We all know that communicating with parents is essential to being an effective educator, but when the majority of your students speak a different language at home, it becomes frustrating to have to find a translator for every single phone call. I’ve also learned, after numerous confusing emails, not to completely trust Google Translate. I […]
English Language Learners
Over 11 percent of students in the United States—more than 4.8 million kids—are English language learners (ELLs), and the number is on the rise. Though these students do not learn differently than their native-English-speaking peers, they do have particular educational needs.
Posted inEnglish Language Learners
ELL Students: Is it a Language Issue or is it Something Else?
Teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs) may face a challenge when deciding if their students struggle with language or other learning issues. The difference can be hard to identify.  As a bilingual and ELL teacher, I ran into many students who struggled in class. I wondered how I could reach them and keep the momentum going for further […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Six Reasons Why Tests Suck
I’ve probably given hundreds of tests during my career, but the truth is, if I had the choice, I would never give my ELA students tests of any kind. This is one of those things that has sort of snuck up on me over the years. For example, I used to give a test on […]
Posted inKindergarten
Kindergarten Readiness: 10 MORE Things Your Child Should Know
Last week, I explored the academic side of Kindergarten readiness. But school readiness is not all about regurgitating facts because some things just cannot be measured. One child’s brain development differs from another’s, but there are many things that teachers look for that have nothing to do with intelligence. Here are 10 more things to […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Common Core, Elementary School, English Language Learners, ESOL, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Literacy, Special Education, Technology
5 Ways to Use Emojis in the Classroom
I realized almost immediately that I wasn’t getting through to my Kindergartners… again. I asked a class full of 5-year-olds to identify feeling words, and I got the same generic responses – happy, sad, mad. Year after year, I struggle with how to teach my primary students, especially my English Language Learners, to use precise […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners, Featured, Instructional Strategies
Teaching Gender Equality In Taiwan
On January 30, 2016, I had the pleasure of attending a social justice workshop with my co-teacher. While I was initially upset that this workshop would take place on a Saturday for 8 hours, in the end, I was delighted to have attended such a substantive professional development opportunity. The purpose of the workshop was […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners, Featured, Instructional Strategies, The Traveling Teacher
They’re Just Not That into Learning English
As educators, we all know that teaching has its ups and downs. Some days you love it, some days you feel defeated. Although the teaching profession here in Taiwan is widely revered and respected, and being an English teacher is a highly coveted role, the truth is that sometimes my students just aren’t that into […]
Posted inUncategorized
Love and Hate for the 5-Paragraph Essay
When I taught high school English, I worked hard to help my students avoid and move beyond the five-paragraph essay. In fact, I almost went crazy trying to pull better-than-five-paragraphs-essays out of my seniors. I was apt to tell students, “you are stuck in a five-paragraph box! GET OUT OF THE BOX!” I swore I would […]