Do you know the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme? I'm sure you do! But, just in case you don't, this is how it goes: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty together again. Interestingly, 2,500 people were asked to name their favorite nursery rhyme, and at no surprise, Humpty Dumpty is among the top 10 all-time nursery rhymes. However, this nursery rhyme only highlights Humpty's great fall and creates a sense of pettiness toward him because no one was able to fix him. My perspective on Humpty changed forever after reading After The Fall by Dan Santat. If you haven't read this book, go get it right now! This fantastic picture book is Humpty's story AFTER the fall...because he GOT UP again. His story is by far the most inspirational story I've ever read in children's fictional books. I was very emotional after reading it and I learned so much from it. Six Lessons I Learned from Humpty Dumpty...After the Fall
1. Embrace Failure The first lesson we can learn from Humpty is to embrace failure. He understands that everyone knows about him because of his "great fall". However, he doesn't define himself based on our perspective of him, but on what he believes of himself. He sees "the great fall" as an accident...and as an opportunity that changed his life. Can you say growth mindset?!? "There were some parts that couldn't be healed with bandages and glue." FEAR - the feeling Humpty had to embrace after the fall - and he embraced it like a hero. He began taking small steps in order to face his biggest obstacle...heights! 2. Know Your Purpose Humpty had a very clear picture of what his purpose was and who he was meant to be. He made sure he was always surrounded by what he was passionate about. His room décor shows what was in his heart and mind. And even though he knew that height was his weakness, he also understood that it was the very thing that was keeping him away from what he loved most - being where he belonged! Humpty walked by the wall every day! It was a daily reminder of his failure. But he wanted to be as close as possible to where he knew he was supposed to be. And every day he would think about climbing...perhaps planning his next steps...perhaps, thinking about what he would do once he gets back up where he belongs.
3. Enjoy the Moment He never gave up. Not even while all he had was walking by the wall and watching the birds fly up high. He settled on what he was able to do at the moment. He enjoyed the moment and made the best out of it. He actually thought, "it was better than nothing." As a matter fact, thinking about his future ignited in him an idea to get closer to his goal. You see, Humpty had his eyes fixed on his passion and goal. For him, it was fine to just do what he was capable of doing based on his abilities. Meanwhile, he was learning. Meanwhile, he was active. So this got me thinking, are my eyes fixed on my goals? Am I being active developing my skills to be who I am meant to be? Am I enjoying the moment and am I being faithful in the little bit I am asked to do right now? 4. Set Small Goals Humpty thought of a way of getting just a little closer to his goal. He started making paper airplanes so at least that part of him would make it to the top of the wall. As small as this small step might seem, he had to work day after day - try after try - until he was happy with this project. You see, having the motivation isn't enough to reach our goals. If we learn anything from Humpty, is the determination to complete small goals. He knew that what he was working on will one day pay off in his favor. Humpty didn't let cuts and scratches impede with daily work. He was determined to take it one step at a time. Applying this to our lives...what are we allowing to discourage us from achieving our small goals? What excuses do we have to stop developing the skills needed to function where we belong? Don't forget that goals without actions become just a wish! 5. Celebrate Small Accomplishments Accomplishing a small goal made Humpty happy. In fact, it gave him back the happiness he hadn't felt for a long time. Why? Simply because he understood the power of small goals. He celebrated the fact that he believed in himself. He knew what he was capable of. He knew it was close enough to his ultimate goal. It is so important for us to realize that it is OK to feel scared when drafting small goals. In fact, this is a good kind of fear! A fear of the unknown. However, it is exciting to know that reaching our goals will without a doubt give us a sense of accomplishment and a level of self-confidence that only we can give ourselves! Make sure to share your accomplishments with your loved ones. Use social media to share your accomplishments. Let your friends and family celebrate with you when you reach a goal. It's not about bragging...it's about the opportunity to inspire those who might need a little encouragement. 6. Determination Once again - Humpty is face-to-face with FEAR! The opportunity came for him to finally climb the wall and be where he belonged. He knew he had to climb that wall but he wasn't just afraid, he was TERRIFIED! At this very moment he has two choices: Walk away or step into an uncomfortable situation to finally be who he was meant to be. Humpty stepped forward! What made him stay and encouraged him, you might ask? Well, he started thinking about how hard he had worked to accomplish his small goals. He made a choice because he was empowered by his small goals and the sense of accomplishment he celebrated before. "I didn't look up. He didn't have to see the whole staircase - All he had to do was to take the first step! Halfway up he realized he was no longer afraid! What a powerful lesson we learn from Humpty; Progress is found outside our comfort zone, and it is through our uncomfortableness that we grow and develop the skills we need to be efficient where we belong. Making it to the top - where he always belonged, is where he became what he was meant to be! He made it so you and I can have a different perspective on him. He made it so that he can inspire us to reach our goals and celebrate where we belong. He made it so we can change our expectations of failures and those who fail. Humpty's grit and determinations are admirable! Let him be a hero to you and your students. Here is a great article I highly recommend: The Fear of Taking Risks Never Goes Away (Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway) For teaching lessons and ideas click here Thank you for reading!
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"All the reading she has done had given her a view of life they had never seen." ~ Roald Dahl, Matilda
During the summer of 2017, I had the opportunity to travel to Germany with Go Global NC. I had an unforgettable experience! The biggest impact I had during this experience was the cultural differences and similarities I experienced in 10 days. Culture shock is not new to me! I came to the USA at the age of 15 and experienced as much culture shock as you can imagine. However, the sad thing was that I felt like as a newcomer student, I was somehow forced to put aside my own culture, beliefs, and values, in order to acculturate to the USA. Once I started school I stop reading and learning in Spanish; and I never had the opportunity to share my values and my Guatemalan culture with teachers and peers. I had the thought that my culture was not worth talking or reading about.
While visiting Germany's schools, I noticed as much diversity as we see in USA schools today. What shocked me, however, was how comfortable diverse students were sharing own culture and speaking their home language. Students would have book talks and you can hear 3-4 different language spoken at one time. Wow! What an eye-opening moment for me! I loved how students embrace who they are and how they value knowing and speaking different languages!! So I decided to take action. I want my English learners to not fall into the trap replacing culture while acculturating in the USA. Just because they are learning the language and living the USA doesn't mean they need to completely forget their roots and who they are. They need to know that their culture, language, and family beliefs are valued and matter. So I wrote two grants and both were funded:
Lessons
The following lessons can be for elementary grades K-5 and adjusted/extended as needed.
After reading the book out loud, students turned and shared with partners all the details the author mentions about similarities and differences. I had students create a T-chart with illustrations and labels as an anchor to share what we've learned. I could've created this chart myself, however, I believe in student empowerment...and having student created charts are just epic!
We used this chart as we introduced the next book. Connections are very important when introducing a new book or topic. This chart helped us predict and have discussions about the characters in our next book: Same, Same but Different.
These conversations that students were having was perfect since it prepared them to compare the two characters which are exactly what this book is about. The book is about Elliot who lives in America and Kailash who lives in India. They are pen pals who write to each other sharing their differences and similarities. After reading the book out loud, students turned and shared with partners all the wonderful things that the two characters have in common as well as their differences. At this point, students had so much language that they could've to continue sharing all morning long. Students also created a T-chart comparing the two characters:
As students were creating this chart, I asked to begin thinking about themselves and to come up with some things they had in common with one or both of the characters.
They were also asked to appreciate differences they had with one of the characters and share that as well.
If there is a book you must have as part of your classroom library, it should be I'm New Here. This book highlights exactly what students go through as newcomers in USA classrooms. In this book, you'll learn the struggles, the confusions, and the feelings that our language learners experience as they begin to acculturate in USA schools. However, what I love the most about this book, is the fact that it teaches us to highlight students' strengths and create a comfortable environment where students show their abilities. Maria, Jin, and Fatimah teach us a valuable lesson for all to learn...not just students...but educators as well.
Before we started reading I'm New Here, we discussed what it would be like to leave the USA and moved to India where Kailash lives and why? This image shows my first graders' responses using illustrations. This chart ignited a great discussion as we have already learned all about Kailash and his way of living. This was a great activity to activate background knowledge and make text to text connection. It was a great way to introduce our new book and begin predicting how the characters in our new story might feel because they had to leave their home countries to come to the USA.
Another great activity we did before we started our book was learning where our characters were from. We pulled out our world map and circled the three countries our characters were from. This is a great opportunity for students to learn a little more about different cultures. An extension to this map activity would be to learn all about: Guatemala, Korea, and Somalia. It is always a great idea to read the book aloud the first time without any interruptions. This is a strategy that teaches students to carefully pay attention to the story from beginning to end. After hearing the story, students turn and share with a partner all and everything they want to share the text. From character information to details - no specifics - just TALK about the text! For the second reading, students were told to pay very close attention to character change at feelings. They are told to observe how characters feel in the beginning of the story, in the middle, and how they feel once the story ends. Though this book is excellent to teach story sequencing, my focus was on understanding the character using the details found in the text. Students also had a written response assignment. They chose one of the characters and explained how he/she felt in the beginning of the story and compared to their feeling at the end of the story.
I was amazed how empathetic my students felt about each character. They were able to explain why students felt the way they felt and what made them change the way they each felt.
As students were sharing their individual written response, we created a classroom chart with all the details we learned about each character. I divided our chart paper into three parts to help students visualize the information need for each character.
While we were creating our chart I can tell some students were more into one character than others. I believe it was because they identified with the character's abilities or perhaps they felt a connection with the character's background and language.
This led us to begin analyzing the character of our choice. We cut our chart along the lines and made 3 groups. Students grouped according to their favorite character. The objective was to discuss all the details learned about their character and write a personal story about him/her using transitioning words - First, Next, Then, Last and to include details from the text as to how the character's feelings changed throughout the story and why. It was amazing how students engaged in this assignment and how enthusiastic they were to write all about the character of their choice.
If you want to read our students' books, follow this link and search the character of your choice: Maria/Jin/Fatimah. You won't be disappointed with their fantastic work!
