My Quest To Teach

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 2026
by William Jackson, MAT, Chancellor Minister
Empowering Hispanic Students Through Education
Culture, and Community

Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 to October 15 is a time
to celebrate the rich cultures, histories, heritages, traditions,
and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities.
In Jacksonville, Florida, this celebration is especially meaningful
as Hispanic families continue to contribute to the strengthening
of Duval County Public Schools, businesses, neighborhoods,
and the local economy. It is also an opportunity to recognize
the important role Hispanic community members must continue
to play in advancing educational success for Hispanic students
throughout Duval County Public Schools (DCPS)
https://www.duvalschools.org/page/world-languages/

Over the past five years, the Hispanic student population in
Duval County Public Schools has grown from 13% to 17%.
This growth reflects the increasing diversity of the school
community and highlights the importance of ensuring every
student feels welcomed, represented, supported, and
empowered to achieve excellence. Hispanic students deserve
access to opportunities that honor their cultural identities
while preparing them for success in college, careers, and life.

Education is a shared responsibility through the family,
neighborhood, Hispanic parents, educators, business leaders,
community organizations, and mentors can make a lasting
difference by encouraging academic achievement.
The First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce plays an
important role in connecting businesses and community
leaders, creating opportunities for collaboration, and highlighting
the contributions of Hispanic professionals and entrepreneurs
that have achieved excellence in academics. Education is
key to success across life.

Duval County Public Schools also supports language learning
and cultural engagement through its ESOL, World Languages,
and Dual Language initiatives, including the Center for Language
and Culture and Dual Language programs. These opportunities
affirm the value of multilingualism and help students develop
an appreciation for different cultures while building skills for an
increasingly connected world.

Students can make Hispanic Heritage Month especially meaningful
through writing, storytelling, interviews, artwork, and digital content
creation that celebrates local Hispanic leaders, family traditions,
and community achievements. Jacksonville’s Hispanic community
includes people with roots across many nations and cultural traditions.
Sharing these distinct experiences promotes understanding,
challenges stereotypes, and reminds students that Hispanic
identity encompasses many voices and perspectives.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month must extend beyond one
month each year. By investing in students, honoring cultural
heritage, and strengthening partnerships between families,
schools, and businesses, Jacksonville can build a stronger
educational future. When Hispanic students see their cultures
valued and their potential supported, they are better positioned
to thrive and our entire community benefits.

Part 2 Using YouTube to Teach Black & Hispanic Cultural History
William Jackson, MAT https://tinyurl.com/ynw6b9re
Serves as a Chancellor with Cancillería Estudiantil
de Colombia https://www.facebook.com/CancilleriaEstudiantil/

Strategies can range in many ways:
1. Age appropriate content selection:
Choose videos that are specifically
created for the level of learning.
Look for content that uses language,
visuals, and examples suitable for
the age groups. Teachers that teach
multiple grade levels be sure the
content is appropriate and relevant.

2. Short and focused videos:
Learn for shorter videos that focus
on specific topics or individuals to
maintain students’ attention spans
and prevent information overload.
Students from elementary and even
high school are brought up into
an age of quick content, fast
talking and hyped-up engagement.

3. Always Preview videos beforehand:
Always watch the videos before showing
them to students. Ensure the content
is accurate, appropriate, and aligns
with the learning objectives.

4. Create a playlist:
Organize the videos into a well
structured playlist, covering different
aspects of Black and Hispanic History.
This will help maintain a cohesive
learning experience.

5. Interactive discussions:
Pause the videos at strategic points
to encourage class discussions, ask
questions, and check students’
understanding of the material.
It is important that students “see
themselves” in the content of the
video.

6. Supplement with activities:
Use the videos as a starting point
for further exploration. Engage
students in activities such as creating
posters, writing short essays, or
role-playing historical figures.
Students love to pretend they are other
people especially if those people
are famous and engage in what they like.

7.Diverse perspectives:
Choose videos that represent a diverse
range of voices and perspectives within
Black and Hispanic History. This will
help students gain a more comprehensive
understanding of the subject and
their roles to continue to move forward
as experts. If a students is seen as an
expert they will remember more of the
content than just viewing as a student.

