# data[].attributes.location_name
International School of Dongguan, Dongguan

# data[].attributes.headline
International School of Dongguan, Dongguan

# data[].attributes.subject
International School of Dongguan, Dongguan

# data[].attributes.body
Hi. I am Michelle Dunbar Perry. I’m currently an ELL teacher at the International School of Dongguan. My professional career includes early childhood and lower elementary teacher and ELL co-teacher for elementary school. I have taught in Jamaica, United Arab Emirates, and China. I enjoy creative activities such as painting, scrapbooking, gardening, and writing. I also take pleasure in reading, traveling, and exploring new cultures.

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Hi all, I am the Grade 1 EAL teacher at The Western International School of Shanghai. I started my teaching career in the UK and moved to China, originally as a homeroom teacher, in the year 2000. I moved to the EAL department about 10 years ago and completed a Master Degree in Bilingualism. I am excited to be involved with this community of EAL specialists.

# data[].attributes.location_name
Saigon South International School, Nguyễn Đức Cảnh, Tân Phong, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City

# data[].attributes.body
ES EAL Coordinator @ Saigon South International School
cgomez.mystrikingly.com

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Hello, I'm Amy. I'm currently working as a Grade 3 EAL teacher in Beijing. I have joined the WIDA Global Community as part of a team with 4 other EAL teachers from the same school, which uses the IB Programme. My background is 9 years of being a Primary Homeroom teacher and I'm in my 3rd year of being an EAL teacher.

# data[].attributes.body
Eli Miller, ES ELL specialist, Concordia International School Shanghai

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Hi everyone! I´m Estuardo Guardia, an educator that loves to work in collaboration and keep learning with others. I has been working at Colegio Americano de Guatemala and Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. In the past I had the opportunity to be a grade level coordinator, curriculum liaison and be a teacher in second, third and fifth grade. Recently I´m the Lenguaje Department Chair in Lower School (Pk-G5) and full time Spanish teacher in fourth grade. Nice to meet you and happy to be part of this collaborative team.

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Hello!

My name is Alex Paulson, I work for the International School of Dongguan (ISD). Currently, I am working remotely but hope to join my school very soon!

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Meg Hill with Concordia International School of Shanghai

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Hello! My name is Meg Hill and I'm an Elementary ELL Specialist at Concordia International School of Shanghai. I am from Washington State, USA. This is my 12th year teaching internationally. I moved to Shanghai from Qingdao this summer with my family. We are excited for our first year living in Shanghai. It's an incredible city! I'm glad I get to be a part of the WIDA Global Community of Practice this year. I look forward to participating in this professional learning endeavor; learning and growing with other educators to best support our students .

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Hello ! I'm Raisa and I currently work as an Elementary school ELL Specialist in Shanghai China. I was previously Junior School ELA ( English Language Acquisition) Coordinator in Tianjin , China . Prior to that I was a class teacher and English Subject Lead in Bangalore, India. I started my teaching career with Teach for India in Mumbai. I'm so excited to learn from everyone here!

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This is Cari Freer, Director of Admissions and Marketing for AISE - Main Campus.  I'd like to share our admissions manifesto because I believe this training will help us to curate a community of learners which will foster our mission:  Our mission is to ‘change the exchange’ away from a traditional, top-down model of education where learning flows from teachers down to students. AISE Admissions is driven to curate a student body that is like a constellation of stars.  Like a constellation where every star has energy that touches the stars around it, AISE strives to create spaces where students can innovate, collaborate and share their passions, talents, interests and their light with each other.

# data[].attributes.body
Dr. Barbara Wrightson, Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning, Concordia International School Shanghai

# data[].attributes.location_name
Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea

# data[].attributes.headline
Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea

# data[].attributes.subject
Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, South Korea

# data[].attributes.body
Hi! My name is Diana Kim and I am currently working as the English Language Acquisition teacher at Chadwick International for grades 6-8. I have taught as a classroom teacher for early years in Virginia, United States, for 9 years before moving here to South Korea. I've been part of Chadwick International for 6 years as a homeroom teacher and an ESOL teacher. This is my first year in the MYP working with middle school students. Growing up as a multilingual myself and trying to raise multilingual children have intrigued me to learn about the best practices for learning a language and in a new language. Looking forward to a year of learning and applying best practices!

