TL;DR: Build an “EL Family Wall” in your classroom. Build connections between your students. Create a bond and feeling of belonging in the classroom. Building Connections with EL Students Each day, I meet with 10 groups of EL students from grades 1-8. One of their favorite weekly activities occurs every Tuesday: Voting Day! We have three whiteboard “zones”: Zone 1, … Read More
“Tough” Love: The Risks, Rewards, and Resilience of Teaching At-Risk Kids
TL;DR: Working with at-risk students takes a desire to understand who they are. A revelation of working with at-risk students: They don’t mean it. They don’t see it and don’t realize what they are doing. Developmentally, they may not be able to see you. Ruby Payne’s book “A Framework for Understanding Poverty” helps us see “hidden rules” and how they … Read More
Connecting Our EL Students Across the Community
TL;DR: EL students can feel very isolated and overwhelmed in school. Bringing EL students together can help them feel less alone. As educators, we need to find ways to give them a sense of community. Connect the dots to see the bigger picture when connecting our EL students across the country. Connecting Our EL Students Across the Community: Flying Solo … Read More
Calling All Superheroes: How to Rescue Our EL Students in a New School
TL;DR: Superheroes work best when they have a plan and a team. This post shares 10 questions to consider and get answers to when working with new EL students. How to Rescue Our EL Students in a New School POW! What do we do now? When Hua arrived at our school last week, many of our teaching teams were in … Read More
Parent Teacher Conferences 101 Blog Series
Parent Teacher Conferences 101 Blog Series In this blog series, you will learn effective strategies on how to prepare for parent teacher conferences this year, as well as tips for communicating with your EL parents! Consider how to involve student voice in the Parent-Teacher Conference process. Whether you are working within an extremely regimented schedule or are as free as … Read More