What is really hurting America's education system? The answer may surprise you. Educator Jeison Gonzalez shares his experiences teaching in the United States as he tries to bring humanity to education.
Jeison Gonzalez is a teacher of Spanish and English as foreign languages, native to Colombia and now living in the US. In nearly a decade in university and K12 classrooms, he has taught students of all ages, nationalities, and ability levels. This experience inspires his research, which focuses on lowering the barriers to language acquisition. He currently teaches middle school Spanish and is pursuing a doctorate in foreign language education.

The desire to teach was born of Jeison's disappointment in his own schooling. As a kid, he loved English and taught it to himself, largely through American music and movies. At school, though, English class was uninspiring at best. So, he began to tutor some of his classmates, sparking their interest by making the language relevant to their daily lives. He has been studying and practicing education ever since.

In a world obsessed with standardization and certification, Jeison takes a contrary stance: genuine personal growth is what matters most, and everyone achieves it in their own particular way. To guide their students, teachers need to maintain a passion for their subject, bring their authentic selves to class, and value their students' individuality. Despite the external pressures and obstacles, there are still things that individual teachers can to do improve education within their own classrooms. You can read Jeison's reflections on education and contact him at MisfitTeachers.com. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx