Introduction

Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.

~Oliver Wendell Holmes


After six years of teaching students with varied backgrounds, needs, and interests I believe the most important thing I have learned is to keep my ears, eyes, mind, and heart open. That and the fact that it's not really all about me. The success of a facilitator of learning is whether or not students learn and are successful now and in the future in our increasingly globalized and multilingual society. A great lesson on paper is a failure if it does not deliver the intended information to the audience. In short, teachers are in the customer service business, and we have a responsibility to package and market knowledge in ways that work for our students.

It really is a pretty exciting and humbling gig.

My hope is for this blog to serve as a resource to teachers of ELLs and others who strive to be knowledgeable and sensitive to the unique individuals in their classrooms.