What Is an ELL Teacher? (or an ESL or ESOL teacher)

On my flight to the WIDA conference last October, I sat next to a Congressman who was fleeing Washington DC after the late night vote to restart the Federal Government.  He told me how excited and relieved he was to be going home to his family and then he asked me what I did.  Being very careful not use any confusing acronyms, I told him that I was a teacher that worked with English Language Learners and that I was on my way to a conference of other such teachers.

His response was:  "Wow, that's great I would love to speak two languages!  What language are you teaching them?"

I blinked, smiled, and replied, "Well, I work with students who come from other countries. I help them improve their English."

This Congressman's confusion was troubling to me because of his role as a policy maker (though he does not sit on the Education Committee and comes from a district that is 96% white), but I have found that misconceptions and confusion are common when I tell people what I do.

My mother is from an area that is 83% white.  She tells me, "No one knows what you do when I first tell them, but once I explain it to them they get it."

When I told one friend of mine he said, "Oh, I didn't know you spoke Spanish."

"I don't, and though some of my students do, my Middle Eastern, North African, and Asian students don't," I replied.

He smiled and said "Oh sorry, I'm from Miami.  ESOL was all Spanish when I was growing up."

As with all comprehension, background knowledge is the number one determinate of understanding.

So what does an ELL teacher do?

The truth is that we do many things.

We may work with ELLs in small groups or one-on-one building their language and literacy skills.  We help them build their prior knowledge so they can understand content area instructions.  We employ diverse and culturally responsive teaching strategies to increase our students' linguistic skills, but we also do so much more.

A couple years ago when I was at Ellis Island I saw an exhibit about how the children of immigrant families are the family's bridge between their home culture and the new culture.  These children are our students.  How often do we hear a young child say: "My Mom can't understand English, but I help her"?  Think about the responsibility implied in that statement.  We always think of the parents as being the bridges that guide their children into adulthood, but for many of our students the burden of helping the family build the bridge between old and new is placed upon their young shoulders.  Who is there to help and support them?  We are! It is our responsibility as ELL teachers to support them and help them build a strong cultural bridge for them to lead their family across.   As Holly said in her post, we are the advocates for our students and their families in the community. We provide support, sensitivity, and cultural understanding to help them build a strong bridge toward the future for them and their families.

How are you building cultural bridges for your students?

Thanks, Heather, for sharing your experience and starting an interesting and important conversation.

Image by opensource.com via Creative Commons.

Welcoming New WIDA Bloggers, Final Installment: Kelly Garcia-Lee

Our last introduction to the new WIDA blog contributors puts the spotlight on Kelly Garcia-Lee.

Hello All!
I just wanted to write quick post to introduce myself to the WIDA community. Let me begin by saying how extremely grateful I am to have the opportunity to blog for WIDA.

I have taught ESL for over ten years. I have worked in Title I schools for nine of those years. During that time, I have had the pleasure of working with students in every grade level from kindergarten through eighth grade. As an ESL teacher, I especially loved igniting a passion for reading in my students. I considered it a great personal success when a student told me that he/she loved a book I recommended. I also feel that another area of personal strength was my ability to create writers in my classroom.

I am currently working as an English Language Development Specialist in Colorado. As an ELD specialist, I work with elementary teachers to help them meet the needs of their English learners in the classroom. In this capacity, I have helped teachers plan writing instruction, guided reading groups, oral language development, and cooperative learning to help the ELLs in their content area and literacy classrooms.

On a personal note, I have two young sons. My older son is six years old and speaks two languages: English and Hmong. His younger brother is eighteen months old and mostly says "cookie" and "mine". Being a mother to these two boys has been one of my greatest joys. It has also worked to further show me the importance of our jobs as educators. When I drop my son off to school every morning, I trust his teacher to ensure not only his physical and emotional safety, I trust her with his intellectual development. I can imagine no greater responsibility. I know that the parents of our students feel the same way.

So, as we work every day to help teach the young people entrusted to us, I hope that we all realize the impact we have on their lives and the people they become. That's why websites and blogs like this are so important. We can use these forums to make connections with other professionals to better inform our practice as educators. We can offer and receive support. We can teach one another and learn from one another. And THAT is why I am so excited to be a part of this great community of educators. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity. I look forward to working with and learning from all of you!

Sincerely,
Kelly Garcia-Lee

Image by Tilemahos Efthimiadis via Creative Commons

Welcoming New WIDA Bloggers, Part 3: Ashley Coblentz, Sara Batesky and Jackie Moreno

Our third welcome blog features three educators from Madison, WI: Ashley Coblentz, Sara Batesky, and Jackie Moreno.

Last spring we found out we would be getting the chance to present at WIDA’s first national conference. Little did WIDA suspect that by accepting our proposal they were also inviting 28 fourth and fifth grade bilingual co-presenters and their families! However, when we floated the idea to WIDA prior to the conference, they went out of their way to welcome the students and their families. Consequently, when WIDA invited us to be a part of their family as monthly bloggers, we couldn’t wait.