The fascinating thing about this book is the ability to serve as a mirror for our students since they can identify with what the kids are doing; but also, as a window to expose our students the way of life in other parts of the world. We read the book the first time just to enjoy the rich text and the illustrations. But the second time, I had my students to think as they were listening, how they could make personal connections with the text. We also discussed analyzing the text structure - (sequencing of the story). After reading the book students turned and shared with a partner the connections they made with the actions that students perform in other parts of the world. Students also discussed the differences they observed comparing to their personal daily life. As a written response students were asked to illustrate or write what they do every day in the morning - at school - after school - and in the evening. This prompt follows the sequence students heard from the text.
Students shared with one another and grouped themselves according to similarities in what they do every day. So this gave me the idea to have them publish another book about what they do in a day!
If you want to read our students' books, follow this link and search One World One Day.
You won't be disappointed with their fantastic work!
I have shared our students' stories using my class twitter and facebook account and it is amazing the response we are getting. My students are so excited to learn more and write more! These are just some of the feedback we are getting and has empowered my students in so many ways:
Stay tuned for our next book... The Last Stop in Market Street by Matt de la Peña
Thank you for reading!
As 2017 comes to an end, I sit here reflecting on this year and I can't help but smile. Joy fills my heart! Personal goal - I celebrate my growth as a reader. This year I became a passionate reader! I read several books for fun, new books for students' lessons, and professional books. This might not be a big deal for some but it is for me. I was a casual reader...reading because I had to, not because I wanted to. Professional goal: Presented at TX Tesol 2017 convention and traveled to Germany with Go Global NC representing Cabarrus County. However, as wonderful as this year was, I am looking forward to a New Year. I anticipate 2018 to be a year full of excitement. A year of new beginnings. A year of greatness. A year of growth and impact. After reading Tara Martin's post on Fear Disguised as Humility (Humility is not pretending you are something you're not. Humility is not denying your God-given talents. Humility is being REAL), I decided to go big next year. I am shooting for the stars. I choose to step forward! I want to be GREAT! I am not being egocentric...I am being REAL! After reading Lead Like a Pirate by Shelley Burgess and (@burgess_Shelley) and Beth Houf (@Bethhouf), I am confident and passionate about leading in my field. PurposeSo, because I know I want to be great, and because I want to make a difference in the ESL field...I can't help but think about and discover what my REAL purpose is. I know my purpose is to be an educator. No doubt about this. But there has to be more...and next year is all about finding it out. My word for 2018 is Purpose because I want to be GREAT, I must fully understand what my purpose is. Just like the quote above...I know I'm a ship...but I must leave my comfort zone to be able to fulfill my intended purpose. Perhaps I come back to this blog post next year and add to this post since right now it is not as clear as I would like it to be. But as of now...PURPOSE is my #OneWord2018 If you want to share your #OneWord with me, share in the comments! Happy 2018 and thank you for reading!
This post is featured on Confianza's website: Honoring Students' Stories: Identity Texts to Write and Diverse Texts to Read We all know what a mirror is. We all have them and we all need them. Collins dictionary defines a mirror as a flat piece of glass which reflects light so that when you look at it you can see YOURSELF reflected in it. Sometimes we like what we see, sometimes we don't. Perhaps you remember the mantra of Snow White's evil stepmother: Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? This evil queen had a mirror that will always reflect what she wanted to see...but on many occasions, it revealed things she didn't want to see so she'd do something about it. We can apply this same concept to books. Books as mirrors is not a new concept. The idea that a book reflects readers' identity and experiences was presented to us a few years ago. The problem I see is the lack of access to diverse books for students to actually see themselves reflected in books. This is worrisome because "when children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about who they are devalued in the society of which they are a part of." (Read more) This is how the danger of a single story begins! Considering Our Classroom LibrarySo now that we know how detrimental it is for our students to not see themselves reflected in text, our job is to make it tangible. Stand in front of your classroom bookshelf and ask:
The books you choose as a mentor text for your lessons are very important as well. I understand that we have a standard we need to cover. However, there are books out there available for us to not only teach the necessary content but also validate and represent students sitting in our classrooms who long to be seen and understand for who they are. Here you have a few resources to help you find diverse books to use as mentor texts:
This is my sixth year in the classroom; Every year I try different methods to make sure I have diverse books available for my ESL students. It is my responsibility to empower them with the tools to know that they matter. Perhaps, they'll be inspired to be the author of their own personal story because now they know that they are worth being the main character in a story. This is our ESL classroom library with diverse books. Every day my students take a book home...I tell them that they can borrow a book but they get to keep the ideas...but if they keep my book...
I rather lose a book than a reader ~ Donalyn Miller If you have any resources or ideas you'd like to share with me, please let me know in the comments! Thank you for reading! I love this picture! I know is not the best picture you've seen but is the moment captured in the image what I love the most. This is me in this picture. It was a January day in 1994. I was 15 years old. My two younger sisters and I were on one of many buses in our journey from Guatemala to Mexico. Three undocumented and unaccompanied minors with so much fear that words cannot describe; but also with so much faith for a better future. I can tell you exactly what I was thinking at that moment...
The school enrollment process was very quick and in no time I was attending school. I was enrolled at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village, NY. I wish I had a picture of my first day of school because I'm pretty sure I had the biggest smile you can imagine. I was fascinated with the building and with all the goodies I was offered upon enrollment. I was beyond excited to begin attending school. Finally an opportunity to be a kid and begin learning to one day reach the success I had always dreamed of. Unfortunately, 3 years later, I walked out of the school in shame, disappointment, and heartbroken. I became part of the Latino High school dropout. I was told I couldn't graduate or obtain my high school diploma because of an end-of-grade test I had been unable to pass. I couldn't continue attending school because I had already completed all the required credits. However, today, I realize that it was more than just a test what hindered my education. You see, a test score doesn't determine success. A grade doesn't say students' dreams. A pop-quiz doesn't demonstrate potential, much less my passion. This is why I wish my teachers knew...
I share this because the need for educators to know how our newcomers and ESL students are feeling in the classroom is critical. I can't tell you how many times my students express the sense of failure they have because they are language learners. The need for culturally responsive teaching is greater today that it has ever been. If you have a newcomer or an English language learner, I beg you, take the time to get to know your student. STOP your focus on data, testing, and curriculum alone! Gain their hearts. Learn their story. Help them reach their potential. Let them feel that they MATTER! I promise the language and academic development will follow these priorities. It is never too late to change your focus. Reach out for support and provide opportunities for our students to grow to be successful citizens. Here is a post I wrote about ways to support newcomers in your classroom. and here is a great post by Tan Huynh about essential collaboration to support English Learners. Thank you for reading!
Here’s a very simple question for you; Are you a casual reader or a passionate reader?!? To help you answer this question let’s analyze the characteristics of these traits: I used to be a casual reader. I read because I had to, not because I enjoyed it. I own these books here because they were required readings during my undergrad and grad school teaching courses. I kept them because I found them very useful and I’ve used them for the past few years as resources and recommendations. However, not one book in there I purchased because of a desire to read and gain knowledge. My life as a reader was sad and pitiful. I didn’t realize it until I read this quote by Pernille Ripp’s: “...if reading is merely something we teach, and not something we live, then why should students take us seriously when we tell them how important reading is to future success.” Now, if you are a teacher, you probably own hundreds of children’s books...at least I do. I’m always on the lookout for the latest and best books to use in lessons and to encourage my students to read more. Our job as educators is to grow readers and instill how import reading is to their academic success. In reality, I was not living what I was teaching my students. The expectation I had for them, I didn’t have it for myself. I realized that I was being a hypocrite. I was trying to inspire my students to do something I wasn’t passionate about. Pernille Ripp’s words hit me so hard that I started looking for ways to change my reading habits. Of course, to make such drastic change, I realized I couldn’t do it alone and that my readings needed to be intentional to be able to grow as a reader. So I’d like to highlight the platforms that helped me become a Passionate Reader:
Though it was very nice to get these badges, it was the relationship I built with the group participants that encouraged me to continue participating in the chats. Ever since I’ve joined this group chat, I’ve added so many more books to my bookshelf...and the list keeps growing. I am learning to LOVE reading. I am buying books because I want to experience what others are experiencing when reading their recommended books. I make time every day to read my books. I am also enjoying sharing what I find interesting in a book using #bookSnaps, Padlet and blogging about my readings. I am growing as a reader, as a person, and as a professional. I am just a book and a chat away from the perfect personalized professional development I can ask for. Now, #BookcampPD is offering even more opportunities of engagement by adding the VOXER PD version of book chat!! I learned to use this new app and love hearing other’s books recommendations and perspectives on their readings.
You see, the platforms, the tools, and passionate readers are out there ready for you to join their passion!! I would love for you to check out these two hashtags and join the fun conversations; however, my intention is to ignite in you the passion for reading. The passion for starting and finishing a book to happily find someone to share it with. The passion to get lost in a book. Perhaps these inspirational reading quotes can also inspire you! I feel very confident encouraging you to read because I am now a PASSIONATE READER! “There is no friend as loyal as a book.” ~ R. G. Collingwood Happy reading! Thank you for reading!! On November 2nd through the 4th, I had the greatest opportunity and privilege to attend the TESOL convention in Houston, TX. One of the reasons I wanted to go to this convention was because I have two sisters who live in Houston and wanted an opportunity to visit them. The other reason I really wanted to go was that I wanted to meet a lot of my Twitter friends who were also attending. I submitted a proposal and it was accepted! As matter of fact, I was honored to be one of their featured speakers!! My little sister was able to be with me during my presentation! I was so thrilled to have her there!! I was very excited to present my Teaching Channel project. If you are interested in reviewing my powerpoint presentation or my padlet ...here they are: Presentation: PowerPoint and PadletBefore the convention, I had the opportunity to visit Stratford High School in Houston. English learners at this school are in Carol Salva's ENL class and over the past few months, I have created a very strong connection with her students. Read more here! I loved hugging and high-fiving these brave students. I felt like I have known them for so long. I had all of them sign my copy of Boosting Achievement book since the majority are in it! I can tell they felt privileged autographing a book that was written about their success. I was so much fun meeting face to face most of my Twitter friends who were at the convention. We hugged, laughed, and shared so much! I promise you, by the end of the convention, I was exhausted!!! Of course one of the biggest highlights was to hear (great presenter by the way) and meet our ESL idol...THE Dr. Stephen Krashen! I think every language acquisition method is based on Dr. Krashen's theory! We were fortunate to have our picture taken with him. I was able to get him to autograph my copy of Boosting Achievement book since there's a section that talks about one of his theories... "Compelling Input"! I had the best time ever. I must say that this was by far the BEST convention I have ever attended! I am looking forward to continuing strengthening my relationship with my PLN and practice everything I learned through each fabulous presentations.
