FEATURES


From The Editor

Four Rs: Refreshed, Reinvigorated, Respite, Return

By Roselyn Rauch

Refreshed and reinvigorated after a well-deserved respite, it’s time to put our professional skills back into gear. As educators, we never really turn off those skills; they’re part of the fabric of our personae. In Getting Ready for School, Diana Sefchik reveals the advice she has followed in order to have a successful school experience. Without revealing here what she reports to us, I will say that I agree wholeheartedly with her; but, I would add another component: flexibility. We never know what will come at us at any unexpected time. Now think about your personal lifeline to professional success.

On Saturday, September 23, NJTESOL/NJBE, with Rutgers University and the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), held Bilingual & Proud! The 2017 Parent Expo for Student Success. Read about this event in Sandee McBride’s Spotlight on The Parent Expo.

If you were fortunate enough to attend our spring conference four months ago, you know that everyone’s bag of academic skills and tricks was enhanced. Networking with colleagues and peers, meeting vendors and examining new material, and just having that out-of-the-building day to reflect and absorb benefitted not only us but our students.

Tina Kern, our Conference Liaison, in a very poignant piece, relates her experiences with her Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education/Trauma (SLIFE). To this she conflates the benefits of attending our spring conference. Very interesting.

And now it’s time for you to be thinking about our 2018 Spring Conference; believe it or not, registration is beginning in early October. Read Gwen Franks’ list of do’s and don'ts in 2018 Spring Conference Registration Information is available on-line NOW! to start the process so that you are not left out in May.

In the same vein, our Vice-President and Conference Chair, Caia Schlessinger, urges you to be part of the fabric of the conference. Everyone has something to share in best practices; read Cross-curricular Conversations for ELLs, the 2018 Conference and seriously consider sharing your successful best efforts this spring.

Assessment is always on our minds, can’t avoid it. Now WIDA is looking to field test components of the next version of the testing protocol. Maggie Churchill, in The Importance of ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Field Testing, gives you the information to volunteer to be part of the field testing.

Just as there is concern for the assessment of our students, so we are judged by others in how we improve ourselves professionally. Joyce Farr, our Representative-at-Large, reminds us that the beginning of November brings the New Jersey Education Association Convention (NJEA) in Atlantic City. NJEA Convention always buzzes with workshops, vendors, and networking with bilingual/ESL and mainstream colleagues; it’s a great way to earn Professional Development (PD) hours by the sea. Michelle Land reports of other opportunities for professional development in Save the Date! Be sure to check for additional events on the Calendar page of every issue of Voices and on our website at www.njtesol-njbe.org.

In News from the TESOL International Advocacy and Policy Summit 2017, Sonya Bertini reports on her summer trip to Washington, D.C. with fellow Executive Board member, Angeline Sturgis. She highlights conversations with some legislators and the crucial topics of note. Continuing with the theme of critical issues, NJTESOL/NJBE President JoAnne Negrin, in A Time for Action, reports on what her school district, and, consequently, her community, are doing to prepare for the possibility of having “visits” by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).  And, in her Advocacy Report, Elizabeth (BJ) Franks reveals the 9 priorities in the NJTESOL/NJBE Policy Platform of 2017.

We know that the affect of each student, bilingual or mainstream, impacts their academic success. Be reminded of the psychological components of affect in Climbing Maslow’s Steps by Roselyn Rauch.

 “Generation Gap”: Loosely defined, that’s the communication disconnect between age groups within a larger group due to changes in values, cultural icons, technology, political outlooks, and, or, attitudes toward other sexes, races, ethnicities, etc. Imagine the size of that gap in just one of those domains to a newcomer to the United States.  For the past twenty years, Beloit College has published its Mindset List. This year’s press release begins: This year’s entering college class of 2021 doesn’t remember when a "phone" wasn't a video game and a research library. Mostly born in 1999, they've always been searching for Pokémon. They've never read a Peanuts strip that wasn't a repeat… These annual lists provide food for thought for bilingual and ESL teachers regarding these American “things” against their students’ background knowledge and experiences. They are fun to read, too, reminding us of how far we have come (see number 59); be sure to read the older lists, too. The authors provide a lesson guide.

Sadly, we report the passing of Dr. Gloria J. Garcia, a dynamic force in education and in her personal life. Read the eulogy that her goddaughter, Dr. Marilyn P. Connors, read at Gloria’s funeral. Barbara Tedesco provides the introduction.

As usual, I strongly encourage you to read beyond your SIG; we are all intertwined toward one goal.

Enjoy this Fall issue.

Looking forward,

Roselyn

Smiling emoji   *If you look closely, there really are 6 Rs: check my initials!
   I couldn’t Resist (does this make 7?).

 

Educators Ad


Sandee McBride

President's Message

By JoAnne Negrin

A Time for Action

 

There is a saying in Spanish, No hay mal que por bien no venga. Loosely translated, it means that something good always comes from something bad. We have seen our share of scary, evil things in recent times, much of it directed at our students and families. We have watched in despair and horror as our students have come to school terrified or even stopped coming to school altogether. We all know that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs must be attended to before you can aspire to Bloom’s Taxonomy. You can’t educate students who are terrified so it falls to us to do our part to provide support and information.

In my school district, we have taken a multi-pronged approach to making sure that our students and families know that they are welcomed and safe. First, our Superintendent convened a committee of city officials, police officials, and other community leaders to ensure that we were all addressing the issues in a uniform way. This was extremely important to ensure that our families’ needs and concerns would be addressed in a consistent manner. For example, our police department offered assurances that they would not be deputized by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). They felt it was important that the community continue to trust them and to not be afraid to go to them when they need to report a crime or otherwise need their help. Knowing that we have the backing of law enforcement as well as other key community leaders gives us great reassurance. Our Board of Education also passed a resolution declaring that we respect the rights of all of our students to an education and that everyone is safe and welcome in our schools.

