Notes from the President:

First, I would like to say that the Executive Board sincerely appreciates the responsibility you have entrusted us with as leaders with Carolina Tesol. As we embark into a new year, we must not only look towards a bright future, but also reflect on the past and create a new road that will enable us to achieve our goals. Carolina Tesol has a long history of being the front runner in setting the standards for ESOL in the Carolinas, and we must continue the momentum. As our ESOL population increases, our success largely depends on your support.

 We must continue to see beyond our classroom borders and remember that there may be pockets of students and classrooms that need individual or specialized support. Carolina Tesol is blessed with expertise in ESOL within its membership, and together, we can structure an organization that is readily available to help schools, districts, and state departments of education with suggestions to implement or restructure ESOL programs.

Many of our programs throughout our region still need to be updated. Our newcomers, who are entering either middle or high school, have a difficult road to navigate, not only with academics, but also with cultural, linguistic, and social adjustments. As ESOL teachers, how can we be better facilitators? How can we collaborate with non-ESOL classroom teachers so that ELLs have an optimum learning experience in every classroom?

Our goal as an organization will be to focus on increasing our membership with at least 100 mainstream teachers within a three-year period. If each ESOL coordinator or ESOL teacher in each school district throughout the Carolinas recruited one teacher from each district, we would accomplish this goal. Curriculum modifications are a difficult task for most mainstream teachers to negotiate, and becoming a member would enable them to access our members’ expertise. Our hope lies with our Regional and Metro Representatives’ connecting with mainstream teachers and helping them to understand modification requirements.

Another area we need to bring into focus is Special Education and ESOL. Many of our students are being overlooked for services simply because they do not have English language proficiency skills. This does not happen in every district, but it is far too common. And even one overlooked student is one too many. Our goal is to insure that all students receive all services. To accomplish this goal our Regional Representatives and Metro Representatives will focus on providing training for mainstream teachers and will also continue to support ESOL teachers in their professional development. The Board will provide funds to help our representatives bridge this gap.

Our membership has to bind together and claim ownership of Carolina Tesol. We need to open our channels of communication and help each other recognize the immediate needs of ESOL students throughout our region. The Executive Board needs your help in developing Carolina Tesol into a strong, unified voice to advocate for our ELLs and our colleagues.

J. Roberto Gonzalez, President