We tweeted like crazy during the conference so if you have time...check out the convention hashtag: #TXtesol2017 Thank you for reading! Show Way - A project That Affirms Identity As an English as Second Language (ESL) teacher, my job is to analyze my students’ needs and develop their linguistic and communicative competence in English-speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills. One of my goals is to help them achieve a proficient level of English that allows them to function independently in their classrooms, and in society in the future. Another goal is to ignite in them the love for their native language and diverse culture. I am saddened by the fact that the majority of my students do not see their native language and heritage as an asset. I am not sure what the root for this belief is, but many educators do not see students’ native language and culture as an asset in the classroom. When students do not see themselves in curriculum or in lessons, they get a message that who they are is not important. For this reason, I believe it’s imperative the use of diverse texts in the classrooms. There is a sufficient amount of diverse text available that educators can use as a tool to highlight students’ diversity and enrichment their curriculum and not see diversity as a deficit. So in order to achieve my goals, I thought about delivering a lesson where my students can develop the English language and also learn to appreciate their language and heritage. 1: Reading text: Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson We started by reading a book by one of my most favorite authors, Jacqueline Woodson. The book is called, “Show Way” and it is illustrated by Hudson Talbott. The story is dedicated to Ms. Woodson’s family in loving memory of the women who came before her. We learn in this bravery story that family members would make SHOW WAYS (quilts) with secret meanings that are mapped to freedom. This story is a story of hope and courage that inspired many generations...including the author...Jacqueline Woodson. Though students might need a little background knowledge about slavery and why traveling North vs South, our focus was mainly the characters actions and the production of the quilts.
*In our discussion we concluded that Mathis took that little piece of the blanket because she knew how special it was and believed that she could do something with it. She ended up creating something that made an impact on many people. She treasured her mom’s work and she honored it by making quilts to guide her people to freedom. People would come to her to be impacted by her work.
2: Post-Reading Discussion/Connections We ended the book discussing how Ms. Woodson became a writer because she wanted to share her family stories of courage and inspire others to value their heritage and have the courage to share who they are and value the people who came before us. My students were greatly impacted by this story. Without having to tell them much, they were able to see for themselves how important it is to accept, value, and share our heritage and family’s story. Each student took a few minutes to think about their own family stories. We made a list of who might’ve impacted our family in any way. We listed great-grandparents, grandparents, mom and dad, uncles, aunts, cousins brothers and sisters, and even neighbors and we thought about how each individual contributed in some shape or form to where we are today. Students shared their ideas and were able to gather ideas from their peers as well. We then made a list of what makes us who we are. What food do we eat? What languages do we speak? Where does the family like to go? What does the family like doing together? When does the family get together? What holidays or celebrations are we part of? Do we (or anyone in our family) wear a different outfit? 3: Project: Our Personal “Show Way” or Identity
4: Sharing and “Showing” our identity We all had the opportunity to share our sheet and learned so much about each other. We allowed questions for further understanding. Our students were very supportive and respectful of everyone's family representations. 5: Making of our classroom “Show Way” Once we all shared, we decided to make a list of our similarities and we realized how we share so much. We talked about how we need to be proud of who we are and the importance of sharing with the world all about our heritage. We decided to put all pieces together and create a “Show Way” quilt just like Ms. Woodson’s family to show our appreciation and to remember our foundation. **This post was featured on Sevenzo's web page as:
Being Who You are is an Asset, not a Deficit!** CELEBRATING SUCCESS AND FAILUREBlog originally published 05/12/17 on Teacher2Teacher When I started going to school in the United States, I was embarrassed. My age landed me in a ninth grade class, but the highest education I’d received in Guatemala was sixth. There was too much to worry about in Guatemala: watching my younger brother and sisters, helping my family buy food, staying safe in a tumultuous country. We immigrated to New York City to be with my grandmother because my mom wanted a better life for us. So there I was, new to this massive city, experiencing all the shock and displacement that come with being foreign in a new home and placed in classes three years beyond any I’d taken before. Still, I loved it. All of it. It was the first time I was able to embrace school and education. I went to school in the morning. I went to satellite classes in the evenings. I spent nights surrounded by dictionaries and thesauruses to do my homework. And as hard as it was, I did well. I learned the language in a year and a half. I tested out of my ELL classes. I completed 42 credits. But things came apart for me right at the end on a test I couldn’t pass. American history. Go figure. I was so disappointed. I’d given everything I could. I had worked so hard over such a short period of time. But I didn’t graduate. They said, “Come back next year and try again.” I didn’t. I was done with school. It wasn’t for me. And that was the hardest part, that it wasn’t for me. Failing at school made me question everything I believed I knew about myself. Ever since I was a little girl, I’d wanted to be a teacher. Taking care of my brother and sisters, I worked with them on their numbers and the ABCs. It was always on my heart. My grandmother was a preschool teacher who retired from New York. I remember her telling stories after school – not what she said or what happened to whom, but the passion and joy that spread across her face as she told them. After I dropped out, I went to work as a cashier. I needed to help my family. I did that for several years, moving from New York to North Carolina. And that was fine for a while, but a time came when it just hit me: I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to do with my life. I got the bug for education again. I found a local community college and got my GED. My GED is framed on the wall of my classroom. It was passing that test that allowed me to keep going. I went on from there to find success in college: I got my associate’s degree, my bachelor’s and then my master’s, but a test – another test – did me in. I couldn’t pass my Praxis to become an elementary school teacher. When I think back on that American history test and the Praxis, I feel such empathy for my students. It never got easy for me. I’m not sure it ever does for ELL students. It’s hard to build confidence, and there’s so much failure. But if there’s one thing that’s been true for me, it’s that belief comes when you least expect it and most need it. I found my first job in a classroom as a teacher’s assistant in Angie Power’s first grade class. I spent eight years with Angie, and it was exactly where I was meant to be. Because of the time I spent under her wings, learning from her right alongside those first graders, I knew I could do it when it came time to walk out of her classroom and into my own. After all my starts and stops, the ups and downs, I’d found a place to learn, and I’d found someone who believed in me. I walked out of Angie’s class ready, for the first time, to become what I was meant to be. They made me the educator I am today, an educator who understands the fears and anxieties of my students and their parents. They made me an educator who will be for my students what I didn’t always have: someone to believe in them. They made me an educator who’s still got so much to give. And I’m thankful to everyone who supported me. To my mom and my family, to my grandmother, to Angie for teaching me right alongside those first-graders, to my cooperating teacher Sarah Collins, to all who’ve shaped my path: Thank you. Let’s never stop believing in each other and in our profession, appreciating what we get to do and cherishing the opportunity we have to inspire our students to learn, dream and succeed. Thank you for reading!
When I enter any particular classroom at any particular school, my first instinct is to look around and find something I identify with. The Latino background in me longs to see something that reflects or resembles my culture. When I do find something, it makes me happy and it's even an opportunity to initiate conversations about the artifact's background.
So this got me thinking about my students. I teach English language learners (ELLs). My students come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Many of them are cross-cultural students (read more about it here). The point is, because of who my students are, it is my responsibility to establish and maintain an environment where all my students feel comfortable and safe. So as I rearrange my classroom and decorate my walls, I have to be intentional with my decor. You see, when students step into your classroom, they look around and they immediately search for something they can recognize. They look around for something to connect, whether is cultural, emotional, or linguistic; they long to identify with something...ANYTHING that assures them that their backgrounds are accepted....I can guarantee you that a desk globe and/or a world map on a wall doesn't quite do the trick.
After reading, "To Connect Across Cultures, Find Out What You Have in Common", I realized that I need to do more...WE need to do more in our classrooms to build trust and connections with our ELLs. We need to be intentional about what's in our classroom and support our students with diverse cultures find similarities and not differences among cross-cultures.
We need to come together and share ideas among educators on ways to bring awareness and gain multicultural backgrounds as well as activities that will help our students be sensitive to a diverse population.
I am going to start posting pictures of everything I have in my classroom that supports and promotes students' diversity using the hashtag #ELLchat_Snaps and I encourage you to do the same.
I can't wait to see the wonderful things you are doing in your classrooms to make your ELL feel important, comfortable, and accepted!
Thank you for reading!