We approached UnDocuJersey, an organization formed to advocate for the rights of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients, about providing training in our district. Through a partnership with Rutgers University, they provided training in immigration law and school procedures for our building and to district leadership. We plan to have them return to give training to our teachers as well. It was important for us to ensure that all of our administrators know what to do should there be ICE activity in our neighborhoods or should they approach a school building. Schools are considered sensitive locations and ICE is not to enter without a warrant for a specific person. Our administrators know that they are to send ICE to the Superintendent’s office first and the district’s solicitor needs to review the warrant.

We followed up that meeting with another meeting of our Bilingual Advisory Committee that was geared to our parents. Typically, at this time of year, we worry about getting parents' e-mail accounts and signing them up for the Parent Portal but this is no ordinary year. We had local experts, who had been trained by UnDocuJersey, give a presentation to parents about the difference between civil and criminal law, and, what to do and say and what not to do and say in an encounter with local law enforcement or ICE. They were given cards with reminders about what to do in an emergency. Many signed up for a future workshop given by the presenters on preparing documents that would provide directives if a parent were to be picked up by immigration authorities.  Approximately 80 adults showed up for this workshop, plus, at least, as many children. I was made proud once again by our fabulous teaching staff. When they saw that our original volunteers were going to be overwhelmed, they sprang into action ensuring that people signed-in; the teachers then also cared for children in their classrooms so that the adults could focus on the information. The subject matter of the night was heavy but the atmosphere was one of empowerment; parents were grateful to receive timely and accurate information.

Everything I have described thus far has been somewhat reactive to the times. However, we wanted to be proactive as well. I had been involved in distributing the Hate Has No Home Here signs around my neighborhood earlier in the spring. When I told my colleague, the Social Studies and Character Education supervisor, about it, he was inspired to distribute the signs here, but took the experience to the next level by distributing the signs as a district placing them in the front of every district building. He arranged to incorporate the Hate Has No Home Here theme into our Social Studies curriculum and district-wide Character Education initiatives. All 12,000 students across our district will be working on multimedia projects promoting understanding and tolerance for all people. Stories about these initiatives appeared in our local paper and on the Philadelphia news channel CBS3.

In these times, it is easy to feel helpless, frustrated, and fearful. It is my hope that by sharing what we have done as a community and as a school district, you may find that you can take some of these ideas and apply them in your community. Even something as seemingly trivial as a lawn sign can go a long way toward making a person feel safer.

JoAnne Negrín, Ed.D, President, NJTESOL/NJBE, Supervisor of ESL, Bilingual Education, World Languages, Performing Arts, & ESSA, Vineland Public Schools
jnegrin@vineland.org



Vice President's Message

Cross-curricular Conversations for ELLs, the 2018 Conference

By Caia Schlessinger

The 2018 NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conference will take place on Wednesday, May 30th, Thursday, May 31st, and Friday, June 1st. The theme for the conference will be Cross-Curricular Conversations for ELLs. We look forward to a wonderful and exciting conference and are hoping that many of you will submit proposals so that we can have a variety of presentations.

Presenting at the NJTESOL/NJBE 2018 Spring Conference will have many benefits to you and others. First of all, you will be able to share your best practices with other ESL and bilingual teachers from all over New Jersey. Many ESL/bilingual teachers are often the only ESL/bilingual teachers in their building, or even in their district, which provides them with few opportunities to network and share ideas. Please share your wonderful ideas about technology, curriculum, classroom organization, and pedagogy. Remember that you can present with a colleague.

We are going to continue with our three-day conference format. Workshops geared for Prekindergarten – 8th grade are on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, we offer workshops of interest for High School, Higher Education, Adult Education, and Prekindergarten – 12th grade administrators. Presentations on dual language, bilingual education, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) will be added. Equity and advocacy will continue to be an important part of our conference.

If you are a classroom teacher who is currently pursuing an administrative certificate, applying to teach in a college or university, or networking for your consulting business, presenting at the NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conference will give you valuable experience. Our conference attendees will provide you with an audience that is engaged and interested in your topic. You will have opportunities to network and establish yourself as a voice in the ESL/bilingual field.

If you still aren’t convinced that you are ready to present at the Spring Conference, then take a look at some presentations from the 2017 Spring Conference:
http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/handouts17/index.htm.You will see that there are a wide range of topics and something for everyone. Again, remember that you do not have to present alone: ask a colleague to join you.

Let’s start some new conversations. Submit a proposal to present at the NJTESOL/NJBE 2018 Spring Conference on May 30th, May 31st, or June 1st. Proposals can be submitted on our website, www.njtesol-njbe.org, through November 15th, 2017.

Caia Schlessinger, Vice President/Conference Chair, NJTESOL/NJBE
ESL Teacher, Highland Park School District
cschlessing er@njtesol-njbe.org

 

Conference

2018 Spring Conference Registration

By Gwen Franks

Be Prepared!
Spring Conference Info and Registration are On-Line NOW

Conference Dates:  Wednesday, May 30, Thursday, May 31, & Friday, June 1

Early Registration ends March 2, 2018.
Regular Registration ends May 4, 2018 (unless capacity is reached before this date)

Act NOW!

http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/spconfreg/

3 ways to register:

Helpful tips when registering:

 

LOOK FOR YOUR CONFIRMATION – Please read it carefully & completely.

