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
No comments:
Post a Comment