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1. What is the end goal?

~When considering how to plan my lessons (specifically with my ELL students), I want to plan backwards. Do I simply want them to learn how to read? Or do I also want them to be able to make meaningful connections from the text?

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2. Am I accommodating or scaffolding/differentiating?

~It's important to remember the, "They can" statements over the "can't." I want to place attainable building blocks and build bridges for students who are struggling with the material; it's not because they aren't capable, different languages and cultural practices does not mean unintelligent in any sense of the word.

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3. Variety:

~Students in general need more than just direct instruction, and ELL students need immersive and active instruction that provides things like: visuals, sentence frames, graphic organizers, videos, collaboration (take away the fear factor), etc.

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4. Creativity is still part of the process!

~Along with providing my ELL students with the foundational literacy skills they will need to carry into their futures (even outside of school), I want to make sure and ensure room to show outside-of-the-box thinking. I don't want to plan my lessons in a way that enforces a barrier between what they are fully capable and inspired to do vs. what is perceived and assumed about their abilities/passions.

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Classroom Communication is key!

~We, as the educator, can talk clearly and naturally, be aware of our pace. We can simplify our language whilst raising our ELL's to the standards we know they can healthily achieve.

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Filling the classroom to the brim with words!

~Especially as I teach Language Arts, I want my students to have access to all kinds of written material and language reminders/rules/functions around them. This can include--but is not limited to--books, posters, labels, sentence frames, group roles descriptions, etc.

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Learning is a journey not a prison sentence

~I want to create interactive lessons that will stimulate the "want" to learn rather than solely the "need." It's important to practice wait times between questions rather than doing all of the talking ourselves. ELL students learn by venturing out and dipping their toes in the water rather than watching everybody else swim and enjoy the fun.

~Applying a helpful and constructive feedback policy is a necessity. ELL students deserve just as much time and effort put into their corrections/feedback as each and every other student. Instead of overwhelming them with an endless list of the same corrections just worded differently, pick out 5 major ones for them to focus on. Instead of "yes" or "no" and "correct" or "incorrect," give specific examples of standards and expectations.

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It takes a village!

~If we want our ELL students to receive the most effective education possible, then that means inviting the entire village to help. Interacting with parents/guardians, receiving support from reading specialists and translators, and collaborating with colleagues are among only a few of the possible resources available. Even in smaller districts where it may be more scarce, help can be found if we seek it out.

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Classroom Community is also key!

~ELL students should not be stuck in the furthest corner of the classrooms by themselves. In order to build safety, courage, and motivation in the classroom we need to build a home first and foremost. Whether that's by sitting our students together if they speak the same language or not (as some languages like tribal languages aren't nearly as common). Kids may often feel more comfortable trying new things and expressing themselves in front of a fellow peer rather than the teacher.

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Specific Strategies:

~GLAD (vocab chart competitions)

~Sentence frames/fill-in the blanks

~Audio books WITH reading along with hard copies

~Homework assignments/information for parents/guardians typed in both English and (if possible) their native language to keep up with both rather than keeping one and losing the other

~Pictures everywhere to encourage connecting the dots and for context

~Videos

~Physically demonstrate specific instructions (folding the paper hamburger vs. hot dog style for example)

~Practice partner/group work OFTEN

~Text-to-Text, Text-to-Self, Text-to-World strategy

~Booklet strategy for a more difficult reading excerpt (title in the front, picture on the inside left page, 3 main ideas in their own words on the top right side of the page, word bank directly from the text bottom right side of page)

~Sequencing narratives (Mexico Strip Story from textbook)

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Teaching content that is relevant is imperative. Why waste their time trying to help them understand, formulate, and critically think about subjects that will not further them in their future careers or help them in building character?

Just as we serve a bigger purpose for Christ as salt and light here on Earth--so our lessons must also serve a greater purpose. Building foundational skills for our ELL's is important, yes. However, a foundation is just the beginning, what are we using to build off of that? Our we trying to build a house or just settle for a floor plan? It's not just bricks, it's bricks AND mortar.

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Family and Background Knowledge:

~Social/emotional support derives from individual knowledge of who the student is and where they come from outside of our classroom. How do they view community? Were they raised in a culture that values the individual or the family? What is encouraged and what have they never been exposed to before? How do they communicate with their parents/grandparents/etc. at home? Do they have a lot of younger siblings? Is it a multigenerational household?