Liaison (Spring Conference)

Teaching ELL's Language Lessons

By Tina Kern

This year I was told that we are starting a new course: Bilingual Language Arts. I was in denial for almost the entire summer.

We no longer serve only "traditional ESL" students though they are still part of our ESL population, our current population is no longer homogeneous.  Included in our classrooms are the students from countries who come with a sound educational background.  There are also our students that are born here but still don’t speak English until they are immersed in our educational system, usually in Kindergarten. Add to that our Students with Limited/Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) and Trauma. The teenagers in my class are SLIFE/SIFE students with Trauma, a group of students that has now become a focus in the world of bilingual/ESL education.

During the first part of every year, since I have been at the high school, I have taught these SLIFE students how to “do school”. Their technological knowledge is minimal, as is content area knowledge; sitting in each classroom for an eighty minute period can be painful and eternal for them. They come to class unsure about their acceptance and their expectations. Step by step, they learn procedures and rules; they adjust to cultural differences and they learn how to be students in an American high school.  It requires a teacher’s patience, consistency, and a lot of time. I’ve learned how to remain positive even when the students show their frustrations in unacceptable ways. I model behavior and in a consistent and hopefully unemotional voice, I tell the student if a behavior is unacceptable. I don’t belabor it; I don’t make it a lesson.  I don’t create an oppositional atmosphere because then we all lose.  My learning environment will suffer.  My students can be fragile. I try positive reinforcement for little steps.  If a student completes his work and bemoans the fact that he has only one correct answer, I reply that he has one right – and next time he will have more correct. It usually gets a smile, even from my toughest audience.

Now [magazine/journal] articles and books are emerging that attend to my population of students. I search for techniques and information with which to reach every student. As you do, I spend much time with teacher’s eyes, where everything becomes a potential lesson. This year the expectations are a more rigorous examination of the English language, integrating critical reading strategies.  I started to talk to colleagues in regular classes, closely examining curricula, including the Standards, and read more books and articles. It was elucidating to read information that reinforced the facts that I experienced:  These new students are unique.  Though I have taught ESL for over 25 years in our district, there has been no other group of students that has entered that has been so traumatized both physically and mentally, and had such a gap in formal education. To make their lives even so much more difficult for their integration into the American culture was that many were meeting their mothers (with stepfathers and other brothers and sisters) for the first time in over 12 years. Their primary concern was not learning about sentence fragments and clauses. 

What can we do in the classroom? In addition to searching for information and materials, modifying, and adapting lessons, what else was crucial to the education of these students? Articles reinforced the need for many types of support (teachers, counselors, programs), and a peaceful classroom environment. But my readings also wrote about intensive literacy/language programs including instruction and strategies that can be used in reading and writing in the future.

Many publishers are now including great materials designed to interest and educate our diverse students. I am reaching out to them for examples of books, materials, etc., and I am never disappointed by the attention of our great exhibitors. Please reach out to them for help and materials.  Also, email me (tskern723@gmail.com) for suggestions and direction. I hesitate to name the exhibitors here for fear of leaving out a name, but our 2017 conference booklet and the last issue of Voices has an extensive list. I can direct your inquiries to them, too. Our mutual support between members and exhibitors is creating lasting relationships that only can help us be the best educators in and out of the classroom. 

And so I was to create a language arts class, based in reading and writing responses to literature. My challenge is to find, adapt, and, sometimes, translate selections to resonate with my students. The research supports literacy with our SLIFE/SIFE. Again my days and nights are filled with creating lessons with the challenge of providing strategies to break down the intricacies of our spoken and written language.

I have learned that even though I create lessons with manageable vocabulary and skills, I peruse the faces in my room and I gauge their attention and understanding levels. Then I adjust and re-adjust the lesson. We have “checks” as I strive to instill my strategies and skills: Thumbs up/thumbs down, exit passes, silence, facial expressions, and more. Break down the concepts into manageable parts.  Provide the foundation. Build it up and provide more complex concepts. Evaluate and reevaluate.

And my students: Here is how our year started:

A new school year – and we wait to see who came back to continue their education.
Some of my best students came to class clutching their new Chromebook. Most didn’t have pencils or notebooks but they came with their American backpacks and clothes that mirrored how they felt that day. Some came with shirts that announced proudly in print, “Honduras!”; others came in contemporary designer clothes; and one even sported an American flag shirt. 

Most of my second-year students arrived ready to learn. Except one of my most motivated students didn’t come the first day, or the second, or the third. She traveled to Guatemala to see her mom – a new cancer survivor. When she was ready to return, the family member that sponsored her, didn’t. She was lost to us, but we write and hope that she can return one day.

I still remember the students from my first day at the high school almost four years ago. These students bared external and internal scars. Many of them succumbed to other influences that were more urgent than the promise of a high school education. Two of these students signed out of school but this year they returned. They look tired, and battle worn, but they have been attending every day, and trying to find their way back to an education that they so deserve. We continue to have patience. Our message is clear: We are here for you. We can teach you.  Let us help you.

Some hug their anger and think they are better as they continue to posture, ready to react. But now a majority of students look at them with impatience. That group of students that arrived four years ago has dwindled as they graduate or find that having to conform is not in their psyche. It is sad but we can only try to reach them.

Others, though, see our constancy. We are here. I still remember the first days in the high school; I started in November because other teachers didn’t stay or return. Every day, the students asked me the same questions: How long will you be here? Will you come back tomorrow?

And I remember answering: “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and the tomorrows after that.”

Some of these students graduated. Some are still with us, fast approaching the end of their high school career.  One of these students reminded me of our first days.  Now that I teach Bilingual Language Arts, they are again in my class. “Remember Me?” one asked. “You’re still here teaching us.”