Tan Huynh invited me to guest post on his website about my methods on grading English language learners and newcomer students. **This post appeared originally in www.empoweringELLs.com on August 7, 2017.** As an English as Second Language (ESL) teacher, my job is to analyze my students’ needs and develop their linguistic and communicative competence in English-speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills. My goal is to help them achieve a proficient level of English that allows them to function independently in their classrooms, and in society in the future. To help me accomplish my goal and perform my job as an ESL teacher I have the WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment). North Carolina is part of the WIDA consortium of states dedicated to the design and implementation of standards and equitable educational opportunities for English Learners (ELs). As an ESL teacher, I use WIDA standards along with Common Core State Standards to
Undoubtedly, one immeasurable reward I find in being an ESL teacher is seeing my students reach a high proficiency level of English and to be able to function independently in core instruction. So, merging my personal experiences as an EL with my obligations as an educator, I see the critical need and responsibility to serve as an advocate for my students. Thus, I use the WIDA Can Do Descriptors! The Can DO Descriptors provide a clear and basic overview of ELs’ ability based on their initial or annual language proficiency test. This powerful document highlights what our ELs CAN do at various stages of the language development and for each language domain as they interact with core content. I encourage you to take advantage of these valuable documents that by the way are free through the WIDA website. Even if your state is not a WIDA state, these documents can be a great tool not only for you as an ESL teacher, but also for mainstream classroom teachers, students, and parents! TIP #1: Share the CAN Do Descriptors with Mainstream Classroom Teachers.At the beginning of the each school year, I gather all the teachers at my school and we go over ACCESS, CAN DOs, accommodations, and modifications. For teacher buy in, I make sure my presentation is fun and engaging. I begin by giving them the acronym ‘ACCESS’ (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) and they have to guess as a group what each letter stands for. The group who gets most letters correct gets a small price! Teachers learn how to read their students’ language proficiency levels and use the CAN Do name charts to chart each student in his/her corresponding proficiency level for each language domain. These are the name charts we use: Kindergarten, First grade, Second-Third, Fourth-Fifth. Higher grades are also available on the WIDA website. Teachers understand that even though students receive a proficiency composite score, it’s imperative to see which domain is the student’s strength and/or weakness to better support during instruction. Teachers also receive this document that provides linguistic accommodations teachers can use to support students access core without having to water down content. This other document is also helpful since it provides Bloom’s Taxonomy questions differentiated by language proficiency level. TIP #2: Share the CAN DO Descriptors with your StudentsThis year I started sharing with my students not only their ACCESS scores but also the CAN DO Descriptors. I never thought how exciting this would be for all my students. They all loved looking at their scores and charting their name on the appropriate proficiency level for each language domain. You could hear students say: “Look, I am really high in speaking!” or “Look, I really need to work on my writing.” Students received two highlighters, one to highlight the current CAN DO statements, and another one to highlight the goal we set for next school year. Their CAN DO chart is glued in their daily notebook so when we used them they can see it and be encouraged. Next school year, I will be using this student friendly CAN DO charts. Not only are they colorful, but they’re much better for them to read and understand. I believe without a doubt that students need to be explicitly taught the expectation we have of them from the very beginning. My students understand that their teacher, their parents, and I know exactly what they can and cannot do.They have a clear understanding and a visual of where they are linguistically and where my goal is for them to be by the end of the school year. They know that I will be reporting quarterly to teachers and parents how they are progressing toward their language proficiency goals. TIP #3: Share the CAN DO Descriptors with Parents: Yes, you read this right...share it with your student’s parents! The CAN DO Descriptors are such a powerful tool for teachers and students that this year I decided to start sharing it with parents through a progress report format. Let me elaborate; When I get my students’ ACCESS scores, I analyze each and every student’s data to determine their school year language goal. It’s really all about getting to know your students to better support them in the language domains they need it most. For example: If Emily’s ACCESS report states that she made a 3 in speaking, then her goal for the year would be to master the 3 and make it to a 4. If she made a 2 in reading, her goal for the year would be a 3...so on and so forth. If a student makes a 5 or 6, then there is no goal assigned for that domain since the student had shown mastery on the domain. A student could have 1 - 4 goals depending on his/her language proficiency. In order to have parent support in helping their child grow linguistically and academically, I provide them with a quarterly progress report that lets them know how they are doing throughout the year. Teachers may also get this report if they wish to see how their student is doing in ESL. I make the effort to honor my students’ family language by translating their progress reports. WIDA has the descriptors available in Spanish if you wish to use them! I know for a fact that our parents would appreciate receiving such valuable document in their native language. Take a look at this example! Our county is fortunate to use ELLevation, an online platform that houses our ELs’ data information and provides language strategies. It is through this platform that we can assign students’ language goals and note their progress. The ELLevation goal bank offers goals for newcomers as well! This allows me to provide a report for students who are just entering the language proficiency levels spectrum. It also gives me an idea of what I should be focusing on students who are new to the English language. These are the progress reports I use. Feel free to download, edit, and use as you like. I won’t lie to you...it takes some work to put them together but in the end, it is all worth it because you’re providing accurate and helpful information to your students, teachers, and parents. As you can see, there is so much we can get out of such a valuable document such as the Can Do Descriptors! Now you know that not only is a tool that we can use as ESL teachers to support the students we serve, but it CAN be so much more! Our students CAN DO...Let’s show that they can! If you are on Twitter, join us by posting ELLs’ success stories using #ELs_CAN so we can celebrate with you! **Updated 08/20/17 Added middle school grades and high school ESL progress reports Thank you for reading!
Part IV: Implementing a Practical Approach to Instruction
I am not the teacher I was six years ago when I started my teaching profession. I am better. No, I'm not bragging! When I started teaching, I did the best I could with what I had learned. Not everything I did was good. Not everything I did helped my students...UNTIL...that is the key. As an educator, I do what I think is best for my students...UNTIL I know better. Learning and practicing what's best for my students IS what makes me a better teacher.
Over the years I have learned strategies and methods to better support, my students. I have built a professional learning network that is constantly providing ideas and fresh approaches to better serve my students. So because I know better, I DO better! By no means think that I have it all figured out...on the contrary...I continue learning so I can become the best I can be for my students.
When it comes to implementing practical and effective strategies to support language learners, you must know that what works for one student may not work for another. It is very important for you to know your student. Knowing their reading level is NOT enough. A level doesn't tell you about their personality. A level doesn't show you how they learn. In order to close any academic gap, there needs to be a specific target area to support. For our language learners...LANGUAGE is the target you need to focus on. If you are interested in how to support your language learners with language interventions, read this article by Kristina Robertson.
If you have students who are just beginning to acquire English, fear not. In Boosting Achievement we learn that newcomers can engage in certain tasks to be able to participate in the content provided in class. Your newcomers can:
If your student is a newcomer, the first thing you want to find out is the literacy level in native language because you'll use that to build second language acquisition. Read one of my recent post about a newcomer who grew almost two grade levels in reading just by allowing him to use their native language.
WIDA Consortium has this document that I know you'll find helpful. You'll gain tips about getting to know your newcomers and ways to support them not only in school but also in the community. I also encourage you to read "28. Comprehensible Output: What Students Can Do" by Tan Huynh (@TanELLclassroom). Tan provides tip and strategies to deliver lessons in a way that your students comprehend it as well as support students with output process.
My Flipgrid response was based on Boosting Achievement's section on balanced literacy. I believe it is imperative to teach our students the structures of the English language. Language learners need explicit phonological awareness lessons. These lessons could be quick daily interventions where students learn vowel teams, consonant blends, dominant -r, etc. They need to understand the many combinations of alphabet letters to make words and how words make sentences.
One great website to find "research proven" interventions for these type of foundations is: Florida Center for Reading Research. Here you'll find student centered activities by grade level along with teacher resource guides to focus on language foundations.
If you're more like me and want to provide a hands-on activity to develop your students' language acquisition, I recommend the interventions below. The lessons are designed for pre-K students but work well for students who are just developing language.
Since word-work and learning about the language are only part of the balanced literacy approach, the rest of it needs to be compelling text. As learned in Part III, students need to be exposed to text that is compelling and engaging for them to acquire language. Text must be relevant and must reflect who your students are so they can make connections and be motivated to learn even more.
So to finish up I want to thank you for all you do for your students. I have no doubt in my mind that to this day you have done everything in your power to support your students. However, there is always room for more learning. As you learn new methods and strategies, you'll gain better ways to serve your students and be an even greater teacher!
Thank you for reading!
Part III - Accelerating Language Development
Ever since I began taking TESOL courses I have been intrigued with the concept of Second Language Acquisition (SLA). Promoting Academic Success for ESL Students: Understanding Second Language Acquisition for School was the first book, I read (and still own) about this topic. In this book I learned that "SLA is best developed through contextual, meaningful activities that focus on language use combined with guidance along the way from teachers." Even though linguistic experts have been sharing this theory for several years, I am shocked at the misunderstanding and misconceptions among educators regarding SLA. As educators, we must have a clear understanding of how our language learners acquire language. Boosting Achievement calls this understanding, "Best practices" - Foundation of lessons we plan to provide effective opportunities for language development. Read more about this topic and learn about using the Prism Model.
Factors in Second Language Acquisition
Boosting Achievement targets two very important factors I see needing improvement in our schools. In my opinion, if we improve in these two areas, we could see achievement gaps closing among our language learners.
The reason these two factors are important is that they can make a good teacher into a GREAT teacher. This goes back to the questions in the image above; "Does your classroom cover content or cultivate curiosity?"
A Good Teacher: The Washington Post shared an article providing a pretty accurate list of qualities great teachers share. However, it doesn't highlight some of the teaching strategies and methods good teachers use. For example sight word list drills, amazing anchor charts, and content.
I do believe sight words are important; “sight words account for up to 75% of the words used in beginning children’s printed material”, read this post on Why are Sight Words Important.
I also believe how imperative anchor charts are in the classroom! Read more about why in this article: Anchor Charts: Making Thinking Visible. I also understand that as an educator, you are responsible for teaching "CONTENT". Believe me, I get it. I even use the High Noon Intervention program that provides word lists and word patterns for students to learn in my class. However, what I don't get is the need to kill students with word drills and memorizing a ton of words in isolation. What I don't get is the need to post gorgeous anchor charts already pre-made when students can't even read them. What I don't get is how we can just be happy sharing the content we are excited and knowledgeable about without engaging students' curiosity. If you do all this...GOOD! You are a GOOD teacher. You are doing your job. You are helping students "learn". However, when it comes to supporting English language learners, students need more than just "learn". Students need to acquire language. Students need YOU to be GREAT!
A Great Teacher:
A great teacher gains understanding regarding the concepts mentioned above, AND will also apply them as a foundation for lesson planning to provide language learners with the opportunities they need to acquire the targeted language. A great teacher will have all the qualities mentioned above and will also do the strategies mention above; however, "Comprehensible Input" and "Affective Filter" are visible. A great teacher understands that in order for students to acquire the language there needs to have "a focus on providing many opportunities for oral and written interaction rather than intensely focusing on vocabulary lists and finer points of grammar." (pg. 50) Great teachers also make it possible to provide a safe and comfortable environment where students feel free to make mistakes while learning the language. A great teacher also allows students to engage in creating anchor charts to they CAN read it when they need to refer to it. Remember, anchor charts are resources for students, not pretty wall paper for your classrooms. Here is a great post by Valentina Gonzalez about strategies to support ELs. One of her strategies is the proper use of anchor charts with our language learners.
