Guest Post: How the Role of a Teacher Goes Beyond Simply Educating Children

Here is a guest post from health writer Lily Brooke about meeting all children's needs in the classroom by recognizing each child's strengths and weaknesses--including recognizing the signs of different medical conditions.

How the Role of a Teacher Goes Beyond Simply Educating Children

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Being a teacher can be a totally rewarding job – in fact there are not many other professions where you can attain the type of job satisfaction that comes with teaching the next generation of young minds. Helping to shape, educate and influence a child is a fantastically gratifying way to earn a living that’s for sure. Teachers have key responsibilities that go above and beyond sticking to the curriculum and coaching youngsters on the fundamentals in education.

As the 31^st U.S President Herbert Hoover put it: ‘Children are our most valuable resource’ which is a simple but inspiring quote that helps us to understand the importance of our small people and the affect they will have on the world. As teachers, we have a responsibility to make sure we get the best out of our kids and enhance their individuality. Recognising that not all children are the same is major important key to good teaching. Some are great at writing, others not so. Other kids will succeed in sports, while some sit on the sidelines, some kids struggle with reading and concentration, some are bookworms. Whatever the strengths and weaknesses of a child in the classroom, it’s up to the teaching staff to recognise what they are and to do something about it.

Looking for signs that something is wrong in the classroom

Children spend much of their lives at school where they are entrusted into the care of the education system and looked after by us teachers. Teaching is not just about reading, writing, and arithmetic; we have a social responsibility as their entrusted guardians when they are in our classroom. So it’s up to us to spot any potential problems they might be facing. Why does Johnny seem to loose concentration so easily? Is Carla struggling with her writing more than the other kids? Harrison seems to be tired all of the time. Paula cannot seem to make friends with the other children, I wonder why? Katherine seems to be loosing a lot of weight, is everything OK? These are just a few examples of the questions that could fly through a teacher’s mind. It may be difficult to look out for these types of things when you are faced with a classroom of 20 or 30 kids all battling to be heard, but surely it’s the duty of teachers to pay close attention to their little people.

Recognition is often the first step to solving a more long-term problem. So being aware of the different types of disorders and medical conditions within our society is a good start for teachers who are determined to do everything possible for their pupils. Whilst teachers are not experts in medical matters, they are the eyes and the ears of the classroom and are often the first ones to observe unusual behaviour and the early signs that something may be wrong. Teachers may catch a glimpse of a behaviour that makes them wonder if there is an underlying problem that needs to be examined and investigated. Using the examples from above; what if Johnny has the condition known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? What is the next move? What if Paula struggles to form friendships with the other kids because she has symptom of Asperger’s Syndrome (SA)? Harrison is not a lazy kid at all; he’s actually suffering from an undiagnosed form of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that makes him tired all of the time. This is serious stuff and teachers are at the forefront of looking out for the early warning signs of little known conditions that have serious affects on a child’s life. There’s a rich information source available to us with much being written about these types of issues from the likes of the Autism Society and other credible organisations geared towards challenging behaviour in the classroom.

None of us want to label children with a ‘disease’ or ‘disorder’, no way. But teachers are duty bound to educate themselves about all manner of things that could be thrown at them in the classroom and this includes knowing a little about some of the issues affecting children of today. Knowing how to recognise the early signs of a medical condition or a physiological issue could be the start of some much-needed help and support the child needs in order to live a healthy and happy life.

Post written by Lily Brooke

Space Coast 13.1 Recap--The Race I Didn't Even Know I Had In Me

Shocked.  Awed.  Amazed.  Overjoyed.  Unstoppable.  Completely exhausted.  These are some of the emotions I was flooded with after crossing the finish line of the Space Coast Half Marathon in Cocoa, Florida Sunday morning.  This race was nothing short of amazing.  After processing it for a few days (and catching up on sleep and school--well, getting as caught up as a teacher can EVER be...), I'm finally ready to write a recap!

Even my niece was there at the finish! :)  

Can't wait til she's old enough to do one of these with me!

First, some back story.  Sub 2:30 has been "someday" goal for me since I started running races.  You know, "someday"...when I'm older/faster/less injured/stronger/have more time to train... Basically it was a goal I wanted to achieve but didn't really think I could, at least not enough that I'd actually, you know, work for it.  I'd always been okay with staying in my comfort zone of around 12:00 miles for any real distances, but as I trained for a sub-30 5K this summer and fall, something started to happen.  I was getting faster--not by chance or by magic, but because I was actually working at it.  I nailed my sub-30 5K back in September and finally began to realize that maybe I'd been selling myself short for awhile.  