Yes, I am - and I’ll be here tomorrow, and the tomorrows after that. I want to see you graduate. And each year I see the tomorrows with more students marching toward graduation. How great is that!

Join me in my quest to find and implement the best lessons, integrating what we know with what we can find as we educate our multifaceted ELLs. Our world is ever-changing but we have the support of our colleagues in NJTESOL/NJBE and the materials we introduce and reintroduce from our publishers and exhibitors. 


Tina Kern, NJTESOL/NJBE Liaison. Feel free to contact me at tskern723@gmail.com

           

Representative-at-Large/Liaison to Chapters and NJEA

The 2017 New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) Convention

By Joyce Farr

When:  Thursday, November 9, and Friday, November 10, 2017.
Where: Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Badges: Badges will be issued on-site at the Convention Center when you arrive.

Exhibit Hours: Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.           Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Child Care
Don’t let child care concerns stop you from fully participating in the activities and offerings at the Convention. KiddieCorp, a national leader in child care, will provide a comprehensive menu of activities for children from ages 3-14. The on-site managers are CPR and First Aid certified.  Children are required to be toilet-trained. Parents or caregivers must provide lunch upon checking their children into the program or provide meals during the day. Service is granted on a first-come, first-served basis. The advance registration deadline is October 12, 2017.
Cost: $20.00 per day, per child. Call (858) 455-1718 or e-mail: info@kiddiecorp.com.

NEW!
There is a brand new social justice exhibit entitled “The Awakening”. This exhibit affords attendees the opportunity to engage in a multisensory learning experience that seeks to heighten understanding of the impact of educators on students of color, LGBTQ+, and immigrants.   Through this walking tour, attendees take multiple paths through informative and visual displays that show stories of students’ journeys. Outcomes of these stories change depending on the choices made along the journey.

2017 NJTESOL/NJBE Workshops

Thursday, November 10, 2017
A.)  9:30 AM Double the Fun Freebies with Literacy and Math
Ivelis Sanfilippo, Presenter

B.)  3:30 PM Addressing Literacy for English Language Learners in the Mainstream
Michelle Land, Presenter

Friday, November 10, 2017        

A.)  3:30 PM Addressing Literacy for English Language Learners in the Mainstream3:00 PM Words are Here, There, and Everywhere 
Ivelis Sanfilippo, Presenter

Joyce Farr, NJTESOL/NJBE Representative-at-large

 

Assessment

The Importance of ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Field Testing

By Maggie Churchill

Here is your chance to be an agent of change:  Sign up to participate in WIDA’s ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Writing Field Test this fall/winter.  Since one-third of the test content is new each year, it is critical to have local feedback on potential test items.  All content must be field-tested, and participants are needed each year, as 50% of new content is discarded.

Unlike the listening, reading, and speaking components of the ACCESS test, the writing section does not have embedded questions that can be used for field testing.  Therefore, participation is essential if WIDA test developers are to get the feedback they need on test items.  In order for WIDA to receive meaningful data, more than 200 participants are needed per task.  The more participation WIDA has, the more meaningful the scores become.  This creates a high reliability for test items.  Many test questions are created, but few actually move forward- a larger audience can make the difference.  You can have the opportunity to help create future test items.

Field testing is open to all districts once approval is authorized from both the local district and WIDA.  In particular, participation is needed from the following target audiences:

By participating in field testing, your students would experience simulated practice prior to the annual administration of ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 assessment.  This would be extremely beneficial for ELLS, and especially for those needed target audiences.

The anticipated launch date for field testing is late November 2017.  It will continue until March 2018.  To participate, contact Alex Bauer, WIDA Assessment Project Coordinator, for details at alex.bauer@wisc.edu

Maggie Churchill, WIDA Specialist to NJTESOL/NJBE, Inc., mchurchill@njtesol-njbe.org 

     

 

Advocacy

The Advocacy Report

By Elizabeth J. (BJ) Franks

N JTESOL/NJBE is working with Mercury, LLC to advocate with New Jersey legislators. Conor Fenessey, our liaison, has scheduled meetings with the Education Policy representatives of the gubernatorial candidates, in addition to Assemblywoman Caride, the Assembly Education Committee chair. We are waiting for a meeting with Senator Ruiz, Chair of the Senate Education Committee.

Assemblywoman Caride and Senator Ruiz, and others, sponsored A-4175 that directs the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) to develop guidance on identifying English learners for gifted and talented programs. This passed both houses and was signed by the governor. The NJDOE is beginning the process of developing the guidance.

Specifically, we offer these nine priorities as our policy platform in 2017:

1. Eliminate The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) as a graduation requirement.

    This policy is extremely detrimental to secondary English learners (ELs). PARCC 10 is administered in 10th grade. Newly arrived ELs do not have enough time to acquire the academic language needed to pass the PARCC in 10th grade. In the past, the High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) was administered in 11th grade with additional administrations in the senior year, which provided multiple opportunities to demonstrate academic achievement. Under the current proposal, ELs would most likely fail PARCC 10 (only 6% passed in 2016) and thus their only pathway to a high school diploma would be the portfolio assessment. The portfolio assessment is very cumbersome especially for high schools with a significant number of ELs. We advocate allowing the ACCUPLACER Write-placer to remain as a substitute high school graduation assessment for ELs. It has been developed for ELs and many community colleges use this assessment for placement in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program.

