On Sunday 13 July I posted a short classroom video on Instagram to let fellow teachers know I had recorded five complete Level 3 French lessons, which I would present for observation at this year’s Conference in the Cloud 2025. I was proud of that work and eager to share it.
That turned out to be my final post.
Early Monday I opened Instagram, answered a teacher’s request for the conference link, and closed the app. Thirty minutes later my account was wrongly suspended for “violating Instagram’s terms of use.”
My content focuses on language teaching and easy-to-read Spanish for beginners. I am an established author with more than ten published titles and create classroom resources that support struggling readers. I also co-host a podcast on decolonizing the language classroom and present regularly at comprehension-based teaching conferences in Australia and overseas. Most of my posts share conference updates, classroom routines, book launches, illustrations, and practical tips for using my stories with students.
With no access to customer support, I am left to guess why my accounts vanished. Was it the conference link I shared? Perhaps the classroom resources on Venezuela’s elections. No luck for this Venezuelan lately. My ACTFL 2025 session was accepted and sponsored by the CI SIG, yet I had to withdraw when the US visitor-visa window for Venezuelans closed. Soon after, Wise froze my business account to “verify Venezuelan links,” and I spent days proving I was legitimate. Now Meta has permanently suspended my Instagram and Facebook.
I am far from the only person locked out of my socials. Thousands have had their accounts arbitrarily suspended. For me it is a massive blow. Years of conversations with family, friends, and professional groups have disappeared.
Still, the meaningful, accessible books I create for beginner students remain. Many of you already use my titles for free voluntary reading or as class novels: Mosca ¡¡Mosca!!, Arroz con cosas, and Arepa vs Arepa. In a few weeks I will launch Tonia Patagonia y la caja mágica, co-written with Patricia Martí Torres. This new beginner book also serves as a Story Listening curriculum for first-year students, and I am excited to share it.
So, If you teach Spanish and value these resources, please join my mailing list. Once a month you will receive a concise email with an Super Super Easy. It is a simple way for us to stay connected and for me to thank you for your support. ♥
I’m not sure when or how I’ll rebuild my social media presence. For now, I just started building an easy-to-read mailing list, posting on LinkedIn, and sharing my Story-Listening videos on YouTube. When I do return, you’ll find me at #easytoreadspanish because that’s what I do best.
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