One of the most engaging and sometimes infuriating side effects of being a teacher is that we  see connections to teaching in the world around us all the time. We are constantly aware of how a trip to the museum or the beach could be a field trip, how TV shows portray school and teachers […]
Jon Hardy
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Instructional Strategies
Bilingual Education: Good For Everyone… and Dangerous Too
Recently The Educator’s Room posted an article for discussion on bilingual education from the Washington Post. The article asked “Why is bilingual education good for rich kids but bad for poor, immigrant kids?” Bilingual education, if you’re not familiar with the term, is teaching a second (or third, or fourth) language through content area instruction […]
Posted inESOL, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Professional Development, Uncategorized
Advice For ESOL Teachers: Professional Development with "Speaking In Tongues"
The 2009 documentary Speaking In Tongues is a fascinating look at three bilingual programs in the San Francisco area school system. The film itself depicts the effects of learning and losing language for a variety of families over several generations. Although the film is six years old, the issues it raises are definitely still […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners, ESOL, Professional Development
The Real Benefits of Action Research
This past semester, as part of a graduate course for a new certification, I did an action research project with some of my second graders. Action research is basically the process of a teacher taking on the role of “researcher” in her or his own classroom with a specific goal in mind. The idea is […]
Posted inESOL, Featured, How to Fix Education, Instructional Strategies, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Advice for New ESOL Teachers: Whose Holiday and Why?
The United States is growing ever more diverse in languages, religions and ethnicity and school districts are working (with varying levels of success) to adjust to their changing communities. ESOL teachers are often in the position of go-between for their students and the larger culture, which can be a little awkward when the holidays come […]
Posted inESOL, Featured, How to Fix Education, Instructional Strategies, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Tips for New ESOL Teachers: What To Do When Your Student Is Brand New (to English)
Contrary to what many might expect, most English Language Learner students are born in the USA, and come to school with at least a few useful phrases they can throw around on the playground. ELL students, like any other group, are a diverse bunch and all good teachers know it’s important to get to know […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Elementary School, English Language Learners, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Languages, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Advice for New ESOL Teachers: Communicating with Home
By: Jon Hardy Dealing with parents is a very intimidating part of being a new teacher and the normal hurdles are intensified with parents who don’t speak English, or who are learning English themselves. These families may need teachers to put in extra effort to reach out to students but be unsure how to ask […]