2. The PARCC ELA (English Language Assessment) should be available in Spanish.

The New Jersey Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan states:

Describe how the SEA [State educational agencies] will make every effort to develop assessments, at a minimum, in languages other than English that are present to a significant extent in the participating student population by providing: 1. The State’s plan and timeline for developing such assessments; Within the next year, New Jersey will be releasing requests for proposals for science, mathematics and ELA. Through the requests for proposals, New Jersey will explore the possibility of creating assessments in Spanish based on available funding and vendor capabilities. (p.48)

New Jersey has a bilingual Education Law [NJAC: 6A:15] which mandates bilingual education classes when there are 20 or more students from the same language background. Offering the standardized assessment in Spanish will allow these districts to align the assessment with the language of instruction and students will be able to demonstrate their skills in their native language while they are in the developmental process of acquiring academic English. The current policy of mandating assessment in English does not provide a valid evaluation of what ELs know.

3. ELs at the secondary level should be exempt from PARCC ELA for the first year in the country.

This is similar to the allowable exemption for students in grades 3-8. It is a waste of instructional time for students who are beginning English learners to be forced to sit in front of a computer and attempt to answer linguistically complex questions in a language they do not understand.

4. Adopt legislation which will mandate New Jersey State colleges and universities to establish criteria to translate the New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy into college credits. (See Minnesota law below.)

Granting college credits for this achievement will encourage more students to seek the Seal of Biliteracy, accelerate the acquisition of their college degree, and save money for students attending New Jersey colleges.

Minnesota Seal of Biliteracy (Synopsis as introduced):

Amends the School Code. For admissions purposes, requires each public university in this State to accept the State Seal of Biliteracy as equivalent to 2 years of foreign language coursework taken during high school if a student's high school transcript indicates that he or she will be receiving or has received the State Seal of Biliteracy. Provides that each public community college and public university in this State shall establish criteria to translate a State Seal of Biliteracy into course credit based on foreign language course equivalencies identified by the community college's or university's faculty and staff and, upon request from an enrolled student, the community college or university shall award foreign language course credit to a student who has received a State Seal of Biliteracy. Requires the State Board of Education's rules to ensure that the criteria that pupils must achieve to earn a State Seal of Biliteracy meet the course credit criteria. Requires students enrolled in a public community college or public university who have received a State Seal of Biliteracy to request course credit for their seal within 3 academic years after graduating from high school. Bill Status of HB4330  

5. Support expansion of universal Pre-K. Preschool programs are critical for English learners.

Currently 100 more districts are eligible for state funding. Many of these districts enroll significant numbers of ELs. High quality preschool programs have proven to be effective for closing the achievement gap. Once the expansion occurs, it is also incumbent upon the New Jersey Department of Education to revisit the Preschool Guidelines. Bilingual education is mandated for K-12 but not in preschool. This results in a huge disconnection between preschool programs and services for ELs and the mandated programs in kindergarten.

If districts are mandated to have bilingual programs in kindergarten then those districts should also be providing native language support in the preschool program.

One of the major obstacles to this dilemma is the lack of certified bilingual teachers across all grade levels. The New Jersey legislature and teacher education programs must do more to recruit and train bilingual teacher candidates to staff bilingual preschool classes, bilingual K -12 programs as well as the growing dual language initiative. New Jersey should provide funding and/or grant programs for teacher training to address these critical shortages.

6. NJTESOL/NJBE also supports protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students, undocumented students and their families.

This is an extremely vulnerable population and we ask that they be provided as much protection as possible.

7. NJTESOL/NJBE supports S-2704/A- 4318 (Diegnan/Ruiz; Benson/DeCroce).

This is bi-partisan reform legislation passed by Senate 36-0 in June 2017. Bills now await action in Assembly Education Committee.

[This] Establishes grant programs for school districts and charter schools to develop dual language immersion programs.

8. NJTESOL/NJBE supports introducing legislation that will direct the New Jersey Department of Education to develop guidance in identifying English learners who may also have special needs.

A major discrepancy across the state of New Jersey is addressing the special needs of some English learners. Even though there is an Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), it is often interpreted quite differently across districts. Specific guidance and procedures need to be developed so that these children can obtain the needed support.

9.  NJTESOL/NJBE supports introducing legislation that mandates teacher- education programs to require all teacher candidates to take at least one three-credit course that addresses the needs of this special population.

Since there are over 72,000 English learners in New Jersey and over 80% of districts have some type of program for English learners, it is important that all teachers have some training in Second Language Acquisition and strategies to use when working with English learners.

Once we can obtain sponsorship of legislation, we will coordinate action alerts. We are thinking of planning an Advocacy Day (similar to TESOL) in early spring to educate and inspire our members and hopefully target our legislators.

 Elizabeth (BJ) Franks, Advocacy Representative, Consultant with LLAMAME, LLC, efranks@njtesol-njbe.org

     

Op-Ed

Climbing Maslow's Steps*

By Roselyn Rauch

Summer is over and school has been in session for over a month. Teachers think about their new students and their needs; the students worry about whether they will like their teachers and whether or not their friends are in their classes. The smell of fresh paint mixed with the stuffy air of schoolrooms closed for most of July and August permeates the air. Schools have their own particular aromas: tuna and peanut butter and new crayons and markers mixed with gym socks and sneakers and sweat.

American students and teachers are used to these environmental “expectations”. But what about our English language learners (ELLs) whose background experiences differ greatly? Do these sights, sounds, and smells enchant them or nauseate them? Do mainstream teachers think about the effect that these dynamics, and that of many other facets of the American public school culture, and how they impact student social and academic achievement?

Bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers have been schooled in the many variables that affect ELLs’ successes. But what about mainstream teachers? Aides? Support staff? Cafeteria workers? Custodial staff? How do these individuals respond to the needs of English language learners who are barely able to navigate through an American school day?

