. Trouble. Attitude. She must have been forced to take Spanish. She doesn't want to be here and won't do any work until the last week of the semester when she comes whining for extra credit. I've seen him in the dean's office. I think he lives there. See that look on her face? That's a look that says that she is here to make my life miserable for 55 minutes a day. Thoughts like these ran through my mind when I first met my students back in August. None of these assumptions were positive, all of them were based on external appearance and behavior observed during a 55 minute class period, and none of them were actually true. Ever since that day, my students have been chipping away at these theories, sometimes bit by bit as with a chisel, and sometimes with the mighty power of a backhoe tractor. The guys that I thought would cause trouble? They are kind, ready to help, willing to participate, and eager to learn Spanish. The girls that I as...