Post-5K I focused all my attention on training for the Space Coast Half.  Initially, I was hoping to just come in with a PR (Under 2:37), but after the 5K I started wondering if maybe that "someday" goal was actually within my reach.  During my training, I'd visualize seeing 2:29:59 on my watch as I crossed the finish line of the half.  I pictured it at the track when I was ready to fall over and die half way through my 400s, pictured it when the alarm went off at 4:15am for a before-school run, and pictured it when I was struggling at the end of a long run.  I wrote it on my wall in chalk, in my training log, and all over my brain.  

But when I got to Florida, the doubts started creeping in as they so often do.  Was I really ready?  Did I have it in me?  Would I be able to run that fast after being sick and basically stagnant all week?  The little nagging self-doubt voice in the back of my head told me, "Oh well, if you don't make it, you can always blame it on being sick all week..."  <--i attitude="attitude" know="know" p="p" right="right" winning="winning">

Packet Pickup at Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Center

When I lined up at the start at the back of the pack with the other 11:30 runners Sunday morning, I gave myself a pep talk.  I told myself to trust my training, told myself I was READY.  I mentally went over my race plan: hold an 11:30 average for the first couple miles, then gradually take a few seconds off my average pace every mile until the end of the race, finishing around an 11:20 min/mi average pace.  

It was cold for Florida standards at the start of the race!  Yikes!  I was thankful for my arm warmers, but totally was wishing for some throwaway gloves!  For the first few miles, I was averaging between 11:05-11:15 min/mi according to my Garmin.  I'd planned to start a little more conservatively, but I was feeling great.  The course was shady, the views of the Indian River complete with a gorgeous sunrise, swooping pelicans, and waves hitting the shore were stunning, and I was pumped up.  I'd surprised myself with my paces before like at the Perfect 10 race a few weeks back, so I decided to just go with it and see what my legs could do.  Well, they ended up surprising me alright!

I'm not sure when exactly it was, but there was a point in the race where I realized that the 2:30 pace group I'd been lingering around for the first 5 or 6 miles wasn't even in my rear view mirror anymore.  Not only was I going to finish in 2:30, but I was going to CRUSH 2:30.  The average pace on my garmin was showing times I'd never seen on a run over 5 miles, and I was still going strong.  My new "race plan" became "see how many seconds I can shave off this average pace by the end of the race."  

On that note, are you ready for the least flattering race picture EVER?  Because I love you I'm going to share it with you.

Do I look like I'm dying?  At a certain point that's how I was feeling, that's for sure!

Halfway through the race my legs were hurting.  After trading in a taper for a week of almost complete rest thanks to a nasty cold, my legs were pretty tight going into the race (try as I might to loosen them up with the Stick the day before--my IT bands tighten up something FIERCE when I back off TOO much!).  I've definitely had it worse with my ITBS, but I'd get a sharp pain in one of my knees, run through it, then feel it in the other knee a few miles later.  Ouch.  As I got deep into the second half of the race, my legs started feeling just plain tired.  I mean, my muscles were probably confused about the pace I decided to randomly run at, so I should just be happy they kept up!  Anyways, I usually have some kind of mantra come into my head during a long run or race, and Sunday my mind kept coming back to this article from Runner's World I read awhile back...

It must have been months ago that I read it, but it obviously resonated with me enough at the time that I took a picture of it!  I kept telling myself, "Running a PR is supposed to hurt.  I am not afraid of pain."  I'd look at my Endorphin Warrior "FEARLESS" bracelet and push through whatever aches and pains I was feeling.

I need to throw a big thank you into the universe to a stranger named Mark who, when he ran past me as I was walking near mile 12, turned back, motioned "come on" with his hand, and said, "We're almost there."  That was exactly the push I needed to start running again and not stop.  I jogged up near Mark, then passed him, and jogged just in front of him for the next several minutes.  We only talked long enough for me to learn his name, and then I sped up a little and he fell back.  It may seem like nothing, but the interaction was exactly the push I needed.  My knees were hurting, my feet ached, and I was tired, but I dug deep, pushed ahead, and found a new gear I didn't even know I had.  