As advocates for our ELL/ESL students, we need to maintain a sort of vigilance; we need to act as a buffer between ELL and school staff so that the consciousness of the school staff is raised to a level wherein our students are supported by all.

Remember Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) and his “Hierarchy”? In Motivation and Personality (1954), Maslow, a humanistic psychologist, maintained that there are at least five (5) levels of physical and emotional needs that must be met before individuals can move onto fulfilling their potentials. At the lowest level, humans need to satisfy hunger and thirst. Ever been hungry or thirsty? Can you function? What preoccupies your thoughts then?

Once these basic life-sustaining needs are met, one needs to feel a sense of security, stability, and protection. Do you live in a safe community or one where you need to be off the streets before dark? Or even in daylight, do you need to stay out of certain areas in your community? What about living in a “safe” community where none of the street or window signs make any sense to you thereby raising your anxiety level? Remember how you felt vacationing in a strange land where little made sense to you. How does a child with limited life experience respond to these challenges? What fears are stirred?

How often do you move? Do you need to keep starting over with new faces, sights, sounds, smells, and languages? Many of our ELLs face these challenges long before the school day begins.

Once you have the “luxuries” of food and water, security, stability and protection, you still aren’t ready to move onto fulfilling your potential. You need to feel love and be loved, to not feel lonely, to have a sense of belonging. Think about many of our ELL students and why they have had to leave/flee their native lands: what does this do to their sense of belonging? Think of your students and how they must feel transplanted from their homelands. Think about ELL students whose families are left behind/split up/divorcing. These fundamental needs apply to all students regardless of socio-economic levels. What does this do to students’ feelings of being loved while perhaps exacerbating a sense of loneliness? What must schools do to act as surrogate families to give these students a sense of belonging?

Should the schools succeed and be able to provide that psychological fulfillment, there is still another step up the hierarchical ladder before our kids can “make it”. Esteem needs of self-respect and having the respect of others is vital to well being. Often when an ELL is the only representative of his group, his/her “differentness” is not well tolerated by some/many in the school community. This can be devastating. The only way to overcome this issue is through education. The more people know and understand something, the more tolerant these individuals are likely to become. What must we, as educators within our own secure classroom walls, do to ensure that all of our students are accepted? What foundations must we lay before we can begin to worry about WIDA and ACCESS testing and SGO?

Too many questions? Lots to think about. While it may seem as if this piece is “preaching to the choir”, even those who have been trained often lose focus. The stresses and expectations of everyone’s daily lives influence how they perform. Educators, too, have Maslow’s steps to climb.

Certainly our professional goals are to ensure academic and social growth for all of our English language learners. Maslow and his successors have provided us with a psychological framework of steps to transcend, independently or concurrently, in an attempt to fulfill human growth potential. But, we, the education professionals teaching the next generations, must work collaboratively to ensure that our students are not viewed solely as robotic test-takers racing unrealistically against an artificial time-line to achieve one-dimensional test scores. They are children first.

*This article was first published in the Fall, 2007, Voices; it is presented here with minor changes to reflect 2017.

Roselyn Rauch, Ed. D, is the editor of Voices and a retired ESL/ESL Resource teacher from the Paterson Public School System. She is a consultant with ESL Unlimited and may be reached at rrauch@njtesol.org.

 

Beloit College

The 2017 Mindset list

By Ron Nief, Tom McBride, and Charles Westerberg

Beloit College Releases the Mindset List for This Year’s Entering Class of First-Year College Students, The Class of 2021*

 

Beloit, Wis. —

This year’s entering college class of 2021 doesn’t remember when a "phone" wasn't a video game and a research library. Mostly born in 1999, they've always been searching for Pokémon. They've never read a Peanuts strip that wasn't a repeat and they never had the privilege of a Montgomery Ward catalogue as a booster seat. They have persevered in a world without Joe Dimaggio (sic) and rife with emojis. If you ask them about the whine of a dial-up modem, expect a blank stare. 

These are among the items in this year’s Beloit College Mindset List, the 20th such release since the list was first compiled in 1998. The List's current subjects are the last class to be born in the 1900s – the last of the Millennials.

The Beloit College Mindset List is created by Ron Nief, Director Emeritus of Beloit College Public Affairs; Tom McBride, Professor Emeritus of English; and Charles Westerberg, Brannon-Ballard Professor of Sociology. 

 "Members of this class have generally borrowed a lot of money to go to college, so expect them to think of themselves as consumers and not just as students," said Westerberg, former director of Beloit’s Liberal Arts in Practice Center. "And they will also be concerned not just with what they need to learn but also who they are and to what group they genuinely belong." 

Additional items on the list as well as commentaries and guides are found at www.beloit.edu/mindset and www.themindsetlist.com. Regular updates and discussions are on Facebook and Twitter.

The Beloit College Mindset List for the Class of 2021

Students heading into their first year of college this year are mostly 18 and were born in 1999.

Among the iconic figures who have never been alive in their lifetimes are Joe DiMaggio, John F. Kennedy Jr., Walter Payton, and Dusty Springfield. 