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Hola a todos! I am Sarah, an EAL specialist at an international school in Santiago, Chile. Specifically, I work with Grade 4 learners and am directing a new initiative at our school, an advanced English academy to support ELLs with a more intensive model for our beginner upper elementary ELLs.

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Greetings from South Korea! My name is Michelle Xia and I’m a high school ELA teacher at Chadwick International. This is my 8th year teaching ELA while being a newbie at CI. : ) Before moving to Incheon, I’ve taught in Seoul and Shanghai, my lovely lovely hometown. I’m passionate about teaching and learning languages and I believe that language is our most important link to the world around us. I love traveling and experiencing various cultures. Very excited to join this community!

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Oi gente! My name is Mariana Carvalho. I'm a Language Support Specialist at Avenues, São Paulo. For the past 14 years, my passion for supporting and teaching multilingual learners has started in Atlanta, continued in Rio, and now been in São Paulo. When I taught public school in Atlanta (Georgia), a WIDA state, I was introduced to WIDA, and since then, I  have been exploring, working, and growing with it. Looking forward to getting to know you all, connecting, and collaborating.

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Hello! My name is Pam Castillo. I am originally from the Philippines. I am one of the Primary Years Programme Coordinator at Chadwick International. This is my 15h year living and working in South Korea. I was in Busan for ten years. My husband and I moved to Songdo five years ago. We had a two-year short stint working in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We have a group of six I believe from Chadwick and Mirela is our "gardener". I look forward to the connections that will be developed in this community.

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Hello from beautiful South Korea! I am thrilled to meet all of you. My name is Emily Thomas and I have been living in Incheon since 2011 and have been working at Chadwick International since 2015. Prior to that I was on a path to work in Postsecondary ed, but I, happily, landed in a secondary English Lang & Lit classroom teaching both MYP and DP English. One passion of mine is the Personal Project, which I have been coordinating at CI for 4 years. I am now in my first year as MYP Coordinator at CI and learning new things every day. I love reading fiction, doing yoga, cooking with my instant pot, and spending time with my family. Nice to meet you, team!

# data[].attributes.body
My name is Glau and I'm excited to be a Community Gardener. I'm an avid advocator of removing as many barriers as we can to foster learning for all students. Currently based in beautiful Munich, I lead an inspiring and reflective EAL team that believes that all students should have access to the school curriculum regardless of their language level.  I am looking forward to growing and learning with you.

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My name is Jeni Henderson, and I work at the American Embassy School in New Delhi. I have been working with the AES middle school EAL program for ...ages! I have worn many student services/department/divisional/grade level hats at AES (all related to serving our multilingual learners and their families). I am passionate about supporting students, families and teachers. PS- I heart India!

# data[].attributes.body
Pretoria

# data[].attributes.location_name
The American International School in Egypt, Taha Hussein, القاهرة الجديدة، New Cairo 1, Cairo, Egypt

# data[].attributes.headline
The American International School in Egypt, Taha Hussein, القاهرة الجديدة، New Cairo 1, Cairo, Egypt

# data[].attributes.subject
The American International School in Egypt, Taha Hussein, القاهرة الجديدة، New Cairo 1, Cairo, Egypt

# data[].attributes.body
I have been here in Cairo for 7 years at AIS Main and love it! I have moved from Elementary SST to Middle School ELL Coordinator, and I also teach English Language Development to our WIDA 1s and 2s, as well as sections of MS English and Public Speaking. I believe in the credo that multilingualism is a super power, and I enjoy teaching our multilingual population how to advocate for themselves and others.