We work together in Madison, Wisconsin, at Sandburg Elementary, a school at the forefront of innovative and transformative approaches to education. As Sandburg’s principal Brett Wilfrid explains, “In the last five years, our areas of focus have included character traits which are predictive of future success, interpreting the Common Core State Standards through the lens of WIDA's features of academic language, and expanding the school's offerings and partnerships (including a Community Learning Center after-school program and partnerships with the UW-Madison in a number of areas, such as hosting pre-service teachers pursuing ESL licensure, collaborating with researchers focused on the the achievement of language learners on standardized assessments, and consulting around our school-wide efforts to effectively integrate tablet technology).” 

At Sandburg, collaborative technology integration has helped us become more effective when it comes to formative assessment, meaningful project-based learning, providing language learners with appropriate scaffolds and giving students exciting opportunities to write and speak for authentic purposes. Collectively we have teaching experience that spans K-12 in ESL, DLI and bilingual settings. 

Our hope is that these monthly posts offer inspirational and practical ideas for cultivating rich opportunities for language learning that keep student creativity at the forefront. Although we are currently elementary school teachers, many of the ideas we will be sharing in the blog can be applied to secondary teaching as well. Our original intent in highlighting student voices at the WIDA conference and beyond was to allow the community to learn from and love our bilingual students as much as we do. Our wish is that they continue to have their voices heard through our monthly blog posts. 

Photo courtesy of Ashley Coblentz, Sara Batesky and Jackie Moreno

Welcoming New WIDA Bloggers, Part 2: Holly Niemi

In our second installment of welcoming the new WIDA bloggers, we would like to introduce you to Holly Niemi.

I am excited to be one of the new WIDA bloggers and thrilled to add to the online discourse surrounding ELLs.  This is a wonderful platform for us to share our insights, thoughts, and experiences.  My academics and professional interests include challenges surrounding language learning versus learning disabilities, increasing schools’ cross-cultural competencies, and empowering content area teachers to adapt and modify instruction for ELLs.  Most importantly on my agenda, I am more than simply an ESL teacher; I am an advocate for ELLs.  We are known in our schools as ESL teachers.  This title simplifies the true nature of our professional responsibilities; I believe that an ESL teacher assumes the role of an ESL advocate.  Advocacy is the heart of ESL education.  To all the ESL teachers out there reading this, think: how are you ESL advocates? 

Advocacy includes disseminating constructive and accurate information about ELLs.  It is an opportunity to showcase the contributions and value of ELLs to all those in the education arena:  administrators, PTAs, native English speaking students, teachers, school staff, school boards, and the community.    The ESL teacher provides a rich-language environment and is experienced on culturally and linguistically responsive teaching methods, but role of the ESL advocate includes a deeper complexity.  The ESL advocate provides professional development to content area teachers to maximize ELLs’ access to the curricula, as well as collaborating with content area teachers and other school staff to establish appropriate programs for ELLs of varying levels of English proficiency.  The ESL advocate has knowledge of the legal underpinnings, federal requirements and state guidelines governing the education of students with limited English proficiency.  As ESL advocates, we are constantly addressing affective needs of our ELLs that often times extend to their families that include providing a variety of school and community resources and services available to them. We are charged with the education and involvement of ELL families, other educators, students, and community members on issues and topics affecting ELLs. With the added role as advocates, we are sometimes faced with challenges, limitations and dilemmas.  Over the past 15 years, I have felt a shift in the connotation of ESL advocacy from positive to a neutral or more negative meaning.  The ESL teacher as an advocate is the link and intermediary to assist our schools in navigating the all-encompassing complex nature that is ESL; we are ESL advocates. Let’s continue to use our voice for those who have not yet found theirs.

Welcome, Holly.  In case you missed it, we introduced another new WIDA blogger, Heather Jung, yesterday.

Photos courtesy of Holly Niemi

Welcoming New WIDA Bloggers, Part 1: Heather Jung

The goal for the WIDA blog has always been to give educators a way to look at things from the perspective of a peer who has an understanding of what educators face on a regular basis, and to offer new ideas or strategies.  That is why Tammy King was our blogger instead of WIDA staff.  WIDA has an amazing group of talented professionals who could contribute to the blog, but much like the goal of the WIDA National Conference, the intent of the blog is not to be about WIDA.  Rather, WIDA is the conduit for what is presented, so that it can be applicable to educators everywhere, regardless of Consortium membership.

Taking that goal in mind, we have reached out to several people to blog for us. We believe they will offer readers the information, understanding, and ideas that will create opportunities to enrich their practice, as well as a forum for thoughtful, informed discussion.

In the first of a series of introductions to our new bloggers, we are pleased to introduce Heather Jung.