    1. Their classmates could include Eddie Murphy’s Zola and Mel Gibson’s Tommy, or Jackie Evancho singing down the hall.
    2. They are the last class to be born in the 1900s, the last of the Millennials -- enter next year, on cue, Generation Z! 
    3. They are the first generation for whom a “phone” has been primarily a video game, direction finder, electronic telegraph, and research library.
    4. Electronic signatures have always been as legally binding as the pen-on-paper kind.
    5. In college, they will often think of themselves as consumers, who’ve borrowed a lot of money to be there.
    6. eHarmony has always offered an algorithm for happiness.
    7. Peanuts comic strips have always been repeats.
    8. They have largely grown up in a floppy-less world.
    9. They have never found Mutual Broadcasting or Westinghouse Group W on the radio dial, but XM has always offered radio programming for a fee.
    10. There have always been emojis to cheer us up.
    11. The Panama Canal has always belonged to Panama and Macau has been part of China.
    12. It is doubtful that they have ever used or heard the high-pitched whine of a dial-up modem.
    13. They were never able to use a Montgomery Ward catalogue as a booster seat.
    14. Donald Trump has always been a political figure, as a Democrat, an Independent, and a Republican.
    15. Zappos has always meant shoes on the Internet.
    16. They are the first generation to grow up with Watson outperforming Sherlock.
    17. Amazon has always invited consumers to follow the arrow from A to Z.
    18. Their folks have always been able to get reward points by paying their taxes to the IRS on plastic.
    19. In their lifetimes, Blackberry has gone from being a wild fruit to being a communications device to becoming a wild fruit again. 
    20. They have always been searching for Pokémon.
    21. They may choose to submit a listicle in lieu of an admissions essay.    
    22. Dora the Explorer and her pet monkey Boots helped to set them on the course of discovery.
    23. The seat of Germany’s government has always been back in Berlin.
    24. Jet Blue has always been a favorite travel option but the Concorde has been permanently grounded.
    25. By the time they entered school, laptops were outselling desktops.
    26. There has never been a Coliseum in New York, but there has always been a London Eye on the Thames.
    27. Once on campus, they will find that college syllabi, replete with policies about disability, non-discrimination, and learning goals, might be longer than some of their reading assignments.
    28. As toddlers they may have dined on some of that canned food hoarded in case of Y2K.
    29. An ophthalmologist named Bashar al-Assad has always provided vision for the Syrian military.
    30. Whatever the subject, there’s always been a blog for it.
    31. U.S. Supreme Court decisions have always been available at its website.
    32. Globalization has always been both a powerful fact of life and a source of incessant protest.
    33. One out of four major league baseball players has always been born outside the United States.
    34. Carl Sagan has always had his own crater on Mars. 
    35. A movie scene longer than two minutes has always seemed like an eternity. 

 

…AND THERE ARE 25 MORE…see the complete list and additional information and guides at www.beloit.edu/mindset and at www.themindsetlist.com.

Author contacts:                                   
Ron Nief, (608-770-2625),  niefr@beloit.edu
Tom McBride, (608-312-9508), mcbridet@beloit.edu
Charles Westerberg, (608-225-8100), westerbc@beloit.edu

Copyright© 2017 Beloit College
Mindset List is a registered trademark  
*Reprinted with the permission of the authors.

 

Parent and Community Action

Spotlight on The Parent Expo

By Sandee McBride

ParentExpoSandee McHugh-McBride, Past-President of NJTESOL/NJBE

An exciting event was held on Saturday, September 24th, at the Douglass Student Center on the Rutgers Cook Campus in New Brunswick. The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), in collaboration with Rutgers University and NJTESOL/NJBE, coordinated the first Parent Expo. Much of the credit for this innovative project goes to the NJDOE's Jackie Leon, Bilingual/ESL Educational Specialist, a strong support of parent engagement and advocacy.

The day began with a welcome from the NJDOE's Director in the Office of Supplemental Educational Programs, Karen Campbell. The keynote, Susan Matos-Kruck, gave an insightful presentation dealing with the importance of bilingualism.

Attendees were able to visit exhibitor booths, tour the beautiful Rutgers University campus by bus, and enjoy lunch while sharing their experiences. The families expressed their excitement of receiving recognition for their contributions to their children's education. Several family members indicated that the outpouring of support from the organizations, universities, and other families strengthened their dedication to their commitment to their children's further education. It was a wonderful, invigorating day for all.
           
Sandee McBride, NJTESOL/NJBE Past President.  Adjunct professor at Rutgers University and Kean University.  smchugh-mcbride@njtesol-njbe.org

     

In Memoriam

Remembering Gloria Garcia

By Dr. Marilyn Pinheiro Connors
With Introduction by Barbara Tedesco

Gloria J. Garcia, Ed.D, entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, July 19, 2017. She was a past –president of NJTESOL/NJBE and the Director of the Bilingual/ESL program in Perth Amboy. Many of us could attest to her leadership skills but only a family member can capture the true essence of Gloria. Therefore, I have asked her god daughter permission to reprint the eulogy that she gave.

REMEMBERING DR. GLORIA GARCIA, MY GODMOTHER
BY DR. MARILYN PINHEIRO CONNORS

TO SAY THAT GLORIA WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY HUMAN BEING, A BRILLIANT MIND, AN ACCOMPLISHED PIANIST, AN OUTSTANDING AND PASSIONATE EDUCATOR, A FAITHFUL FRIEND, A DEVOTED MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER …SIMPLY DOES NOT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THIS INCREDIBLE WOMAN.

I HAVE ADORED AND ADMIRED HER FROM AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER AND I WANTED TO BE JUST LIKE HER.  SHE WAS SMART, BEAUTIFUL, WITTY, CULTURED, MULTI-TALENTED, A GREAT CONVERSATIONALIST AND INTUITIVE. SHE EMBRACED EVERYONE SHE MET WITH AN OPEN HEART, TOLERANCE, COMPASSION AND GOOD WILL. WE WERE BORN ON THE SAME DAY OF JANUARY 12, THOUGH 17 YEARS APART, WE TWO CAPRICORNS WERE KINDRED SPIRITS.

