Megan is the coordinator of the Spanish as a heritage language program. She is a PhD candidate in Hispanic and Italian Studies at the University of Illinois in Chicago and currently wrapping up her thesis on the role of investment and social networks in the maintenance and acquisition of Spanish.
She believes that the languages we speak are an essential part of our individual and community identities. She knows that speaking Spanish opens the door to a rich world of music, art, pop culture, news, comedy, poetry and literature spanning time and geographic space with something for everyone and wants each of her students to explore and define their own authentic connection to the Spanish speaking world. Her teaching prioritizes exploring and deepening the connections students have to other Spanish-speakers and Spanish speaking communities with a focus on using language in meaningful communication. Other more traditional aspects of language classes such as grammar, punctuation, vocabulary etc are included as important tools that can help organize, understand and better use language to support our communication goals.
Apart from teaching and research, she provides professional development workshops for teachers, and parents of bilingual children on a variety of topics related to language development in schools and at home. She is also involved in outreach efforts to Latine parents in Chicago - sharing information on dual language education programs available through the Chicago Public Schools and advocating for the creation of new programs to serve those communities who would most benefit from them.