As I neared the finish, I sprinted past my mom, followed by my brother and sister-in-law, followed by my dad.  There is nothing like having "your people" near the finish to give you that last push you need.  Nothing.  One of my goals for this race was to finish completely on empty, unable to go another step.  I passed several runners as I neared the finish, was momentarily delayed by a group of about 5 girls running side by side down the narrow finish stretch (grr...) before I managed to squeeze by, and crossed the finish line with a gigantic grin on my face and not an ounce of energy left in my legs.

My original goal when I registered for this race: 2:35

My "reach goal" leading up to the race: 2:29:59

My final finishing time: 2:21:21

What a perfect way to end Thanksgiving weekend.  This race made me feel so many things--pride, elation, even relief.  But it truly made me feel GRATEFUL.  I spent so much of my life as NOT a runner.  Then when I finally discovered I LOVED running, I spent so much of my time injured.  Obviously my legs still aren't in tip top shape, but this year and especially this race has made me just so grateful for the gift of running in my life.  Because it truly is a gift.  

Have you ever had something or someone unexpected give you that extra push you needed at the end of a race?

How do you push through the pain in a race when things just start HURTING?

A Race to be Thankful For

Happy belated Thanksgiving! :)  Hope you ate tons and relaxed like crazy.  I know I did.  I took a break from blogging because I spent the long Thanksgiving with my family in sunny Florida.  Even though I ended up coming down with a bad cold at the start of the trip, I still enjoyed tons of time with my wonderful family and beautiful niece.  What a perfect way to celebrate all of the things I have to be thankful for.  The highlight of the trip though was the culmination of the past few months of training and a race I'd been looking forward to since I heard about it this time last year--the Space Coast Half Marathon!  I'm still too tired from the trip (and being sick...oh and a crazy Monday back at school with the monkeys...) to do a full recap yet, but here's my favorite picture:

Oh, and by the way...I blew my half marathon PR outta the water!  I dug deep and pulled out a race I didn't even know I had in me, taking over 16 minutes off of my previous PR.  I think I am still in shock.  I can't wait to tell you all about it soon when I can find the words to truly do the recap justice.  :)

All in all, it was an amazing weekend that reminded me about the many, many ways I am blessed and the things I have to be thankful for, including the gift of running.

Tommie Copper Shorts Review

Thanks for all of the advice about my running shoe dilemma!  Based on your input and my own gut feeling, I am going to go with my Pure Cadences for the half-marathon.  I already wear them for shorter runs twice a week, and I plan to run a 7 miler on Saturday.  Cross your fingers for me! As one comment said, my calves will be sore no matter what, so better off in the shoes that cause less pain!  Speaking of sore calves... (see how I changed topics all smoothly like that?)

It is no big secret that I capital-L-LOVE compression wear.  I rock my compression sleeves on long runs, my recovery socks post-run, and have lately been loving compression shorts for recovery.  Back in January, I had the opportunity to to try out a few items of Tommie Copper compression gear.  Read my review of their calf and knee sleeves here.  My hips like to tighten up like crazy after long runs, not to mention my ongoing IT band woes, so compression shorts are something I'm a fan of.  I wore a different pair for practically two days straight (no comments on my laundry habits...) after my April half marathon, and was super pleased about their help with my recovery!  

Tommie Copper Calf Sleeves

Recently, I was excited to receive a pair of Tommie Copper compression shorts to review.  The first thing I noticed when I got the shorts was how lightweight they are.  Like other Tommie Copper products, the shorts are thin, stretchy, and have a silky feeling.  My favorite thing about the calf sleeves is that they are so thin I can wear them under skinny jeans.  Win!  The shorts are the same way.  Whereas my other compression shorts can be worn under yoga pants, the Tommie Copper shorts can definitely fit under jeans, a dress, whatever!  They are really thin and comfortable.

My dad took this picture for me.  After, his comment on it was, 'You look really young.' 

Story of my life.

Don't be fooled by the thin, comfortable nature of the shorts--they still do a darn good job as far as compression is concerned.  My first thought with the calf sleeves was that I couldn't believe that they could be so thin and comfortable but still compress, but they totally do.  The shorts are the same way.  I have been changing into them immediately after my long runs lately and wearing them most of the day.  My legs have felt great the next day, hips and all!

What, you don't immediately don compression shorts and eat a PBJ in bed post long run?