# data[].attributes.location_name
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.headline
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.subject
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.body
My name is Verna Rhoades and I've worked at Taipei American School for 10 years. I moved into the EAL department 5 years ago and began my journey with WIDA. I have supported Grade 2 & 3, and I'm currently supporting three grade 1 classes. I am looking forward to learning more.

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My name is Lena Tunon. I'm from Chapel Hill, NC but I'm living and working at Keystone Academy in Beijing, China. I have worked in many roles within the primary school setting both in the United States and in China. These include ELA specialist, homeroom teacher (generalist), homeroom teacher in a dual language setting, and sheltered math specialist. I'm currently working as a grade 2 English teacher in a dual language setting, which means i'm teaching reading, writing and the IPC.

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Hi! I'm Darcy Coonan, a Language Support Specialist at Avenues, Shenzhen. I'm currently teaching remotely and living in my hometown in Vermont. Prior to starting in Shenzhen, I taught in Bangkok, Thailand and New York City. We are building our language support program at Avenues this year and are in search of wisdom. I am excited to dive further into what I already know about WIDA, and connect with great people.

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Hello all,
My name is Iris Frankel, and I am an ELL Specialist at Concordia International School Shanghai. I have been teaching in Shanghai for six years now, teaching English language learners in high school and middle school. Presently, I support our 7th and 8th grade students through an ELD class and push in support (mostly for language arts). I look forward to connecting with you all and growing together.

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My name is Hedy Waly, I am Egyptian, and I currently live and work in Cairo. I work as the Manager of Diversity, Community Development, and Admissions Testing at the American International School in Egypt. My aim is to create a fair Admissions assessment system that serves the needs of our diverse student body, and that is why I am passionately looking forward to learning more from this experience! :)

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My name is Kristin and I have lived in Cairo for almost 10 years. I work in the primary division at the American International School as the ELL coach. Our school is made up of over 90% multilingual learners, so this topic is close to my heart. I have been using WIDA for years and look forward to going on this journey with my colleagues.

# data[].attributes.location_name
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.headline
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.subject
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.body
Hello! I'm Melissa and I'm teaching 2nd grade EAL at Taipei American school. This is my first full year in my position and I'm learning a lot about WIDA from my colleagues. We also used the WIDA framework in my graduate studies in working with English Language Learners. Before Taipei, I was in China and Hong Kong and the USA. Looking forward to learning more.

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¡Hola a todos! My name is Katie Zinke and I am a fifth grade teacher and PK-5 ELA department chair at the American School of Guatemala. I am originally from Atlanta, GA, USA, and have been working in international schools for eight years now in Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, and now Guatemala! I will be starting a doctorate program in February to earn a Ed.D in Educational Leadership (eventually! ha!) and hope to bring a dual language approach to my doctorate work.

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Hi, Everyone! My name is Alyssa Arias. I am currently an interdisciplinary project teacher and grade-level leader that focuses on teaching literacy to my students here in Sao Paulo. This is my second year in Brazil; prior to that, I taught in Seattle, WA, USA and Guatemala. I have a Masters in TESOL, but am now looking to pursue educational leadership. I feel that being a part of this community of practice will help me to better advocate for the multilingual learners I teach abroad and back home. I look forward to connecting with all of you!

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Hello Everyone! My name is Malak Bidair and I am the Admissions Director at the American International School in Egypt (West campus). I am excited to join the WIDA community and learn tools to use it in our admission process. Our community is composed of 75% multilingual students that we need to support. I am a multilingual myself and i know how hard and frustrated it can be to learn several language. Really looking forward to learn and share from this community of practice.

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Hello! My name is Jessica Ladd. I am currently working as the grade 2 & grade 3 EAL teacher at the Western International School of Shanghai. This is my third year at WISS and my ninth year teaching abroad. I previously taught in Cambodia and Thailand before moving to China. I am looking forward to learning with you all!

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Hi! I'm Mary Girgis from Cairo, Egypt. Proud to be a member of the American International School in Egypt for the past 13 years. My current role is Literacy Intervention and I absolutely love observing our young student bloom in all areas of literacy. I excited to be part of this learning community. Looking forward to learning with and from you all. Cheers!