Here are some examples of my students engaging in text and word-work and you be the judge; Am I a good teacher or a great teacher?!? Then, reflect on your profession. Are you a good or a GREAT teacher?!?
I am so grateful to see Boosting Achievement setting the expectation needed of all language and content teachers. Just like we have high expectations for our students, we need to have high expectations of ourselves. Let's continue learning and improving our pedagogy to better serve our language learners.
Thank you for reading!
If you know me, you'd know how much I LOVE my job. Teaching, is to me, more than a job, or a profession...teaching to me is a calling...my passion! That's why every summer for the past four years, I've signed up to work in my county's Summer Reading Camp.
This camp is only 3-4 weeks long and it's right in between summer break so it's just perfect. I get a break right after the end of the school year and a break before the beginning of the next school year. Families receive an invitation to register for Summer Reading Camp after EOG. Not all students are invited and/or admitted to camp. Our camp is mainly to support students who are not far below grade level in reading. Also for 3rd-grade students who did not pass the End of Grade Testing and did not meet the targeted reading level. Transportation and meals are provided to all students. Here's an idea of what their day looks like:
So basically students have rotation centers: Art integration, Science, Reading Rotation, and Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI). Each rotation is about 45 minutes. We take our group to lunch and recess. We also have a block for read-aloud, iReady (computer time), and brain breaks/bathroom breaks. It sounds confusing, but I promise it works out perfectly!
My Assignment:
My assignment has always been LLI. Leveled Literacy Intervention system is an intensive, small-group, supplementary literacy intervention for students who find reading and writing difficult.
I find this system fascinating because it provides a teachers guide and teaching ideas to make reading and writing very interactive promoting student engagement. Not to mention it also provides strong support for English language learning students. Small group instruction for reading and writing is by far my strength! So, even though I appreciate having a guided lesson plan for each book we read, I always end up adding my own twist. Lessons:
Learning about each other: In order to establish a safe and comfortable environment for all my students, we started with an activity where students learned about each other's likes. I placed a poster board sheet in the middle of the table and explained how we are different and similar in many ways. I wrote our group number in the middle and our names branching out from the center. I modeled writing around my name things I like doing or anything I like about me. I modeled sounding out words how it was ok if words were misspelled. Students immediately started brainstorming ideas and adding them to their name. The ending results were amazing!
Why do this activity?!?
Of course, first things first, I wanted to get to know my new students! But this activity turned out to be a great formative assessment. My intentions were to grasp an idea of their writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills. This was a very low anxiety activity where students felt comfortable making mistakes and taking risks in using English. Without my students knowing I was proving them with a scaffolding approach to write complete sentences about themselves. The Writing Process: A Scaffolding Approach is a process to organize writing to meet the needs of your struggling readers and writers.
Vowel Sounds, Word Patterns, and Word-List:
For students who are struggling with vowel sound discrimination, reading grade level text is a torture. Being able to recognize the sound a vowel or a team vowel makes is foundational for readers. Kindergarten through 2nd grade are the grades where students need to master recognizing team vowels sounds and their patterns for written purposes. A student in 3rd grade on should be reading to learn and not having to struggle with phonic foundations. Now for ELL students to achieve high levels of fluency in English, they need to receive sufficient amounts of oral and written input as well as opportunities to express themselves orally and/or in writing. Process:
After reading a story, students get a list of random words taken from the story read and they are to use all of the words to make sentences. The sentences are about what happened in the text so they are familiar with the vocabulary. They are also allowed to look in the text to make sentences. These students here made 5 different sentences! They take turns circling the words needed for each sentence. The final product looks very colorful and they feel very accomplished!
Writing about text:
Here is a great link for tips for using prewriting strategies. Here is another document with great ideas for prewriting strategies.
I had such a great time this summer learning along with my students. I am already looking forward to next summer camp!
Link to all tweets related to our summer school experience!
Thank you for reading!
Today at church I heard a simple yet a powerful story that evoked in me the desire to share my testimony. I've written blogs about my journey coming to America; Another blog about my struggles as a high school newcomer student. However, I feel the need to share what God has done and continues doing in my life. If you've never heard of the story, "Donkey in the Well", here it is: One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off! I don't know about you but I've experienced a lot of dirt thrown at me left and right by the devil. Even before I was born, the enemy had a plan to destroy my life. I give God thanks for his timely intervention that saved me and changed my life. The donkey's story made me realize that through out my life I've been shaking off the dirt that was intended to bury me. I've over come not by my power but by HIS power and grace. Early YearsThe enemy is pretty much scared about our potential when we love and serve God. That is why I believe he tries very hard to mess with our life at an early age. He throws dirt at you so you drown and don't see the possibilities. My grandfather, Alfredo Bonilla, was a good man. I loved him...the memories I have with him are unforgettable. However, he did something that marked and forever changed my mother and my grandmother. He separated my mother from my grandmother. He walked away and disappeared with his 3-year-old splitting her apart from her mother's love and care. My grandmother spent years looking for and crying for her little girl. Her life began to fill up with anger and hate. Meanwhile, my mother started growing up in a very abusive environment. Not only was my mother forced to work from a very early age, but she also was a victim of verbal and physical abuse. My mother couldn't attend school because she had to work. She would go from door to door selling whatever my grandfather would give her to sell. She would spend hours and hours sitting at a market selling what she had been given to sell. My mother recalls looking at other kids playing around having fun and she would long to be the kid she needed to be. People would buy from her not because what she was selling was needed, but because they would feel bad for her sitting there all alone. I can only imagine what her life was like. No other family members to engage with. No mother to hug and care for her. Just an empty and sad life. At the age of 15, my mother met my father. She married him and hoped for a chance of a family and a good life. She had me at the age of 16. Sadly they separated a year and a half later. My mother didn't know that she was expecting another child when she left the relationship. When my dad was told about it, he didn't believe her and didn't recognize my sister as his child. And so my mother's life as a single mother began. At 18 years old, she was trying to raise two children on her own. Without guidance and support, my mother did what she could to raise me and my sister. However, she didn't always make good choices. She would leave me and my sister with neighbors while she would go to work. Sometimes she was gone for days and weeks. So I grew up defending me and protecting my sister. I knew that my mother was out and about trying to make money for us to have food, clothes and a place to live. At the age of 20, my mother had her 3rd child. Things were getting harder now with 3 children to maintain. My mother found a way out of her struggles using drugs. She felt like the drugs were helping her escape her reality. At 23 she had her 4th child but this time things were a little different. My sister's dad was willing to help my mother get a place and gather all her kids so we wouldn't be scattered anymore. It was the first time in 7 years that we able to be together and be under the same roof. The drugs, however, were still there. I learned to HATE drugs. I watched what it did to my mother and swore to never, ever, taste what was slowly destroying the one I love the most. I would beg her to stop. I would cry out to her to not do it again. She would see in my face the fear of ever losing her and she would promise me to stop. But it (the drug) was stronger than her will. Because of her circumstances, I would see myself responsible for caring for my sisters. I would cook, I would bathe them, I would care for them. I was 'mom' when mom was there, but not really there. One day, she was laying in bed past out...and my sisters kept asking for her. So I decided to make a chicken soup and bring it to her with the hopes that she would get up and be the mother we needed her to be. Because of her bad habit, my mother couldn't really sustain a job. She would get creative with things to do to make money for us to eat and pay rent. She would sell clothes, oranges, or whatever she would do to get by. At age 25 mother had her last child. This time she had a boy. We were super excited since there were already 4 girls. So there she was. A 25 years old young lady with 5 children on her own! If it was hard before things were about to get harder. A Way Out for MeA 9-year-old kid should not be looking around for a way out of her family. But I was. I was tired. Tired of the situation we were in. Tired of being 'mom' instead of a daughter. Tired of seeing my mother mentally despairing because of the drug. You see, the enemy was trying to get me. The enemy wanted my life destroyed just like my grandparents and my mother. There was no future for me. There was no way life was going to get any better for me and my family. Statistically, I should've been wrapt into drugs and early childbearing. This was the future I was destined to because the devil had all worked out from the very beginning. There was no other way out...so I thought! One a classmate must have seen how I was feeling and asked me what was going on. I started telling him how I felt and how I wanted out of my situation. He looked at me and said; "Why don't you go to Sunday school with me?" His invitations sounded like a way out to me! My Encounter with ChristA simple conversation with a classmate leads me to an encounter with my savior. I will never forget the peace and sensation I was feeling while seating there clapping my hands and singing to a love that was surrounding me and embracing my circumstances. I was presented to a God that cared about me and loved me for who I was. I encountered a love that gave me the strength to keep on living and keep on helping my mother and my siblings. From that day on, I never missed a Sunday at church. My friend's mom will come to my house to visit and wanting to pray for my mother but she would always hide in the closet. We would just pray out loud so she could hear God's love for her. I was baptized at the age of 12 and surrendered my life to Christ. I have no doubt in my mind that God intervened in my life just in time. I brought Jesus into our home. I brought peace and hope into our home full of chaos. But before things got better...they got worse! My mother didn't have work and her use of drugs was the worse it had ever been. I would get in trouble and sometimes beaten for throwing away her drugs when I found them in her pocket. I wanted nothing to do with something that was killing the very person who gave me life and was helping me survive. I remember making a chicken soup for her just so she would have the strength to get up and be the mother we needed her to be. I remember standing over her bowl of soup and praying for her. Praying and hoping that somehow this soup would snap her out of her situation. But she didn't need a soup to snap out of it. She needed Jesus. She walked out and left without saying where she was going. I feared for her life. I feared that one day she would walk out and never come back. So I would pray for her. I pray for God to protect her and bring her back home. Hope and a New Opportunity For our Little FamilyThat day my mother came back home but she was not the same person that had walked out the door. She walked in yelling; "I found the Lord! I found the Lord!"; "I'm cleaned!" At first, I thought maybe she was drugged too much and not knowing what she was talking about. She wasn't making any sense to me. She sat us down and explained that in her desperation she had walked into a church and had a conversation with the pastor's daughter who happened to be there by accident. She was introduced to the Lord and she gave her life to Jesus. In that very moment, her life was cleaned and changed. She walked out of that church with a changed heart and clear mind. In a powerful and miraculous way, her body was cleaned instantly. With no trace of drug in her body. Our little family was getting a chance to a new life. Our little family was being restored from a destiny the devil had very well planned for destruction. You see, the enemy had a very good plan to ruin our lives. He threw dirt at us over and over trying to bury our potential and our lives. However, God also had a plan. A plan to restore. A plan with a full life, joy, hope, and happiness. John 14:6"I am the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIFE." God gave me this verse years ago. No, I didn't hear his auditory voice talking to me. But while we were in the safe house waiting to be transported to the U.S., I would daily see this verse in a picture frame and it was a reminder that God was with me. I knew he was making a way. Everything was going as planned, but we were coming to the U.S. undocumented. So I would ask the Lord; "You are truth and here we are, crossing the border illegally. How is that truth?!?" But the voice inside me would still say..."I am the TRUTH and I will make a way." And so he did. If you read my journey to America you will see how my God made a miraculous way for me and my family to be in the U.S. with our legal documents. All the time we were at the airport, there was a body of Christ praying for us. Praying for God to make a way and help us. HE came through. All glory be to the one and only who keeps his word. To the one who NEVER let go. Now, I have the life I never in my mind would imagine to ever have. I live a life in a country that for some time it was only a hope and a dream. I live life with Christ. The one and only who saw a little girl with no hope. A little girl how was about to give up. He saw beyond my circumstances and stepped in to rescue me. So all the dirt that the devil threw at me and was meant to bury me ended up being my stepping stone to get out and soar. Jesus didn't make the dirt go away; He was in the dirt with me making a way through! So, is there any dirt in your life? What are you doing with that dirt? Are you getting buried? Take the donkey's example and shake it OFF, step on it, and get out from that situation. God is a faithful God who rebuilt, repairs, and revives! Isaiah 61:4 God bless you and Thank you for reading!
