Metiéndole El “cool” back in school: Emergent bilingual students’ perceptions of teacher jocularity

This practitioner-oriented work explores emergent bilingual students’ perceptions and recollections of how their elementary teachers created space, time, and community for shared laughter. The insights of the Heritage Spanish-speaking children highlight how educators can intentionally foreground humor in academic environments, which are often seen as high-stakes and no-nonsense. By using five approaches that demonstrate the value of collaborative mirth in bilingual learning contexts, emergent bilingual students found resonance with their teachers that transcended curricular limitations and bridged shared linguistic and cultural knowledge. The approaches described here (fidelity, creativity, levity, mutuality, and connectivity) reflect the educators’ commitment to strengthening relationships with their students. Willingness to create and allow humor during class demonstrates how teachers can be policymakers as they embody una postura juguetona (a playful stance) that can effectively aid in putting some “cool” back into school.