Is it an asset or a burden to be bilingual? Although bilingualism is appreciated by many people worldwide, immigrant families often struggle with the maintenance of their heritage language (HL) and culture. In the United States. For example, the HL in most families is completely lost within three generations (Fishman, 1991). The loss of a child's HL negatively impacts their cultural identity development, relationships with parents and grandparents, and academic performance (Wong-Fillmore, 2000). Conversely, the maintenance of a child's HL produces many positive attributes. Although the benefits of bilingualism are acknowledged, teachers who want to promote their students' HL may wonder how they can do this when they do not speak the HL themselves. This article supports the position that teachers, regardless of their ability to speak another language, play a vital role in the maintenance of the HL through effective partnerships with families. First, the authors review literature on parents' and teachers' role in HL maintenance, and then they provide specific classroom strategies for teachers who might not speak the HL of the children in their class. (Contains 1 note.)