# data[].attributes.location_name
999 Mingyue Road, Pudong, Shanghai, China

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
World Scholars Cup hosted at Hong Qiao International School, November 2020

# data[].attributes.headline
Concordia International School Shanghai, China

# data[].attributes.subject
Concordia International School Shanghai, China

# data[].attributes.body
Hi, my name is Troy Hammond. I joined Concordia International School Shanghai as an ELL Specialist this year. I have been working with multilingual learners for the past two decades, both abroad (in France and Japan before coming to China four years ago) and domestically (in Boston and in my home state of Florida), in IB, Montessori, British national, and generically American contexts. I am impressed with the updates to WIDA's 2020 framework. I remain curious to think more about how WIDA "speaks to" other frameworks of language acquisition and support.

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Hi, I'm Codie Chaudoin (center, with two of my awesome team members). I'm the EAL Coordinator at the International School of Latvia. Before coming to Riga, I worked in a great English Language Acquisition department in Annapolis, Maryland, and then spent two years in Amman, Jordan as an English Language Fellow. Most of my work has centered on developing literacy in MLLs.

# data[].attributes.location_name
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei

# data[].attributes.headline
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei

# data[].attributes.subject
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei

# data[].attributes.body
Ni hao from Taipei! My name is Virginia Blais and I have been at TAS in the EAL department for 14 years. We have been on a program development journey with the WIDA tools for the last 10 years, and I am looking forward to our next steps with my team online. The journey that never ends!

# data[].attributes.location_name
TAIPEI 101, Section 5, Xinyi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.headline
TAIPEI 101, Section 5, Xinyi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.subject
TAIPEI 101, Section 5, Xinyi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.body
I'm Tara Moore Simeonidis, the Lower School Principal at Taipei American School. This is my eighth year in Taipei. Before moving here I was the Head of Lower School in Ridgefield, Connecticut for 14 years and before that I was a teacher in nearly every elementary level grade.

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My name is Zaiga. I am a grade 6-10 EAL teacher at the International School of Latvia.

# data[].attributes.location_name
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.headline
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.subject
Taipei American School, 中山北路六段 Shilin District, Taipei City

# data[].attributes.body
Before coming to TAS (Taipei American School) in 2019, I worked in the US and Malaysia. Most of my career has been a classroom teacher in grades 3 to 5. The work I did in the US was at a very linguistically and culturally diverse public school where HRTs and support teachers worked closely together to support EL students in sheltered-immersion classrooms. I am starting my 3rd year at TAS and my 5th year as a support teacher. I look forward to working with my colleagues and learning from all of the professionals from around the world during this Community of Practice.

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Hi, my name is Jim Lantz and I currently serve as an English Language Learner (ELL) Specialist at Concordia International School Shanghai. This is my 5th year at the school and I have had the pleasure to work with students and teachers in grades Preschool to Grade 3. This year, I am helping to pilot a new program where I co-teach full-time in one 1st grade classroom. Previously, I taught ELLs in both South Korea and the U.S.

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Hi. This is Laura Cox in Johannesburg. I am the K12 Inclusion Services Coordinator at the American International School of Johannesburg. I have worked in public schools in the states and International School of Prague. Check out my blog: https://talesoflatortugita.com/ to engage in interesting professional conversation.

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Hello! My name is Marwa Mohamed. I'm Egyptian from Cairo. I'm the MS Spanish teacher at AIS. I've been working as a Spanish teacher for over 16 years now. Being one myself, I'm so excited for a journey full of learning about the multilingual world! Looking forward to it!

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Hello Everyone!
I am Archna Luther, Grade 1 EAL teacher at the American Embassy School, New Delhi, India. This is my 18th year working at AES and 3rd year in a full-time EAL teaching position. I enjoy working with multilingual learners and am very passionate about the work we do with them. As an educator I strive my best to support the MLLs, which is why I'm so grateful to be a part of this course. I look forward to learning together with you all and honing our practices to improve our school-wide system and service to MLLs.