When we know who the family is (it's not always easy depending on each student and their home life) we also find out who the student is, even just a piece of their heart. Home is also the pathway to discovering answers to the many questions that might pop up in the classroom. The family's "why" for their child and their desire for them to have a good education might end up matching our "why" as the teacher because it shows that we care, too.

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Prayer even in Public Schools:

~I don't mean starting every class with prayer and the Bible on our desktop. I think the most powerful way we can support our students and who they are as human beings is through prayer (even if they don't know it). Starting the work day off in prayer as we drive to school is one of the most encouraging ways we can fight for our students even if it's in the background. We won't always know the depth to which students are struggling at home, to fit in, or to grapple with the new languages and material. We get only a piece of the entire puzzle, and prayer opens up the door to realizing what we can do vs. focusing on what we can't do as teachers for our kids.

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"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well."

What characteristics of God's image do I see in my students?

This is a question I frequently come back to and ask myself. They are more than academics, more than their varsity sport, more than all of the A+ and 100% they can possibly stack up. No matter the differences in language, the unique characteristics of each culture (all wonderfully good things) they were God's children first.

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"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Teaching in general takes work, teaching ELL's also takes work and dedication, all of that is worth it not only because we love our students--but because we know that He loves them, too. Language can and will be a bridge, we can work for a greater purpose of His glory even if that looks like brainstorming vocabulary words and crafting sentence frames. Even if others (sometimes even colleagues) say that "they're not worth it," or "they won't remember anything that you taught them yesterday," we can correct the narrative by the way we love WHO we teach even more than we love WHAT we teach.

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"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

I'm a vessel to shine the Lord's light, and His light doesn't pick and choose based on who speaks English or not and who is raised in Western culture or not. His light is brightest in the small one-on-one interactions with students where you give them a verbal check-in, or give them praise for their creative project where they finally got to showcase what they're passionate about. Even if just one student sees the Lord through what you did for them, it's all worth it. All the effort is worth it when a student knows that you're joyfully willing to learn about their native language, and willing to ensure that it's treasured while also opening up the doors for so many other opportunities.

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“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

If I want to understand how to teach the creation, I have to know the Creator. If I want to love my students well, I have to love the Father first. If my relationship with Christ suffers, my relationships with others will, too. I will not have all of the answers, but He will. Whenever I am frustrated and not feeling adequate or equipped enough to help a student-He is the one to reveal and teach me. Once a student always a student (in different forms and chapters of our lives). Just as my kids are learning things from me, they teach me a lot as well. What an honor it is to be called to shine His light on the next generations!

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How do we showcase and celebrate diverse cultures in the classroom in ways that aren't fleeting or to check the "inclusive box," but are instead meaningful and lasting?

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I enjoyed hearing about all of the ways we can advocate for our students a part from what is included in our job description. I always remembered the teachers who saw the human side of me rather than just as a grade on a report card.

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What are some of the most productive and intentional ways we can prioritize each ELL student in a classroom of 35-40 students? What is realistic? How can we best advocate when resources are so little in a smaller school district?

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Even if we don't speak the same language as our students, they can tell when we care...and they can especially tell when we don't. Getting to know who their family is, the aspects they love most about their culture, including activities that feature their strengths and highlight community, are only SOME of the ways that we can not just tell them but SHOW them that they are in fact loved and worth it.

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We raise the students up to the standards rather than lowering them (ensuring that those standards are in fact attainable, these can be individual standards as well). We do this to prove that we believe in not only what they can do--but who they are.

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It's not about molding them to fit into the Western box, it's about adding onto who they already are and what they know. We don't have to sacrifice one language for another, we don't have to turn our backs on a certain culture just because it isn't in what is socially deemed as the "norm." Did not God create them? Does He not know every language and look on all the nations with love? Why shouldn't we as PEOPLE do the same, whether educators or not?

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Being a teacher, especially a teacher of ELL students, does not mean a part of us isn't still a student ourselves. Yes, we have the licensure and the credentials, but I've learned lessons from my 8th graders just as they have learned from me helping them write their personal narrative. Our profession is one of those rare opportunities where we get to happily look back and see not just where they started, but how far they've come. It doesn't matter how exponential the grow, it matters that there is growth in the first place. The moment that light bulb goes off in the brains, is the moment we remember why we began teaching in the first place. What a privilege it is for my perspective to be broadened, my eyes to be opened, and my heart to be rejoicing in other cultures and worlds outside of my PNW bubble.