Mary Lou’s dilemma

If you look at the last post, you’ll see Mary Lou’s issues. She feels like she’s lacking materials that hold her students’ interest and feels overwhelmed by the non-teaching issues that seem to creep in.

Mary Lou’s problem is one I think that all of us face, some more often than others.

There are lots of resources for you, especially if you have a computer. I hope that we will be able to share some of these at the convention in November. Anybody up for attending a session and sharing what you’ve got? I’ll share mine if you share yours… I hope to be moderating a show and tell session. What grade levels are you looking for? I can email you directly.

And as far as the social work part goes, our students can’t learn unless they are in a happy place. If they are worrying about whether they will be cold outside or what they’ll eat tonight or how they can get this one thing they need, nobody is really going to be listening to the lesson. Part of our jobs is to lower the affective filter. If we don’t put on the social worker hat, or find someone who can take on that responsibility for us, our work will be ineffective.

Now the activities coordinator thing, I’m not so sure. They should be able to form their own social outlets after a while, particularly if there is a community where you are already.

Anyone else have anything to add?

Looking for help

Mary Lou writes:
Hi. As a teacher of both Spanish and ESL, I am always looking for ideas for keeping students engaged in the classroom. What are other ESL teachers using for materials? What real-life objects and approaches work? Does anyone else struggle with providing “everything” to migrants who are stuck on their job sites? I feel like an activities coordinator, as well as gofer for store items, and their social worker; being an ESL teacher sometimes has to be a lesser priority while more immediate needs are met. Comments??

Let’s chat, shall we?

Hello, everyone. I’m trying out this blog to get more people involved in what we are doing. We need a space to gather and discuss what’s going on with English Language Learners in our neck of the woods. What issues are you having? How do you get along? Any new lessons you’d like to pass on?

My recent issue is the national TESOL meeting, scheduled for April in New York City. It’s close enough for most of us to get there without too much trouble, but it doesn’t help when administration finally decides that one can go–just after all the rooms filled up in the hosting hotels. Ugh.

Conferences are amazing things that can give you a new reason to return to the classroom with new ideas and new approaches, but when the support is not there, the 10 people who they planned to provide money for (though not enough to cover all expenses) dwindles to four.

I hope to see many of you there, and at our conference in May so we can share ideas. After all, isn’t that what teachers should be doing anyway?