Why I care about diversity

Even though I grew up in a very rural, homogeneous community, my LA-born Mexican mother was super intentional to bring diversity and culture into our small-town home through music, food, and hosting every missionary family passing through our church.

I grew up close with my mom’s family, and always felt very Mexicana. Except that I was blond and didn’t speak Spanish. The feeling that I was missing a key part of my heritage fueled my passion to learn Spanish, and raise my children to be bilingual.

As a 2nd-generation homeschooler, I always wanted to homeschool my children. Realizing that it was also the only way to maintain their heritage language cemented the decision to homeschool — in Spanish and English. Early on, I found that sourcing curricula in Spanish was not going to be easy.

Books in general, and the Charlotte Mason philosophy in particular, have become a life-line for me as a non-native bilingual homeschooler. Like my mom, I find great joy in bringing the warmth and joy of diverse cultures into our home though music, food, friends...and books!