While I am usually a strict nike tempo shorts girl on my runs, I wore these for a 3-miler when I first got them just to see how they felt, and I was pleasantly surprised!  The shorts were comfortable, and I really liked the feel of them on a run.  The best part, though, was that I could feel the shorts compressing my IT bands a little bit!!  I have been leaving the KT tape and ITB straps at home for runs 3mi and shorter lately (yay!), but I can usually still feel some tightness or pain by the end.  These shorts are no miracle cure for the ITBS I have been dealing with for 18mos, but on my run I could feel them compressing the IT bands in a good way--does that make sense?  Sound weird?  I don't know, but it was a good thing!

I rocked the shorts under my jeans after the Perfect 10 race last weekend.  

Added bonus--they kind of work like spanx... :)

The only thing that could be improved in my opinion would be a wider waistband.  I'm know I'm not the only girl out there who is not the biggest fan of shorts with a thin stretchy waist because of the inevitable muffin top factor--no good!  A wider waistband more in a yoga pants style would make them way more comfortable to run in IMHO.  Anyways, I give these shorts a thumbs up and will continue wearing them for recovery and on the occasional run!  

DISCLAIMER: Tommie Copper sent me a pair of compression shorts in exchange for writing a review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My Ridiculous Shoe Dilemma...

I have shoe issues.  I'm not talking about my obsession with buying shoes (which is very real and very much an issue...).  I'm talking about my current running shoe major issues.  This is a long one, but I seriously need your help!!!!  Some back story...

I have weird feet.  I also have a really weird stride.  I'm positive this is why I'm always injured  and yes, I know, I need to change my form.... Anyways, when I run I do something weird with my right foot when I hit the ground--I don't really understand what I'm doing  but when I've had my feet filmed on the treadmill at the running store, you can see something a little weird happening with that right foot.  Somehow I think this is connected to the fact that like 90% of running shoes run my right ankle weirdly and uncomfortable when I run in them.  Just the right side, which is why I think it's a stride thing.  I don't really know what I'm doing and therefore have no idea how to change it.  It makes buying running shoes tricky though!  Every pair of Asics, Sauconys, and Mizunos I've tried has rubbed that ankle and been immediately ruled out.  New Balances are hit or miss.  Nikes don't bother me there  but I just don't like them--I think my old nikes were the reason I used to get so many awful knots in my calves.  Since switching to Brooks, I haven't had any issues with calf knots, and they used to be seriously out of hand awful.  I even had a brief membership to Massage Envy to get them professionally kneaded out back when I was training for my first half--only now do I realize it was partly because of the damn shoes.

These Nikes got me through my first 13.1, but they were NOT the shoe for me!

The only brand of shoes I've had consistent luck with has been Brooks.  I bought my first pair of Brooks Ghost 3's back in May 2011 and loved them.  I bought another pair last November and cycled between the two before retiring the first pair.  In May I added a pair of Brooks Pure Cadences to the mix.  I LOVE those shoes.  I still have that second pair of Ghosts because they even after a year they have under 250 miles on them.   I only run 3 days a week since I've been pretty much wearing the Ghosts only on long runs and Cadences in shorter runs during the week, so they've lasted awhile.  However, they are at the end of their lift.   I know some people can get 500 miles out of their shoes, but I can tell these shoes are just DONE.

I saw it coming a few months ago and ordered a pair of Ghost 4s online, figuring they'd be the same as the 3s.  WRONG.  Oh my gosh wrong.  They tweaked them a little bit and now they rub my darn ankle too!

Ghost 4s...They will always look this bright and shiny... :(

GAHH!  Brooks!  You've let me down!  I scoured the internet to try to track down another pair of 3s, but seeing that Brooks is already on Ghost 5s, it is pretty much impossible to find 3s anywhere.  Bummer.
I LOVE my Pure Cadences, but I've never worn them over 5 or 6 miles.  They aren't really a minimalist shoe since they have nice cushioning and a little stability, but they are a lightweight and have a 4mm heel toe drop, a change from Ghosts.  I wear would like to make cadences my primary running shoe because I love the feel of them so much, but planned to do the smart thing and wait until after the space coast half to transition into them. 

Love these shoes.  Love my stretchy laces for triathlon too :)

I planned to make my ghosts last long enough to run the half marathon at the end of this month, then take a trip to the running store to experiment with some new shoes while simultaneously building up mileage on the cadences before the Disney Princess half in February.  

