Today was one of those unforgettable days that remind me why I became an educator. I watched, bursting with pride, as my former high school student, Laura Londoño, now a Spanish and Civics teacher at Browne Middle School in Chelsea, received the Barbara Henry Courage in Teaching Award.
This isn’t just any award. Barbara Henry set the gold standard back in 1960 when she was the only teacher brave enough to show up at New Orleans’ William Frantz Elementary after segregation was declared illegal. She taught Ruby Bridges—yes, the Ruby Bridges—one-on-one, for an entire year, as angry white families pulled their children from the school and armed guards patrolled the halls.
At the ceremony, Barbara, now in her eighties and still radiating wisdom, told a sweltering classroom of 8th graders—sitting proudly in 90-degree heat for their teacher—that the true measure of a teacher is the success of their students. “That’s certainly the way I feel about Ruby,” she said, “who’s written so much about that horrific experience.” Her words hung in the warm air, a testament to resilience.
Browne’s principal, Katie Cook, praised Laura’s dedication: her transformative approach to dual-language teaching, her relentless community engagement, and her fierce belief that every student can thrive. “She embodies the spirit of inclusive and transformative education,” Principal Cook said.
I flashed back to my own early teaching days, when a sign on my door boldly declared: Monolingüismo es curable/Monolingualism is curable.” Today, Browne Middle School is becoming a Dual Language school, and Laura is at the heart of that transformation.
Despite challenges and troubling rhetoric from above, Laura, her colleagues, and her students stand tall—proud of their cultures, proud of their languages, proud of what makes America great: our diversity.
Laura is proof that courageous teaching leaves ripples. Today, I was lucky enough to watch one turn into a wave.