Grit: perseverance and passion for long-term goals.
When I went through high school as a newcomer student, my mother was there. When I put myself through college, my mother was also there. She witnessed my struggles, my failures, and hardships. So every time we talk about my accomplishments, she asks: "But how did you do it?" "Where did you get the strength from to finish your goal?" My answer was always: "I don't know, I just felt like I had to keep going." Today I know that it was because of grit!
Character Lab has a great post on grit that states that "Grit is a critical strength of most people who are successful." It also gives some examples of what grit looks like:
In Boosting Achievement we learn that SIFE and refugee students, "embody grit and perseverance." We know this to be true because their experiences and hardships required them to be strong and committed to surviving in their environment.
"Many SIFE come to America with enough pain to fill a lifetime of sadness and despair." ~ Tan Huynh Our responsibility as their educator is to guide them in using that strength found within them and apply it toward school and life goals.
Dr. Duckworth reminds us that grit "requires deep interest" - This means that our students need to be engaged in what they are interested in even if they fail. We have to provide opportunities for them to take risk and try.
Carol provides us with a great lesson she learned with her student, Hamsa. Watch this video where he shows perseverance in doing what he knows he can do and is interested about. Ideas for Encouraging Curiosity, Creativity, and Global Thinking
Boosting Achievement provides a great list of ideas and opportunities to encourage our SIFE students to engage in topics of interest:
For more ideas and for details about given ideas on page #43 and #44, please visit bit.ly/SalvaBLog
Great video about meeting the needs of refugee students:
Older SIFE students may appear to have a wider educational gap, but FEAR NOT. According to Boosting Achievement, SIFE students come with a sense of urgency, and often have a deeper appreciation for educational OPPORTUNITIES!!
They already have the most important predictor for success: PASSION. PERSISTENCE. MOTIVATION. Just provide the opportunities and watch them soar!!
Thank you for reading!
I am a big fan of podcasts...especially since I got an iPhone! I have the Podcast app and I am constantly getting notifications when there's a new Episode added to the podcast I've subscribed to. I have subscriptions to TeachingPartners, Kids Deserve It!, The TeachThought, and Beyond the Staffroom Podcasts. I know there are other great podcasts but for now, these are the only ones I follow. The reason I enjoy podcasts is that I get to hear other educators' perspective for a variety of topics I am interested about. I've learned strategies I can apply in my classroom; I've gained tips to grow personally and professionally. So if you have a few minutes, listen to an episode of your choice and if you don't like it just switch it and listen to a different episode.
So on July 4th, 2017 I received a group private message from my good friend Carol Salva (@MsSalvaC), and the message was also sent to Derek Rhodenizer (@DerekRhodenizer). I knew Derek because he hosts interviews for Beyond the Classroom (podcast mentioned above). I have heard several of his episodes. One of the episodes I heard, in particular, was Carol's interview about her new book Boosting Achievement. You would want to hear her interview...so here is the link! In her message, Carol introduced me to Derek and said that I should interview for his podcast. She had already shared with Derek part of my story and how our classrooms had connected. So right there Derek gave me a date and time for an interview to his show. I couldn't believe it! I was given the opportunity of a lifetime!! I was very nervous but I was invited to share my story and that gave me the strength to go through it. Besides, Derek made me feel super comfortable! In this podcast, I had the opportunity to share my story as an undocumented and unaccompanied minor traveling from my country of birth, Guatemala, to the United States. I share my struggles as a newcomer student. I also had the opportunity to share some tips for family engagement and the importance of building relationships with our students. So here's my interview with Derek in Beyond the Classroom Podcast. Enjoy! :)
Thank you for reading and listening to my interview!
Part One: Working with Students Who are SIFE
I don't know about you, but I want my students to remember me as their teacher for a life time. However, in order for this to happen, I need to make sure I strengthen my relationship with each and every one of my students. And relationship building starts by learning students background.
Let me start by emphasizing how important it is to know our students' background because each category of language learners is different and each requires a unique level of support. Here is an article I found very relevant to this topic: Good Teachers Embrace Their Students' Cultural Background. Here I learned that as teachers, we tend to use our own experiences when planning the lessons we teach, but then students cannot create connections because is not relevant for them. However, when we know students' background, their story, their struggles, their past, we would lean toward activities and materials that will support students in making connections.
Boosting Achievement does a fantastic job highlighting and providing awareness of the many different categories our language learners' background. Just take a close look at the chart below.
The point I want to bring up with this chart is that not all language learners in your class fall under one category. Our students come to us with a story, with a personal and unique background, and in order for them to be successful, they must receive the appropriate support.
Take my experience as a language learner high school student for example. When I first came to the United States my teacher needed to know that I was a 'Newcomer/Recent Immigrant' and a 'SIFE' student. Not only was I learning the language but I had also missed a lot of school years in my country which put me far behind classmates my age. When interested in supporting L1 (native language) it is imperative for teachers to know the student's educational background. And to find this information could be as simple as asking the parent. Build a relationship with parents and students to provide what is best for the student to be successful in school and in life.
I believe that ALL students need our support. However, I want you to think about English language learners who are struggling academically. Why? The answer is simple: Achievement Gap! I strongly believe that the achievement gap exists among our ELs because we are not targeting and/or providing the appropriate support.
Tips to support newcomers/SIFE students:
Boosting achievement does the following recommendations for SIFEs' needs:
I also have a few recommendations for newcomer students: here.
Watch the video below by Teaching Channel to see how newcomers and SIFE students interact through the use centers to accelerate reading development. This video clearly shows that our newcomers/SIFEs have the ability and "know how to" when the opportunities as presented.
Part I has a heavy focus on Cultural Responsive Teaching. This is super important and a very hot topic in education right now. I believe is due to the growing diversity found among students in our classrooms. Part of being culturally responsive is building a relationship with our students, so last week, our focus was on getting to know our students and building strong relationships by valuing our students' stories. However, I see it as taking a step further...When we know our students' background and care about who they are, it'll reflect in what our classrooms look like. What I mean is that knowing your students will make you want to provide a place where they feel safe, comfortable, and familiar to them. Making sure our classroom decor mirrors our students' culture and background.
Boosting achievement provides great tips such as desk arrangements, and labeling school items in multiple languages. Here is another article I found helpful on providing classroom setup strategies. It's imperative to consider these tips that facilitate learning ultimately optimizing language learning and academic achievement. Self-Advocacy
Carol shares a fascinating story of a SIFE student who had to advocate for himself when he noticed he was not getting what he needed. I believe it is necessary for our students, Kindergarten - 12th grade, be able to advocate for themselves. Students will at one point in their education encounter educators or school personnel who will instead of supporting students are obstacles for students' success. That is the point when students need to stand for what they believe it is best for themselves. I found this link very helpful on tips and steps to follow on teaching students to self- advocate.
Osama is now my hero! He taught me that as an educator, there should be a level of 'shame' when I don't take the time to listen to students' needs and advocate on their behalf. You see, as an educator, you can't be both; You either are supportive or an obstacle. Which are you? If you are reading this, is because you care about your students and want to support them. Thank you, #eduHero!
Accessing SIFEs' English Proficiency and Background Knowledge
This section really made think about ways I can gather my newcomers' background information to better serve them. In Cabarrus County, we are very fortunate to have the ELLevation platform that houses our ELs' demographic information as well as their language proficiency levels. This is a system with easily accessible data as well as targeted instructional language and content strategies.
However, I noticed that there is no place for us to flag if our student is a refugee student. While discussing his topic with our county's ESL counselor, I realized that the only way for teachers to know if a student is SIFE is to share it with the teacher. But what if the student moves to another school? Shouldn't this information be available as part of their demographic information for new teachers' easy access? This thought is just one of the thoughts Boosting Achievement is making me realize as a read through. Another idea I have after reading the "Refugee-Focused Intake Process" is to create a spreadsheet with some of the components Texas uses for their "Intake/Pre - Assessment Form". I am fascinated with the three focused components: Affective, Linguistic, and Cognitive. As an ESL teacher, my focused needs to go beyond whether students speak English or not. But also know their cognitive skills levels in math and reading, and/or issues that could affect them psychologically, mentally or emotionally. I can't wait to see what else I learn in the coming chapters. I am definitely betting my teaching pedagogy with Boosting Achievement!!
