Building Relationships
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Ep. 180 My First Experience with a Newcomer Class—What I Learned
Welcome, educators! Before we get started, I want to share some amazing resources created to support you in your ESL classroom. 👉 To learn more and download engaging, scaffolded resources, visit myadventuresinesl.com/store. Now, let’s talk about something incredibly important: teaching newcomers. Stepping Into a Newcomer Classroom Before we get into today’s topic, I want to speak directly to anyone stepping into the world of newcomer teaching—whether it’s your first year, your tenth year, or you were told at the last minute, “You’re getting a newcomer group.” If you’re feeling pressure, uncertainty, or worry about where to start, take a breath. Those feelings are real, and they make sense. Working with…
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EP 176 But My Class Is Too Big / I Don’t Have Time — Can I Still Build Real Relationships?
Hey teacher friend — before we go any further, I want to acknowledge where you are right now. You’re teaching.You’re planning.You’re grading.You’re attending meetings.You’re managing behavior, supporting language development, and keeping up with the endless flow of responsibilities that come with being an ESL teacher. And through all of that, you’re trying to build genuine relationships with your students — the kind that make them feel safe, valued, and confident in your classroom. But I know this isn’t easy.When class sizes are large and your schedule is packed, it’s natural to wonder: “How am I supposed to connect with every student when I barely have a moment to breathe?” If…
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EP 157 Celebrating Your Newcomer’s Success
Welcome, educators! As teachers, we know how important it is to encourage and uplift our students. Every day, you create a positive impact in their lives, and I want to remind you that you are doing an amazing job! Teaching newcomers comes with unique challenges, but it also presents beautiful opportunities to celebrate their successes. In today’s post, we’ll explore meaningful ways to celebrate your newcomers’ achievements, helping them feel valued and motivated in their learning journey. Why Celebrating Newcomers is Essential Newcomer students face the challenge of adjusting to a new culture, language, and education system. Recognizing and celebrating their milestones—big or small—helps build confidence, fosters a sense of…
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EP 152 Breaking Myths About Newcomer Students: Insights for Educators
Welcome, educators! Before we dive into today’s topic, I want to share some incredible resources available to support your teaching journey. Visit myadventuresinesl.com/store to explore and download engaging tools tailored to your classroom needs. Thank you for the incredible work you do every single day. Your role as an educator is so much more than teaching language—you’re building bridges, fostering understanding, and empowering students to find their voices in a new world. Helping students navigate grammar, vocabulary, cultural nuances, and the confidence they need to succeed is transformative. Your dedication changes lives, one lesson, one conversation, and one smile at a time. Remember: what you’re doing matters more than you…
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EP 141 Beginning of the Year Lesson Ideas
Welcome educators! Before we start, I want to share my amazing and engaging resources. To learn more and download some engaging resources go to myadventuresinesl.com/store. You are an efficient, engaging, and hard-working educator. The work that you are doing for your students is appreciated. Thank you for your dedication and the time you put in to ensure your students succeed. In this week’s episode, I will share a 5-day lesson plan you can use during the beginning of the school year to help you learn more about your students. On Day 1, you will start the lesson by introducing yourself. During the presentation, you can share your favorites with the…
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EP 132 Supporting Newcomers in General Education
Welcome educators! Before we get started I want to share with you the amazing resources I have available. To learn more and download some engaging resources go to myadventuresinesl.com/store. You are an effective and hard-working educator. The work that you are doing for your students is appreciated. Thank you for your dedication and the time you put in to ensure your students succeed. In this week’s episode, I will share strategies on how you can support general ed teachers in supporting Recently Arrived English Learners in their classroom. I can remember it as if it happened during my planning period yesterday. The school I was working for at the time…
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EP 131 Mid-year Building Relationships
Welcome educators! Before we get started with today’s episode, I want to share the engaging and effective resources I have available. To learn more and download some engaging resources, go to myadventuresinesl.com/store. You are an effective and hard-working educator. The work that you are doing for your students is appreciated. Thank you for your dedication and the time you put in to ensure your students succeed. In this week’s episode, I will share strategies and tips you can use to build relationships with your students mid-year. Going into the school year, one of my professional goals was to be more intentional about building relationships with the students I support. As…
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Ep. 117 Tracking Data & Goals for ELLs
Welcome educators! Before we start, I want to share an excellent free tool available to you. It is “The Ultimate Guide to a Successful School Year”. In this guide, I walk you through how you can take those nervous jitters to have undeniable confidence throughout the school year. All because you started with these basic steps in the guide. To download the guide go to myadventuresinesl.com/ultimateguide. We are going to start off today’s episode with your reflection question. On a scale from 1 – 10, rate how well did you and your students do with tracking their data last school year? Take a moment to reflect on this question. Think…
- Building Relationships, Checklists and Processes, Planning Strategies, Professional Development, Teaching Strategies
EP. 116 Prep & Plan: Setting High Expectations
Hey! It’s Session 3! I want to thank you all for tuning into the first Prep & Plan Session (Routines & Procedures). A few of you asked about the routines and procedures that I use in my classroom. Click here to download my template of Routines & Procedures that I use in the ESL Master Plan. I will keep it available for a limited time. Let’s dive into Session 3! Building relationships with your students is a necessity if you want to have a high-functioning and high-performing classroom. Step 1: Planning for High Expectations In the last session, I provided you with strategies on how to establish high expectations in…
- Building Relationships, Classroom Strategies, Newcomers, Planning Strategies, Speaking Activities, Teaching Strategies
Social & Emotional Support for Language Learners
Welcome to My Adventures in ESL! In this week’s blog I will be speaking with John Burnett about how to support the social and emotional health of Language Learners. In today’s episode, I will be speaking with John Burnett. John has 11 years of experience in education and mental health. Currently he is a middle school counselor. He has also been an elementary school counselor, a Spanish teacher, and an assistant principal. John received his Bachelors in Spanish from the University of Memphis, Masters in School Counseling from Cambridge College, and an EdS in School Administration from Freed Hardeman. John enjoys building bridges and making connections with students, families, and…
