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 * TEACHING STANDARD #1 ** : Pursues current content and teaching practices, and is committed to continuous learning.



--Yogi Berra
 * "It ain't the heat, it's the humility." **

I n January of this school year, I attended the NESA Winter Training Institute at ASD with my ESL colleagues. The institute was an informational session led by Don Bouchard of WIDA. Prior to attending the institute, the team had decided to purchase the WIDA MODEL for assessing ESL students but needed more information before putting the school's money forward.

Other professional development opportunities I participated in this year were different than what I have participated in in years past, which included presenting at mini-NESA, Qatar Reads, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), and NESA regional events. This year, in addition to learning how to build rockets and show students how to do the same, I prepared for a state exam for certification to teach high school political science. (I have completed the first step by obtaining certification to teach psychology.) I also continued with studying music and languages. I have found that continuing my personal education, especially in languages, helps me be a better ESL teacher. My weekly lessons in Mandarin Chinese continue to be an exercise in humility as well as an exercise in empathy.

This year has been a transition year in many ways. It has been a transition for the Upper Elementary ESL team as it has merged with Learning Support in an effort to address the changing needs of the student population in grades 3-5. It has also been a transition year for me professionally and personally as I helped integrate a new member into the team and prepared myself for pastures new.

During the year, I had opportunities to train my colleague, new to working as an ESL specialist, in using Curriculum Based Measurement writing probes, how to use the Woodcock-Munoz, and how to use our continuum-based report cards to report on students' progress in Trimesters 1 & 3 and as ESL leveling criteria.