A Career Built on ESL Strategies

4/5/24

So glad you are here!

I’ve been thinking lately about my journey to StudySesh. Some of it is about writing. I love writing, though I’ve never been much of a creative writer. My strength is in structured, formulaic essay writing. A coincidence? Probably not. The first few years of my career were focused on teaching ESL students, high schoolers who have been in America less than four years, to read, write, think critically, and…to pass the required New York City Regents (standardized) high school English exam. A passing score is necessary to graduate high school. It’s a difficult test, especially for students learning English as a second or third language. Relying on structure and writing rules was so important. Language learners must overcome both linguistic and cognitive challenges to pass the Regents, and by providing a format and rules for writing, completing the task becomes so much easier.

Though I no longer work predominantly with ESL students, my ESL training has been the most valuable pedagogical asset I have in the toolbox. I find a lot of the strategies that I learned through training to work with language learners can be adapted to meet the needs of neurodiverse students and honors-level English students. ESL training has made me a more well-rounded teacher and better able to connect with so many students. As this journey continues, I want to give thanks to all the wonderful teachers who took the time to teach, listen, support, and challenge me over the years. You have made an immeasurable difference in my life and I hope to pay it forward.