High School ESOL Digital Resources

I started teaching with TNTP Teaching Fellows in 2015 in Washington, DC where I soon thereafter started teaching ESOL with a 3rd grade math co-teacher. The following year, I expanded to include history, science, and ELA under my 3rd grade caseload. After a great second year, I transferred to another district closer to home where I provided ESOL support from K - 5th grade. At the same time, I taught adults in the evening a few days a week and on the weekends. There I discovered my unusually high success rate with high-school aged students who were just beginning to learn English. From there, I taught ESOL to adults and led tours around DC with native-English-speaking middle-school and high-school students from around the country and the world. Then, I started teaching high school in Honduras. Due to the pandemic, I left after the second quarter to start working online at a high school in Maryland. During that time, I found creative ways of making digital resources that gained attention throughout my department, school and county. Thus, I've decided to share here. I hope these resources enhance the enjoyment and effectiveness factor of your lessons.

I very much believe in the purposeful flexibility that routine and structure provide. I implement daily routines that allow for students to feel confident enough to provide the spontaneity of sharing their own opinions and experiences. I also model this myself by sharing who I am and how I feel whenever appropriate. That's why I encourage the customization of the resources I provide. Customize in a way that reflects your curriculum. But even more importantly, customize in a way that reflects yourself and your students. My improvisation in the moments where students open up, ask questions and challenge me, best defines my style in action.

When I was a high school student, I was in the National Honors Society and the National Spanish Honors Society. I spoke at my class' baccalaureate service and was also recognized for high achievement in the graphic arts. As a high school teacher, I have been visited by the the CEO of the school district and governor of the state. Truthfully, their visit was very short, but I was chosen for my innovative use of technology during virtual and hybrid learning..

I graduated at the top of my class from Matoaca High School in 2009. From 2009 - 2013, I attended the University of Virginia where I earned a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics and Anthropology. I participated in elementary ESOL certification coursework with Moreland University (formerly TEACH-NOW in 2015 and 2016). I earned a TESOL certificate from the International Language Institute in Washington, DC in 2017. I am currently pursing coursework for high school ESOL certification and hope to add Spanish and Art as other content areas as the years progress.

While I was in college, I was a bus driver and still have my CDL to this day. I dream of heading a program that integrates regular, weekly field trips to mundane yet culturally significant places into the ESOL curriculum.