Well, after Saturday's 10mi race, this plan doesn't seem as foolproof as it did before.  I had weird aches and pains in my feet throughout the entire race.  Not fun.  Now, 2 weeks out from the half, I am torn.  Part of me knows it's crazy to run a race in shoes I haven't trained in, but part if me knows that it could be worse to run in dead shoes that are hurting my feet.  What to do???

Option 1: run in the ghosts and cross my fingers that my feet make it through unscathed.
Option 2: run in the cadences and cross my fingers that I don't jack up my feet/legs because I didn't transition to them properly.
Option 3: ???

What do you guys think?? I am leaning towards the cadences.  I've run up to 5/6 miles in them comfortably, and after reading several blogs where runners said they didn't really need a transition period to adjust to Cadences (the worst case I read was some calf achiness...), I'm thinking I should be okay in them.  Not only do I not want to search for a new basic neutral running shoe this close to the race, I don't really have time!  But the injury-phobe in me knows that running a 1/2 marathon in ANY shoe I didn't train consistently in is a mistake...ugh.  Please weigh in...

Race Recap: Chicago Perfect 10

Can I just say that I love that the 10 mile race distance is starting to become more popular?  I ran my second 10 mile race this year (and ever) on Saturday, and it was awesome.  Earlier this fall I started looking for longer race distances that would fit nicely into my training schedule for the Space Coast half, and was pumped to discover the Chicago Perfect 10 ten-miler was taking place just two weeks before race day.  I love when a race can neatly take the place of a training run--don't have to worry about carrying my water plus crowd support?  I'll take it. Can I have a race for every long run please?

Love Chicago races. :)

After a 10 mile training run the previous weekend that was less than enjoyable (cold weather, tired body, head not in the game...cut to me watching the miles SLOOOWLY tick by on my garmin as I plugged along...), I started having some self-doubt last week about whether or not a sub-2:30 half is in the cards for me in Florida.  According to the Cool Running pace calculator, I need to maintain an 11:21/mi pace to come in just shy of 2:30.  With my Galloway 3/1 run/walk intervals, though, I am constantly weaving through the crowds to get off to the side for my walk breaks, so I always come in with a little extra distance tacked on at the end of the race.  This means I need to shoot for under 11:21, a pace I've never been able to maintain for a distance like 13.1 miles.  While I've had a few great long runs close to the 11:21 pace, and while I KNOW the long runs are supposed to be SLOW (I know, I know), when I finished my 10 miles 2 weeks ago, my garmin read an 11:50/mi average, and I literally could not have dragged myself through that run a second faster.  I was a little bummed and not so optimistic after that...

Hanging out with Lauren pre-race...the race was delayed HALF AN HOUR because of PARKING issues, so we had lots of sit-around time...

Well, Saturday I got up bright and early to run the Chicago Perfect 10 and gave myself a little pep talk.  Part of me wanted to run the race pretty slow since it was a training run, but another part of me was itching to see how fast I could really run 10 miles.  The beautiful high-50s weather and the even more beautiful course along the lakefront path and museum campus in Chicago gave me the little extra boost I needed to dig deep.

Besides some aches and pains in my feet which I 100% attribute to the fact that my go-to shoes are at the end of their life (more on that later...), I felt great the whole race.  After a speedy first two miles, I forced myself to slow down a bit for the next few before giving myself permission to kick it up again for the last two miles.  I got an awesome surprise just past mile 9 though--my parents!  My dad was standing by the path, camera ready, and my mom was cheering from the car.  I got a big grin on my face, dug deep, and pulled a strong and speedy finish out of my tired feet and legs.

I ended up crossing the finish line in 1:53:08 with an average pace of 11:13 min/mi.  Holy crap.  I felt great after too--I know I had extra juice left that could have gotten me through 3 more miles at a similar pace.  I FINALLY feel confident that I can finish my half in under 2:30 and can't wait for race day!  Hoping the weather is equally as beautiful in Florida as it was Saturday here in Chicago, and please please please not too hot!!

Manic Monday

Happy Monday!  Good ol' Chicago weather took another crazy turn, going from 60 degrees Saturday to a brisk 28 degrees this morning...I even had to bust out the mittens.  Gross.

This morning I started my week off with a new addition to my class--another new student from Syria!  I swear, is there a billboard with blinking lights in Damascus advertising for our school?  This is the FOURTH Syrian transplant to the school this year!  Things seem to be pretty rough there right now, so I'm glad the kiddos are here and safe, but it is certainly challenging!  Thankfully my new little guy speaks fairly good English and is just a few levels behind grade level in reading--phew!  Big difference from the little guy I got a few weeks back who has proven to be a bit...challenging...both in terms of his ELL status and his overall behavoir and personality.  Cultural differences aside, this kid is...umm...quirky...