Hello WIDA Community Members!

My name is Heather Jung and I am honored to have been asked by WIDA to share some of my experiences with you on their blog.

So who am I?

I have worked for 15 years with high needs students in public schools in Maryland and Virginia in the diverse melting pot of the Washington D.C. Metro area.  I have worked as a classroom teacher, a reading recovery teacher, and an ELL resource teacher.  I presented at the 2013 WIDA National Conference last October in Milwaukee and at the National Reading Recovery and K-6 Classroom Literacy Conferences in 2012, 2013 and 2014.  I currently serve as the first and second grade ELL Resource teacher.

My school is in Alexandria, Virginia (a suburb of Washington, D.C. bordering the Potomac River). We have approximately 650 students in grade PreK through Grade 6.  We are a Title 1 school and nearly 50% of our students live below the poverty line.   One third of our students are ELLs.  They come from a wide range of areas including: South America, the Middle East, and North Africa.   We have 22% mobility and a staff of over 100 people.

We are housed in a 55 year old one-story brick building with adjacent trailers, picnic tables and chairs or rocks for sitting.  We have a very active gardening program with more than 14,000 square feet of gardens.  Students, staff, and families in our community work together in the garden growing produce, plants, and trees indigenous to the state of Virginia.  We put on an International Day each year where the students and their families get to display their unique cultures with each other.  Staff members also go on a "Welcome Walk" to visit each student's home during the week before the each school year begins to welcome them back to school.

My personal life is also integrated in multicultural community. My husband emigrated here with his family from South Korea at the age of 4. We have friends from diverse backgrounds including, El Salvador, Peru, Cambodia, and Pakistan. Some came as children and some came as adults. All of them had to learn to communicate when they arrived. They have shared their stories and struggles with me. I will bring this knowledge and some of their stories toy blog as well as those from the children and families that I work with professionally.

As I begin this new journey as a blogger I want to start by saying that, behind every good teacher there is a great teacher that they collaborate with.  I have been very blessed to have had the support of phenomenal co-teachers, colleagues, and friends throughout my career!  It is my sincere hope that my blog posts will provide me with an opportunity to share their brilliance, creativity, and dedication with a larger community.

Welcome photo by Keith Tyler via Creative Commons.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phones in the WIDA Client Services Center (CSC) are ringing off the hook, so wanted to answer three of the most common questions that we’re getting this time of year. 

So sit back, grab some popcorn (easy on the butter!) and enjoy the answers to your most common questions. Next month we’ll take a look at a few more questions, and with a little bit of luck we’ll be able to answer some of your inquiries before they even come up for you.

Question One: What’s my username and password?

Answer One: Good question! The short answer is, we don’t know your password. Not quite what you were expecting, but it’s true. As a security precaution, we can’t see any passwords. So if you lost yours, not to worry, you can retrieve it. Simply click on the “Forgot Password” button and you can have your username and a link for you to reset your password emailed to you. If you don’t get it within a few minutes, check your Spam or Junk Mail. If it’s still not there, give us a call or drop us an email and we’ll be happy to help you find it.  

Question Two: How long does it take to complete the training course and quizzes?

Answer Two: Another good question! And….we don’t have the answer to that one either. Well, not a definitive answer at least. Since it really all depends on how fast you read, how long it takes you to review all of the materials really depends on you. We can estimate that it might take you somewhere between an hour to an hour and a half, but realistically it could be shorter or longer than that. The most important part is that you know and understand how to administer the assessment to your students.

Question Three: If a student doesn’t have a Pre-ID label, what information do I need to fill out on the back cover of the test booklet?

Answer Three: Finally, one that we know the answer to! Basically, you need to fill out all of the boxes that directly pertain to your student. So if they don’t have any accommodations, you wouldn’t need to fill in the accommodations box. All of the boxes are explained in detail on pages 20-27 of the Test Administration Manual (TAM).

Well, that’s all for now. Thanks for all the hard work that you do. If you have further questions (you know you do) feel free to send us an email or give us a call. We’re open from 8:00am-5:00pm Central Time, Monday-Friday. 866-276-7735 or help@wida.us

-Your Friendly CSC Team

Question mark image from Flickr via Creative Commons

Do You Have Something to Share?

Those aren't usually the words someone wants to hear in a classroom, unless you're talking about sharing a lesson plan!

Technology DOES make it easier to share, and now WIDA can help, with our Lesson Plan Share Space contest. Upload a lesson plan in WIDA’s Lesson Plan Share Space contest and be entered to win a $100 Amazon.com gift card, just in time for holiday shopping for your classroom, your family, or yourself! The grand prize winner will be chosen this Friday, December 6.

The Lesson Plan Share Space is located in the Get Involved! section of the WIDA website (www.wida.us/lessons). Good luck!

Image via Creative Commons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveduarte/2817722169/