# data[].attributes.location_name
American International School of Johannesburg, Scorpion Trail Street, Knopjeslaagte, Midrand

# data[].attributes.headline
American International School of Johannesburg, Scorpion Trail Street, Knopjeslaagte, Midrand

# data[].attributes.subject
American International School of Johannesburg, Scorpion Trail Street, Knopjeslaagte, Midrand

# data[].attributes.body
Sanibonani nonke! (Hi All!)

My name is Emily Hardy and I am an ELL educator at the American International School in Jo'Burg, South Africa. I like to play guitar, surf, and coach basketball. My group and I are excited to join this vibrant WIDA community.

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My name is Ben Marchetti and I am the head of the elementary EAL department/5th grade EAL teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy Jeju. I've been here for 3 years and have been over seas teaching EAL in Myanmar and Thailand since 2010. I'm married with two kiddo's under two!!!

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My name is Samantha Chang and I am currently an ELL teacher at International School of Dongguan. In my professional career, I have been a Chinese and ESL teacher at Concord College of Sino-Canada, Shenzhen, Utahloy International School-Zengcheng, Guangzhou, Eton House International School, and Daegu International School, South Korea. I enjoy reading, painting, cooking, and exploring new cultures in my free time.

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Hi! My name is Terri and I'm an early elementary learning support teacher at Concordia International School in Shanghai, China. This is my 2nd year at CISS and my 25th year in education. I've worked as an English language specialist in a 50/50 dual language school, have been a K-12 educational consultant, most recently a statewide school improvement consultant. I was a statewide team lead for MTSS, Title I and Title III. I've really enjoyed embarking on a refreshing overseas career and working directly with students the past year!

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Good Morning!
I am Juanita Wilson, the new ELL Coordinator at the Thai Chinese International School in Bangkok. I am originally from South Texas, where my family originates from, but I have taught in international schools for the past decade and have lived  in Thailand, Mexico, and Poland. This is my first time moving out of the classroom, and am excited to be building a new ELL department from the ground up. TCIS is a language focused school, that instructs in Thai, Chinese, and English, with admin that are committed and supportive of the development of a very much needed ELL program. I am also very much in the weeds and look forward to the help and guidance that WIDA is providing with this Global Community.

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Hello! I am Anne Neill and I am the HS ELL specialist at AIS Main in Cairo, Egypt.  I am originally from Montana in the U.S., but I have lived in Egypt for over 30 years. I have been working at AIS for 22 years! WIDA resources have been a great support in my work with our multilingual learners, and I look forward to learning and growing with you all!

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Hello! My name is Melissa and I live in Cairo, Egypt.  I teach at American International School Egypt West Campus.  This is my second year at AIS and my 17th year in education.  AIS is my first international school but I have always worked with ELL my whole career.  I am a Learning Support Specialist working with grade 1.

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Hello,

My name is Lindsey Anderson and I am currently the Director of the Student Success Team at Avenues: The World School's campus in Shenzhen, China. We are still in the start up phase of our school so are building our language support program. I look forward to learning from all you and thinking about how we can start our program off on the right track.

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Hi, my name is Mayuko Perkins, and I am a Grade 4 EAL teacher at Taipei American School in Taipei, Taiwan.  Before moving to Taiwan, I taught in Shanghai, China and Philadelphia in the United States. My first experience with WIDA was back in the US where I often received WIDA training through the local school district.  We had very little say as to what support we wanted as public school teachers, and I really appreciate this opportunity to explore areas in which we are truly interested. I am looking forward to connecting with and learning from experts from all over the world!

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I am currently the ESL Specialist at AIS West. This is my first year teaching internationally. I taught in the Bronx and Brooklyn for the last four years. I am looking forward to collaborating with you all!

