In the first Teachers' Lounge of the spring semester 2023, we will continue hearing from colleagues with diverse backgrounds in our field. The January 13th Lounge will explore the following questions:

• How did unique backgrounds and professional experiences of our colleagues with diverse backgrounds, including diverse ethnoracial and gender identities, impact their learning of the language?
• How did their backgrounds impact their own teaching practices? 
• How can their experiences help everyone create more diverse and inclusive Russian language classrooms?

It may be helpful (but in no way mandatory) to read this article (or at least the Introduction and Conclusion sections) in the Russian Language Journal by Dianna Murphy and Hadis Ghaedi on the gender and ethnoracial distribution of students receiving BA degrees in Russian language and literature before the Lounge.

At our next Lounge (January 20th, 2023) we will discuss how what we've heard from the two panels of diverse voices might impact our curriculum and classroom practices.