Why "Letters" to a New ESL Teacher?
I remember the first time I stepped in front of my beautiful students, felt all their eyes upon me, and that sense of sheer panic that went with it! They were all new to the country and language. How would I ever teach them when they could not even understand a word I was saying?!
I was fortunate. Amazing teachers and colleagues stepped in. They put their hand on my shoulder, looked deeply into my eyes, and spoke with conviction: "You've got this!" They watched me teach and provided valuable feedback, and sometimes a shoulder to cry on. Because of that impressive cloud of mentors I've had in education, I want to pay it forward. The extraordinary teacher who took over for me when I moved to full-time consulting confessed that just like me when I first began, she felt unprepared to serve the needs of multilingual students (although she had 20+ years in education).
This blog is based on our actual correspondence, and I hope that you find it as uplifting and practical as I certainly do.
I was fortunate. Amazing teachers and colleagues stepped in. They put their hand on my shoulder, looked deeply into my eyes, and spoke with conviction: "You've got this!" They watched me teach and provided valuable feedback, and sometimes a shoulder to cry on. Because of that impressive cloud of mentors I've had in education, I want to pay it forward. The extraordinary teacher who took over for me when I moved to full-time consulting confessed that just like me when I first began, she felt unprepared to serve the needs of multilingual students (although she had 20+ years in education).
This blog is based on our actual correspondence, and I hope that you find it as uplifting and practical as I certainly do.
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Additional ARticles for Educators |
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