8. Contextualize history:
Provide historical context before showing
videos to help students understand the
significance of the events or figures
being discussed.
For Black History I would lead with
Rodney L. Hurst, Sr. as the “living”
legend of Jacksonville.
Rodney L. Hurst, Sr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVQr9r4ULjA
Completely Booked Rodney L. Hurst, Sr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5jJjYkHsAc
Ax Handle Saturday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHSn1KlXBuY

9. Reflect on relevance:
Help students connect Black and Hispanic
History to contemporary issues of today.
Promoting empathy, connections and feelings
fostering discussions about social justice
and equality.

10. Involve parents:
Encourage parents to watch the videos with
their children and discuss the topics at home.
When I taught at Twin Lakes Academy Middle
School students would interview their parents
and grandparents about topic on social issues,
business and being an entrepreneur.
Twin Lakes Academy Blogging and Metaverse Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtNbv4ZbnSk&t=4s
Rance Adams and TLAM Crew Talking Broadcasting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KwkMRiKcyg&t=10s
Black History Month Changing the Narrative with NFTs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2glg1M3O12g
TLAM Second Period MLK NFT Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjS2qtQvwAE

11. Monitor screen time:
Be mindful of screen time and balance YouTube
videos with other teaching methods and
hands-on activities.

12. Evaluate learning outcomes:
Assess students’ comprehension and knowledge
acquisition through quizzes, projects, or class presentations.

Using YouTube to Teach Black & Hispanic Cultural History
William Jackson, MAT https://tinyurl.com/ynw6b9re
Serves as a Chancellor with Cancillería Estudiantil
de Colombia https://www.facebook.com/CancilleriaEstudiantil/

Teaching does not require teachers to know
everything, it does require creativity,
innovation and imagination. Applying digital
tools like YouTube can be a valuable
resource to teach Black History and Hispanic
History to students that do not have a
foundation of cultural relevance and
comprehension.

YouTube contains broad resources to engage
the mind and provide educational and age
appropriate content. Applying differential
instruction strategies, planning processes
that build on history and that representation
matters in digital concepts and in utilizing
YouTube effectively. Strategic planning is
important in curating a playlist that videos are
based on educational focus on key figures, events,
people and contributions related to Black
and Hispanic History.

Ensuring that the content is suitable for
learners from elementary, middle and higher
schools. Each has their specific concepts of
applying the content. This is not just for
entertainment it is a strategic process
that allows for representation and understanding.
As a teacher at Becoming Collegiate Academy in
2025-2026 I integrated multiple videos teaching
about Black and Hispanic astronauts. This
shared the importance of STEAM Education and
Learning.

BCA’s Space Architects
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN3g6eI2onw
BCA Becoming Collegiate Academy and The Arts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytFdmcH3U6k
Youth AI Skills Gap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZrO-u2n4kE&t=6s

YouTube is broken into channels, but teachers
need to choose reputable channels: select
videos from sources that have a focus
on educational content and accuracy.
Look for channels that are dedicated
to teaching history and have a good
track record of producing reliable content.
Be careful of embedded bias and stereotypical
messages. Teachers should always preview the
videos before the class sees it to prevent
embarrassing information.

Incorporate interactive elements finding
videos that include quizzes, discussions,
or interactive elements to engage students
actively while learning about Black and
Hispanic History.
Learning history should be fun and enjoyable,
it should inspire continued conversation and
reflection. Fostering critical thinking is not
hard, make sure videos are relevant to the
students culture, age, representation and
encourage students to discuss and analyze
the historical context and impact of the
events or figures highlighted in the videos.

Move the learning forward by supplementing
with classroom activities and possible
project-based learning. Apply YouTube
as a supplement to traditional teaching
methods by including classroom activities
and discussions related to the topics
covered in the videos to reinforce learning.

A great tool is to have parental involvement.
Inform parents about the educational videos
being used and encourage them to watch
them with their children to facilitate
further discussions and support learning
at home. Give a family project for
extra credit and family bonding.

As was stated before remember to always
preview the videos beforehand to ensure
they are age appropriate and align with
the curriculum. Utilizing YouTube can make
learning history engaging, accessible, and
enjoyable for all students. This helps
build respect for other culture, finding
connects with family structures, historical
relevancy and maybe even building similar
family nuances.

Part 2 
Strategies can range in many ways:
coming Thursday, October 1st 2026