An Introduction

I want to start this page with an introduction. While I started teaching ESOL classes three years ago, my journey began long before that. In my first few years teaching Latin in public school, I received a student in my class with an ELPP (English Language Proficiency Program). The student was from China in a Latin 1 class with little English. While I had studied quite a few languages at that point, Chinese (Mandarin or otherwise) was not one of them. Fortunately I had another student in that class who spoke Mandarin and was able to help me establish meaning. Over the years with these two, we began to establish norms and resources that I would use in later years as well. This experience inspired me to get my ESOL certification. 

Three years ago, my department head approached me and asked me if I'd be willing to take on an ESOL LDC (language development for content) class. I agreed immediately and had my first class of English language learners the following school year. I taught this class alongside Latin for two years and helped some of my ESOL students in Latin 1, before transitioning to full time ESOL classes. 

In that time I have had a lot to reflect on. It is no secret in the language world that CI has long been a component of ESOL instruction and I tried to bring much of what I already knew into my ESOL classroom. In some cases that was easy. In others, it required mental thought and reflection and perspectives I hadn't considered. I now bring that experience back with me to the Latin classroom online and (hopefully) the ESOL classroom online. In this space I will reflect on these experiences, perspectives, and work and share what I've learned.