This morning I was in a bit of a panic over adding ANOTHER new ELL student to my already overflowing room, so I told myself that if I could just get through the day, I could reward myself with a Target trip later.  Nothing says motivation like the big red bullseye!  One busy school day, a tutoring job, and a vinyasa yoga class later, I walked into target for bandaids and toothpaste and left with a $100 bag of stuff including 3 sweaters and a top...How does this ALWAYS happen to me?

Seriously, always.  Anyways, off to finally eat some dinner and catch up on last night's Revenge, followed by an early bedtime...I WILL get up at 4:30 to run tomorrow, I WILL get up at 4:30 to run tomorrow...

Race Recap of the Chicago Perfect 10 mile race coming up tomorrow!

Tell me I'm not the only one who NEVER leaves target under $100...

Guest Post: "Helpful Advice for New ESL Teachers"

Hi guys!  I've been taking a mini-break from blogging as I get deal with a mess of end of trimester grading, get my report cards squared away, and finish projects for a grad class that's wrapping up next week.  I'll be back in action once I have my feet back on the ground (hopefully that actually happens!), but in the mean time I'm happy to bring you a guest post from Katheryn Rivas, a blogger for onlineuniversities.com.  I shared with Katheryn that I am adjusting to me new role teaching a level 1 ELL student who is a newcomer from Syria, and she agreed to write a guest post sharing some helpful tips for teaching English Language Learners. Enjoy!  :)

Helpful Advice for New ESL Teachers

Being an ESL teacher is no easy job, and it is especially overwhelming when you are new to the game. However, it is also a highly rewarding job that can easily put a smile on your face with every small classroom accomplishment.

If you are new to ESL teaching, you probably have days where you aren't sure if your students will ever learn English! Don't worry; they will. Just keep doing your thing, and everything will fall into place. In the meantime, it helps to search for inspiration and support from other ESL teachers who have been through the same thing as you. Below is a little bit of helpful advice to get you started.

Find a Translator

If possible, ask your school district if they would consider hiring a temporary translator to assist you and your students. The translator does not need a teaching degree, but they must be fluent in both English and your students' first language. This person will serve as the bridge between the teacher and her ESL classroom, until the students know enough of the English language to function on their own. If your school district does not have enough funds to hire a translator, see if you can't find someone who would be interested in volunteering; for example, a college student who is studying your students' first language.

Use WordReference.com

WordReference.com is a great online resource that can be used to quickly clear up misunderstandings in communication. For example, let's say one of your ESL students is trying to communicate something to you, but they don't know how to say it in English yet. You can ask them to write it down in their first language on a piece of paper, and then use WordReference.com to translate the phrase or sentence into English. WordReference.com can be used to translate words, phrases and sentences from 15 different languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish.

Make a Connection

Imagine that you are one of your students, and try to understand how difficult it would be to learn another language from a teacher who doesn't speak your first language? First, it would be very hard to learn to trust someone with whom you cannot hold a conversation. Second, it would be very frustrating and tiring to try to learn something when you can't ask questions about what you are learning. One way to mitigate this difficult situation is to try to find a way to make a meaningful connection with each of your students. Try learning a few words and phrases in their language. They will appreciate your effort and see that you are truly interested in getting to know them and converse with them. Also, if you have a translator, spend one day in class for "show and tell." This will allow everyone to get to know each other a little better and ease anxieties.

Get Parents or Guardians Involved

If your ESL students are learning English because they are living in a region where English is the predominant language, it is highly important that their parents or guardians play a role in their education. Explain to the parents how important it is for their children to practice their second language outside of the classroom, and encourage them to enroll in an adult ESL class at a local community center or with a private teacher. If your ESL students never speak English at home or in other public spaces, they will have a very difficult time gaining fluency, so parents must also speak English with their children to increase fluency.

Do you have experience as an ESL teacher? If so, what advice do you have for new instructors?

Katheryn Rivas is a freelance writer and blogger for www.OnlineUniversities.com. In addition to writing about all things education, Katheryn also enjoys covering topics related to technology, business and career advancement. Please send any questions or comments to her at KatherynRivas87@gmail.com.

Got any suggestions for teaching ELL students?