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Hi everyone! My name is Rachel Brill and I am the Associate Division Head for our Student Success Team at Avenues: The World School. Although I have been based in D.C. since July, I work with campuses around the globe and primarily with our campus in São Paulo.

Prior to living in São Paulo, I worked in Denver and New York City title I Public Schools. I received Master's in Education Leadership at the Teachers College of Columbia so that I could learn the skills necessary to ensure communities have schools that serve all students and leaders equipped to do the same. In 2018, I accepted an opportunity to move to São Paulo to serve as a founding member of a project-based learning international school where I now serve as administrator overseeing our learning, language, and socio-emotional services for students.

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My name is Mirjam Strauss-Paris. I have lived and worked in many different countries, enjoying their cultures and traditions. Currently I work at Munich International School . As a Middle School EAL teacher,  I guide and educate  globally minded, culturally sensitive and independent, confident individuals. I strive for an inclusive model that meets the needs of Multilingual Learners by collaborating with their teachers ensuring access to authentic texts, activities and learning experiences as well as promote the belief that all teachers are language teachers

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Hi, I'm Julie! I've recently moved to Minneapolis after teaching abroad for 11 years and finishing my MA in applied linguistics. I taught in Seoul, Istanbul, and Saigon across various grade levels and subjects. Most recently, I was an EAL specialist and program coordinator. This school year I'm not teaching, so I'm really excited to be a community gardener to stay involved in current research and discussions around multilingual learners!

# data[].attributes.location_name
Nansha District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

# data[].attributes.headline
Nansha District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

# data[].attributes.subject
Nansha District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China

# data[].attributes.body
Hi everyone!

I'm Mats Haaland, the Director of EAL at Nansha College Preparatory Academy located in South China. I've been living in China for the past seven years working with multilingual learners as a co-teacher, instructional coach, and program coordinator. I'm excited to start this process and to have the opportunity to learn from so many talented and passionate educators.

See you all soon!

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Welcome! I am Anita Pusztay and I have 15+ years of experience working as a teacher-leader in the international school community. I am a middle/high school EAL Specialist at Korea International School in South Korea. Previously, I’ve taught in Japan, Italy, Hungary, and the Dominican Republic. I am a Third Culture Kid/Adult passionate about advocating for equity in our culturally and linguistically diverse schools. My passion is bringing ELLs’ diverse voices to collaborative discussions w/ colleagues and administrators. As Community Gardener, I am so excited about working with like-minded colleagues to think about ways to capture our multilingual learners’ cultural experiences and linguistic repertoire to enrich our learning communities.

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Hola a todos! I'm Matt Hajdun, Assistant Director of Learning at TCS. My wife and I are both language learners and language 'nerds' (cool people who love some analysis of syntax or discussing universal grammar). We have a baby on the way (due in January), and are ready to become obsessed with language development in new and exciting ways. For the last 15 years, from my roots in teaching in VT, I have been exploring ways to apply the powerful WIDA system as part of our robust learning frameworks to support equity and language learning. Twitter: @HajdunHomeroom

# data[].attributes.location_name
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Tikva Chofi at The American School of Kinshasa

# data[].attributes.headline
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

# data[].attributes.subject
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

# data[].attributes.body
I am currently the EAL Specialist in the PYP program at TASOK. The DRC has a rich heritage of multilingualism with over 200 spoken languages. Our students, both local and international, come to the classroom with a wealth of language experiences to draw upon. I am excited to collaborate together, as we reimagine what our school communities, classrooms, and learning can look like when we honor and build upon these linguistic strengths.

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My name is Maura Herrera. I am from Guatemala and have a beautiful 8th years old daughter. I work at American School of Guatemala with my amazing partner: Sam Olson-Wyman. Being part of the WIDA Global Community of Practice as a Community Gardener is a wonderful and unique experience, learning from and with other professionals around the world is something that excites me a lot.