GLORIA WAS THE ONLY CHILD OF HUMBLE IMMIGRANTS FROM PORTUGAL AND GREW UP IN PERTH AMBOY, N.J.  HER MOTHER WAS THE GODMOTHER OF MY OWN MOTHER (GLORIA MADEIRA), AND I REMEMBER HER PARENTS AS LOVELY, WARM AND WELCOMING PEOPLE. THEY BARELY SPOKE ENGLISH AND YET RAISED A CHILD WHO WOULD BECOME A PH. D AS WELL AS TRILINGUAL IN ENGLISH, PORTUGUESE AND LATIN.

 SHE WAS THERE THROUGHOUT ALL OF THE MAJOR EVENTS IN MY LIFE FROM MY BAPTISM, COMMUNION, CONFIRMATION, GRADUATIONS, TO MARRIAGE. GLORIA WAS ETERNALLY A POSITIVE, SUPPORTIVE AND GENUINELY LOVING PRESENCE IN MY LIFE.  I HAVE NEVER KNOWN HER TO GIVE UP ON ANYONE OR ANYTHING TO WHICH SHE COMMITTED HERSELF.

GLORIA ATTENDED GEORGIAN COURT COLLEGE, AND ADVANCED TO HER DOCTORATE IN EDUCATION. SHE TRULY LOVED TEACHING AND HER STUDENTS, AND PASSED ON HER ENTHUSIASM AND EXPERTISE TO MANY TEACHERS IN TRAINING.   GLORIA ENDEAVORED TO EDIFY AND SUPPORT OTHERS, ALWAYS FOCUSING ON THE GOOD IN PEOPLE, AND GAVE GENEROUSLY OF HER TIME AND ENERGY.

DESPITE MANY TRAGEDIES AND SORROWS IN HER LIFE, GLORIA ‘S REMARKABLE INNER STRENGTH ENABLED HER TO REMAIN AN OPTIMIST. SHE WAS LOYAL WHEN MOST WOULD HAVE TURNED AWAY, INDEPENDENT WHEN WOMENS’ LIB WAS IN ITS INFANCY, AND POSSESSED AN UNCANNY ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THE EXCELLENCE OF CHARACTER AND CLASS SHE POSSESSED, EVEN IN THE MOST TRYING OF TIMES.

PERHAPS HER MOST IMPORTANT QUALITY WAS HER LIONESS SIZED HEART – FROM WHICH SHE POURED OUT UNCONDITIONAL LOVE ON FAMILY AND FRIENDS. HER WONDERFUL SENSE OF HUMOR, INDOMITABLE SPIRIT AND UNWAVERING DEVOTION TO HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS, WAS A PRECIOUS GIFT TO US ALL AND HER LIFE A REMARKABE EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW.

ABOVE ALL, GLORIA EXEMPLIFIED UNWAVERING DEVOTION TO FAMILY. SHE ABSOLUTELY ADORED HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN.

 GLORIA AND JERRY WERE TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT HAVE CHILDREN. BUT BECAUSE THEY SINCERELY WANTED TO RAISE A FAMILY, THEY DID THE MOST NOBLE OF THINGS AND ADOPTED THEIR FIRST SON, NOEL. HE IS NAMED AFTER HER BELOVED FATHER AND THEY BOTH SHOWERED LOVE AND AFFECTION ON THEIR PRECIOUS LITTLE BOY.AND SOON THEREAFTER, AN AMAZING, SURPRISE! GLORIA WAS PREGNANT AND GAVE BIRTH TO CHRISTIAN, ANOTHER LITTLE BUNDLE OF SHEER JOY.

SHE ADORED BOTH OF HER CHILDREN, BUT SHE WAS COMPLETELY ECSTATIC ABOUT HER GRANDCHILDREN. ALYSSA, MATTHEW AND ANDREW – I CANNOT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW MUCH SHE LOVED YOU. YOU WERE THE SUN, THE MOON AND THE STARS TO HER. I KNOW THAT SHE LOVED YOU BEYOND WORDS, AND CHERISHED THE TIME THAT SHE SPENT WITH EACH OF YOU. SHE WILL LIVE ON IN EACH OF YOU.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, I MUST MENTION PICKLES, OLIVER AND PEANUT- THE ADORABLE DACHSUNDS! THEY SHOWERED GLORIA WITH UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, LAUGHTER AND THE SPECIAL COMFORT THAT ONLY A DOG CAN GIVE.

MY HOPE IS THAT WE ALL CAN HONOR HER LIFE AND MEMORY BY ASPIRING TO EMULATE HER LIFE AND SPIRIT.

THIS ONE INDIVIDUAL, THIS INCREDIBLY SPECIAL, PRECIOUS, BEAUTIFUL, SELFLESS, AND GLORIOUS SOUL THAT WAS GLORIA -  ENRICHED ALL OF OUR LIVES IN WAYS IMPOSSIBLE TO DESCRIBE. WE ALL HAVE OUR GLORIA STORIES – OUR JOYOUS, UNFORGETTABLE TIMES WITH HER.  SHE REMAINED AMONG US AS LONG AS SHE COULD. SHE ACCOMPLISHED WHAT MATTERED MOST TO HER: PROTECTING, ENCOURAGING, LOVING, TEACHING AND PRAYING FOR ALL OF US.

NOW THAT SHE IS IN HEAVEN WITH HER PARENTS AND LOVED ONES – THE UNIVERSE HAS LOST ONE OF ITS BRIGHTEST STARS.  BUT WE WERE SO VERY LUCKY TO KNOW HER AND I AM POSITIVE THAT SHE IS STILL PRAYING!!!!!

 

Features FALL 2017