What does it mean to advocate or be an advocate?
This has been the focus of my professional work for over 18 years. But you’re a language teacher, you might say and I would agree, but you are a business owner you might say and again I would agree, but you are a mother as well, and I would certainly agree. I am all of those things…and I am an advocate in each role in my life.
I’ve come to the conclusion over the last decade that the ultimate form of advocacy is to incorporate your passion and belief in a cause or an ideal into the personal and professional road you are on every single day. To me, advocacy for meaningful language education across the U.S. to achieve national multilingualism is the heartbeat of all of my work and is somehow a part of each step I take.
In order to advocate you need to raise your voice in the right places with the right people often even when people disagree with your ideas, but this is truly what it means to be an advocate. To be a strong advocate you also need to listen carefully to others’ ideas and understand different perspectives. This is essential to enable you to articulate your best reasoning for your position.