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Greetings all! My name is Samantha Olson-Wyman and I'm excited to be part of the WIDA Global Community of Practice as both a participant and Community Gardener. I currently reside in Guatemala City where I serve as an instructional coach (PK-5) and dual language liaison (PK-12) at the American School of Guatemala. I'm originally from the U.S. (Minnesota specifically) and have spent time both there and abroad working with multilingual learners. I'm passionate about language acquisition and love learning with and from fellow colleagues around the world. I have a fellow educator husband, 3 year old son, and 3 month old daughter that I enjoy spending my free time with. Looking forward to getting to know you all!

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Hello, everyone! I am Alex Gustad and I have been working in the international school realm for the last 16 years. I am currently the EAL Coordinator at the American School of Bombay Pre-K - 12. I am thrilled to be a Community Gardener and to work with all of you as we co-construct meaning around innovative practices for helping multilingual learners to succeed.

# data[].attributes.body
Hello! I'm Molly Wellner. I am an EAL Specialist at Korea International School (KIS) - Pangyo, South Korea. I've lived and worked previously in Lima, Peru and Minnesota, USA. I am excited to be a Community Gardener in this year's Global Community of Practice. I look forward to our collaboration, conversation, and community throughout the school year!

# data[].attributes.location_name
Prashka 27, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia

# data[].attributes.headline
NOVA International Schools, Skopje, North Macedonia

# data[].attributes.subject
NOVA International Schools, Skopje, North Macedonia

# data[].attributes.body
My name is Marija Buralieva, and I work as an EAL/Language Support teacher and WIDA/EAL Coordinator at NOVA International Schools in Skopje, North Macedonia. This is my 15th year as an international educator. I have a Bachelor’s degree in English language and literature, a minor in Psychology, and a Master’s degree in ELT. My first WIDA experience was at the Paris Institute in January, 2018, and since then I have completed multiple trainings (webinars, workshops, a Symposium) that have helped me tremendously in my dual role at my school.

# data[].attributes.body
Hello Everyone,

I live in Doha working with our group of schools at Qatar Foundation.  First as the EAL coordinator for 5 years, and currently as the Dual Language Coordinator.  I had the great fortune to grow up bilingual/biliterate in Spanish and English in Venezuela, Chile, and Colombia. This amazing opportunity somewhat defines who I am, and what my passions are.  It also defines the sense of obligation I feel to help others access their full linguistic and cultural repertoires as they journey into their future.  This is part of why I am thrilled to be joining the Community Gardeners.

Looking forward to learning with all of you this year!

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Hi! I am Keisha and I get to work with schools in the Greater Bay Area, Guangdong as the Language Inclusion Alliance Coordinator for ISS-ULink. I am from Jamaica where I started my teaching career in Primary ed. before transitioning to ESL/EAL. I am excited about the global community of practice and can't wait to meet everyone!

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Hello from Incheon, South Korea. I am Mirela, and I am excited to be one of the WIDA Community Gardeners this school year. I am an ELA teacher and the ELA coordinator for the elementary division at Chadwick International. Before coming to South Korea, I taught EFL in Romania, my home country, and ELA in Charlotte, North Carolina. I can't wait to start this learning journey with you.

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Hi everyone. I'm Jon Nordmeyer, WIDA International Program Director. I've been involved with international schools since 1990 and appreciate the dynamism and innovation of international educators. I also recognize that it can feel isolating and know that we can collectively improve how we serve multilingual learners. I live in Vermont and work for WIDA remotely. I'm also trying to finish up my PhD at University of Wisconsin-Madison in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Really looking forward to working together in our Global Community of Practice!

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My name is Esther Bettney and I am a Project Assistant with WIDA International. I have spent the past 15 years in international education, as a classroom teacher, school administrator, teacher educator and educational researcher, primarily based in Latin America. I am a PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying equitable approaches to language education in international schools.

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Hello from Kansas City! I am Christina and I've worked with WIDA's international consortium for over 2 years now. Previously I was an EAL and language arts educator in Kansas, Ecuador, Turkey and Vietnam. I am SO excited to join you all on this learning journey!