If you are interested in reading my previous blogs on Boosting Achievement book club notes, just follow this link!
Don't forget to check you Carol's blog. Here is her blog for Boosting Achievement Week 2
Thank you for reading!
This quote is core of what I am about. A personal story, especially a story filled with struggles and hardships beyond our imagination, can be the foundation for our students’ success.
As educators, we must be open-minded about the possibilities for SIFE students and begin to see their culture and language as an asset not as a deficit. Being SIFE doesn’t make them any inferior.
Now, Carol advised and modeled that just being aware of students’ stories and previous hardships, is not enough; we must also act, and to me, acting is finding ways to provide SIFE students the opportunities they need to be successful.
This thought led me to gather a few resources I found helpful on this topic: The Immigrant Learning Center offered two wonderful webinars on July 11th and 12th. Follow this link to access presentations and other resources.
Access Newcomer Tool Kit provided by the U.S. Department of Education: Who are our newcomers;
Welcoming newcomers to a safe and thriving school environment; How do we support newcomers’ social and emotional needs; Establishing partnerships with parents. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/newcomers-toolkit/index.html Education Connection also offered interactive 3-part webinar series and provided resources on supporting newcomers: You must sign up to access their resources but its totally FREE!
We are learning so much from this book club already. Many of us have been challenged to do some things we never thought we would do. I, for example, learned how to create a 3D avatar and posted a bookSnap! Check it out!
Don't forget to check out Carol Salva's blog for more resources: Boosting Achievement Week 1
If you have the book and would like to go over the questions we used during week one for discussion, here they are! Thanks to Katie Toppel (@Toppel_ELD) for providing the questions.
All tweets under #ELLchat_BKclub are here so you haven't missed any:
Thank you for reading!
Notes and reflections posted here are about the newly released book;
Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education by: Carol Salva (@MsSalvaC) and Anna Matis (@AnnaTeachesELLs).
There are several reasons why I am interested in this book:
Now, I started this post because I felt like I had to do more than just read this fabulous book. I needed a place to log and share my thoughts and notes about all the wonderful points gained from reading. Besides, the tweet below not only spoke volumes to me but it gave me the conviction I needed to find ways to better interact with my reading.
Carol Salva has a great blog that provides all the resources that go along with the 5 week virtual book study. Please check it out for weekly updates!
There is also a @bookSnapsREAL Gallery through Padlet to curate all the #ELLchat_BKclub #bookSnaps and a Flipgrid (platform where videos with responses are archived) created by Carlota Holder (@Carlota_Holder)
Blog Post: Boosting Achievement Book Study - Week 1
Blog Post: Boosting Achievement Book Study - Week 2
Blog Post: Boosting Achievement Book Study - Week 3
Blog Post: Boosting Achievement Book Study - Week 4
Blog Post: Boosting Achievement Book Study - Week 5
Thank you for reading!
Caridad came to Irvin during our 2012-2013 school year. Not only was she new to our school but she was also new to this country. She came from Haiti at the age of 7 and her first language is French. When I first met her, she was this sweet and shy girl. Her mother asked for us to call her 'DaDa' since that was what she was used to. It didn't take long for Caridad to warm up and feel comfortable in my classroom. She quickly began participating and taking risks with speaking, reading, and writing. Her outgoing and enthusiastic character contributed to her fast learning of the English language and her grade-level content. By the time she ended first grade, she was very close to grade level in reading and math.
When Caridad began second grade, she had the courage to speak up and let her teachers and classmates know that she didn't want to be called DaDa. She said, "I don't want to be called Dada because my name is Caridad!" Oh, how I wish I had the courage to speak up like she did when they were mispronouncing my name in high school. To make a long story short, by the end of second grade, Caridad had caught up with her peers. Academically, she was on grade level and it was only a matter of time for me to find out if she had met her linguistic goals as well.
The school year 2015-2016 was the year when Caridad started 3rd grade. Now, this is the grade level where standardized assessments are administered. This is usually a year where the majority of my ELs students struggle since the assessments are all at grade level text. However, that was not the case for Caridad. I have to mention that during her 3rd grade, she didn't receive explicit ESL services because her last ACCESS scores were pretty high (just not high enough to exit).
All throughout the year, Caridad stayed on grade level. Her teacher and I had no doubt that she was going to do great on her EOGs! And she did! Not only did she pass her ELA and Math EOGs but she scored the highest in her class. AND she also placed out of ESL this year! With only three years in the country, she was now moving onto 4th grade as an ESL monitored student and above grade level in reading and math. She continued to be monitored through ESL during her 4th and 5th-grade and her scores not only maintained on grade level but she was always above her peers. She was always involved in extra curriculum activities and after school programs. She was loved by all teachers and her peers. I was thrilled when I found out that her letter was chosen to be read at the 5th grade graduation ceremony. I twitted about her and it went crazy! :)
Caridad came to me and asked me to help her with her letter and I was thrilled to help her. I was honored that she would think about me to guide her through a very important event.
I shared with her how neat it'll be for her to start her letter saying something in French...and she agreed! I shared with her how important it'll be for everyone to hear her speak her native language and know where she started to where she is now. If you want to read her letter, here it is! I also have a video of her reading during the end-of-year ceremony.
Gifted program recognition!
Highest math and science achievement!
I am very proud of Caridad's accomplishments. She worked hard! She made it! and she'll go far!
Her success is not attributed to me or her teachers, however, I can't help but think that we provided the opportunities she needed to succeed...and she did! Her academic and linguistic success reaffirms my WHY! I teach because I believe education is a powerful weapon to fight ignorance and poverty. I teach because it is such a satisfaction to see students grow, learn, and become more! I wish nothing but the best for Caridad and all our students who leave elementary school today to a new phase in their life. I will miss them...and I will never forget them! Thank you for reading! Friday, May 26th, 2017 was the last meeting with my 5th grade ESL pull-out class. One student walked in the classroom and handed me the drawing shown below. "Mrs. Francis, You are the best ESL teacher" I blushed, hugged her, and thank her for such beautiful thought! However, her written words made me question my abilities as their ESL teacher. As my students sat there in my room engaged and working on their assignment, I couldn't help but ask myself; Did I do enough for these students? Why are they still in my class? Why haven't they exited ESL? Five years ago when I started my career as an ESL teacher at Irvin Elementary, this group of 5th graders was in 1st grade; So this was my very first group of ESL students! For the past five years, I've done my job. I know that my responsibility as their ESL teacher is to analyze their needs and develop their linguistic and communicative competence in English-speaking, reading, listening, and writing. But they haven't. They are still in ESL. They are going off to middle school and they're still in the program! But for a moment, my focus went from judging them to observing them. Then it hit me. They are just kids! They are funny, they're smart, they're sweet, and they are learning. I immediately fell more in love with them for being who they are...kids! So I started thinking, and aiming responsibility toward me, their ESL teacher! Yes, I have done my job. I've taken my responsibilities as an educator very seriously. What did I miss? What have I done for them in the past six years? What opportunities have I made available for them? Where did I fall short? What are they taking from me as they walk away from our school for the last time come June 9th?!? Did I advocate enough for them? As my 5th school year comes to an end, I reflect on what I've done for my students and realize that there is always room for MORE! More relationships, more stories, more advocacy, more love, more inspiration, more smiles, more hugs, more interventions, more opportunities, more family engagements, more listening, and much more of ME! From this point on, I am embracing @ToddWhitaker's quote above! I do have a high expectations for my students, ALL of them, even newcomers! So if I have high expectations for them, I need to have them for myself! I ran out of time to do more for my 5th graders...but I know I left my mark! Together we joked, laughed, read, learned, and had so much fun. I know they love me as much as I love them. I'll treasure these drawings forever! It's a piece of them I keep with me. My hope is for them to remember to be persistent, finish strong, and know I am here... always believing in them!
Thank you for reading!
A few days ago, this image was trending on my twitter feed and it immediately made me think of my newcomers. I hold a very special place in my heart for newcomers. I understand how they feel! As a newcomer student, I remember the fear very vividly! Fear of the unexpected. Fear of the new language. Fear of the what ifs...What if they make fun of me? What if they don't like me? What if I need something and I can't ask? What if they think I'm not smart because I don't speak English. What if...the list could go on and on! But what I also remember very vividly, are the smiles from the school staff as I entered the school building for the very first time.
You see, you don't need to speak you newcomers' native language in order to welcome them into your school or classroom. Your smile goes a long way! Read about providing a safe and affirming environment to lowering the affective filter for language learners. Now, the purpose of this post is not to provide tips for your newcomers in general. You can find that here! This post is to highlight a specific newcomer...Brayan! I posted this tweet about him and thought I would share more about his success!
Brayan was born in Mexico. He started with us in March of 2016. His age placed at a second-grade level and on his first day of school, I had to explain to him that I needed to administer not one, but two tests. I needed to administer the W-APT which is the assessment that determines the initial program placement for services, and the ACCESS (since he enrolled during testing window ?).
It didn't take me long to learn we had a lot in common: Love and passion for learning and a very similar childhood! It amazed me how quick he was to learn new information and how well he could read and write in Spanish. For the remainder of the school year, Brayan received double ESL services. He received one-on-one session for Newcomer foundations with Mrs. Tirado and pull-out services with me and the rest of his second grade ELL peers. In May of 2016, his teacher administered a state mandated assessment (Dibels Next Reading 3D) to determine his end of year reading level. He placed on PC (Print Concepts) which meant he had acquired enough English to demonstrate this list of skills at a proficiency level! In 2016-2017 school year, Brayan began 3rd-grade. This grade level to me is crucial because is when students make the leap from learning to read to reading to learn! Even though Brayan didn't speak English, I didn't want him to just sit in class and not learn a thing. Luckily, his 3rd-grade teacher, Ms. Sams, is a very supportive teacher. We discussed ways to support him so he could be part of core instruction. We decided to start taking advantage of his ability to read and write in Spanish. So he was granted the use of google translate, he was provided books in Spanish, he would complete retells in Spanish, he would do research in Spanish...he was even allowed to do presentations in Spanish!!! He would come to my ESL class time and say, "Mrs. Francis, can you help me translate this paper so I can turn it in?" See, he knew that google translate tool would translate the document for him...but he also knew that in many occasions, google doesn't translate correctly. He needed to make sure his translation was correct! Here is an example of a personal narrative he wrote in October and here is a retell about the book "Emmanuel's Dream". The reason we were allowing him to read and write using this native language was because we truly believe in studies focusing on L1 transfers to L2. By January 2017, when the middle of the year reading assessment was administered, he was a level D! Now, the only reason why he didn't score higher was because at a level 'F' is when the written component is required. For students to score a level 'F' or higher, they must accurately respond to a written prompt and they must do so in English. In order to develop his writing skills in English, he was encouraged to begin proving assignments in the targeted language! This is the first assignment he presented in English and he understood every single sentence! Watch this video as he courageously presents his research to his class!
Brayan was also a participant in our first Annual Spanish Spelling Bee! Not only he helped his peers learn the words but he was also a runner-up the day of the competition!
Brayan's motivation and passion for learning, coupled with the support and opportunities we were able to provide for him, empowered him to soar academically and linguistically.
So what is the result to all if this, you might ask?!? Well, just this month, his teacher administered his last reading level assessment of the year and he placed on a level 'J'!! THAT'S 10 READING LEVELS, my friends!! ? And I have no doubt he scored very well on his ACCESS too. I will be updating his information as soon as I get his scores. My objective in sharing Brayan's story of success with you is because he is proof that allowing students to use their native language to learn and show knowledge is imperative. If you want newcomer students to be part of their everyday learning, you must allow them to use the language they master. Research favors the use and development of native language to better and faster acquire the second language. If you teach newcomers and have a success story you'd like to share, please email me or posted on twitter using #ELs_CAN. We would love to highlight and share as many newcomers' stories as possible...because English language learners CAN!! Thank you for reading!
A couple of months ago I had a 4th-grade student stand in the middle of class and courageously said, "Mrs. Francis, what do I have to do to place out of ESL?" I went ahead and showed her the data and gave her step-by-step what she needed to do to place out of her ESL status.
Meanwhile, there were so many thoughts going through my head. I started to doubt myself as an educator...Does she not like me? Does she not like my class? What should I be doing differently? She preceded, "Mrs. Francis, I like you and I really like your class. Even if I place out of ESL, I still want to come to your class"; "Is just that being an ESL student makes me feel like a failure!" Her words hit me to the core of what I am about! In a matter of seconds, my life flashed before me. Her words made me relive how I felt for so many years as an ESL student and high school dropout. My students and I started discussing the reasons why being an ESL student would make us feel the way it does. Together we brainstormed the following:
This powerful discussion allowed me to share with my students my own experience as a language learner. My students needed to hear from me that I also felt the way they feel, and that having the sense of failure does not make you a failure. On the contrary, failures we face today are stepping stones and detours to greatness. Personally, this conversation opened my eyes to what my focus needed to be from that point on...start highlighting my students' strengths! Our ELs enrich our classroom culture with who they are and with the languages they speak. It is our job as educators to honor our students and empower them with tools and resources to shine...even if it's a little bit! Celebrate progress! Inspire them to dream, learn, and do more so they can become more. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs before Blooms! Reading Sarah Ottow's post: "ELL Achievement Gap or Opportunity Gap" helped me understand that the academic achievement gap that exists among our ELs is not a 'within child' underachievement issue! If our ELs are walking our school hallways repeating to themselves, "I can't", "I don't", "I won't", then it is our job as responsible adults and educators to enlighten them and empower them to aspire for more. We can see the 'big picture'...so why not support them where they are...provide OPPORTUNITIES for students to begin closing their academic achievement gap. So, inspired by Ms. Ottow's post, I began to look for ways to provide opportunities for my students to grow, and show that they CAN! I shared with them my personal narrative as an immigrant and as a newcomer student. I was transparent with them because I wanted to gain their trust. I wanted them to see me for who I am as a person and not as a teacher. I encouraged them to begin their own blog and narrate their personal lives. Oh, boy! The stories I learned! One student began writing about the time his mother left him in Mexico with his grandparents...he grew up thinking that his grandparents were his parents. He met his mother when he came to the U.S. at the age of 8. Another student began to write about being adopted because one day her dad came from Mexico and shot her mom and then shot himself! Her eyes were teary as she shared her story. Another student wanted to share his story but just couldn't get his thoughts down on paper. When I told him he should write his story in Spanish, his pencil wouldn't go fast enough to write his words!
I am taking the time to get to know my students and at the same time, I am highlighting and valuing who they are. Highlight their strengths and you'll see their weaknesses disappear! All it takes is to go the extra mile to cultivate a relationship with your students. When they know you care...they'll do anything for you! Thank you for reading!
Teacher of the Year Program Eligibility and Criteria:
A candidate should…
During my fourth year teaching not only was I eligible, but was also nominated and elected by my colleagues as Teacher of the Year 2016-2017 for W.M. Irvin Elementary school. Reading the criteria a teacher of the year should exhibit, I can name a lot of teachers at our school who not only deserve this honor but exemplify these qualities and more. I was honored to start representing our school and all the wonderful thing we were doing for our students!
Teachers of the year from individual schools in the county advance to compete at the district level.
A selection committee interviews each nominee and selects the top 5 finalists. On March 23rd, 2016 I received the following email: "Congratulations! You have been selected as one of the five finalists for the Cabarrus County Schools Teacher of the Year!" I was super excited and honored to have made it as a finalist. I immediately shared the news with colleagues and family. The five finalist get observed in the classroom by the selection committee. Students, staff, and administration are also interviewed regarding teacher impact at the school level. On May 5th, 2016 Cabarrus County hosted a ceremony to honor 2016 school Teachers of the Year and announce the district teacher of the year. The unforgeable moment was when I heard superintendent Dr. Lowder announcemy name as Cabarrus County Teacher of Year for 2016-2017. I don't have the words to thoroughly convey how I felt in that moment. I was beyond excited to receive such an amazing recognition. This is the passage Ms. Glenda Jones, Assistant Superintendent read about me as I came on stage to join the other finalists. As our county's teacher of the year, I was honored to join our board of education as a teacher liaison for 2016-2017 school year. I also had the great opportunity to share a message of inspiration with beginning year teachers.
So many doors have opened for me this year. I am thankful for the opportunities I get to grow professionally and share my passion. I am now part of the FabFive Squadster Team, a group of teachers, instructional coaches, and site and district leaders who focus on building sustainable approaches to ELL and multilingual instruction that are highly relevant to teachers, students, administrators, and parents. We represent five different parts of the US: California, Texas, Washington, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. Find us on Twitter: #FabFiveSquad and at Teaching Channel. I also had the honor to be featured by Teacher2Teacher. And last and not least, during the summer of 2017 - I got to join other North Carolina teachers on a professional trip to Germany sponsored by Go Global NC.
On Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017, I was honored to share my remarks as 2016-2017 Cabarrus County Teacher of the Year with new Teachers of the Year and celebrated Mrs. Paige Norris as our new County's Teacher of the Year for 2017-2018.
Here's my speech: "Maria Calla dijo: “Esa es la diferencia entre buenos maestros y maestros geniales: buenos maestros hacen lo mejor de los medios de un estudiante; maestros geniales predicen los fines de un estudiante." Maria Calla Said: “That is the difference between good teachers and great teachers: good teachers make the best of students’ means; great teachers foresee students’ ends.” Congratulations great teachers of the year! I am honored to be here on this special night dedicated to YOU and to honor you for loving what you do, and for going above and beyond your responsibilities as an educator. Don’t ever take for granted what you do and who you are, because as an educator you hold your students key to success. Let me tell you what I mean by that. A couple of months ago, I had an ESL student stand up in the middle of class and said: "Mrs. Francis, what do I have to do to place out of ESL?" I went ahead and showed her the data, and gave her step-by-step what she needed to do to place out of ESL status. However, I needed to know what she was asking this! I thought maybe she didn't like me, or my class. Or maybe I needed to do something different for her. So I asked why she was asking this. She said: "Oh no, Mrs. Francis I like you, and I like your class. Even if I place out of ESL, I still want to come to your class." I said, OK - then why the question? She responded: "Is just that being an ESL student makes me feel like a failure." Her words hit me to the core! I could see through her eyes that she was feeling exactly how I felt for so many years as an ESL student and as a high school dropout. She was speaking the words I never had the courage to speak. When I tell you that you that you hold your students’ keys to success, is because you DO! Education is the key for our students to be able to rewrite their personal narrative. A narrative that empowers them, their families, their communities, and our society! My personal narrative before education was a narrative with failure written all over it. As an ESL student and a HS dropout, if you would’ve told me I was going to be standing here a year ago receiving the greatest honor of being named Cabarrus County Teacher of the year...I would’ve told you-you were insane. Statistically impossible! However, OUR profession made it possible for me to rewrite my personal narrative so I no longer live with the sense of failure; I realized that as a broken crayon...I was still able to color. When I think back on all of this, I can’t help but rejoice in it - even the hard parts. I am thankful to everyone who supported me this far. My mother, who without her strength I would have never reached the American Dream; Corey Cochran who hired me with just a GED and nothing else on the table; To Angie Power who took me under her wing and taught me right along her 1st graders or 8 years; For WM Irvin who elected me to represent our school; Assistant principal Danielle Baker, thank you for your support; The board of education who welcomed me and took into account my point of views and opinions; Dr. Lowder, I know you believe in me. YOU highlighted my strengths and made my weakness disappeared. Cabarrus County Schools YOU made me the educator I am today, an educator who will be for students what I didn’t always have: someone to believe in them. An educator who has so much more to give to our profession. So let’s never stop believing in each other and in OUR profession, appreciating what we get to do and cherishing the opportunity we have to INSPIRE our students to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more!"
Thank you for reading!
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