Click below to hear how schools create a welcoming environment for ELL families:
We know how important it is for us to make our new ELLs feel welcome and comfortable but how can we help their families feel supported? There can be so much confusion for families as they are adjusting to living in a new country, learning a new school system, and understanding different offerings and options that are available. Our guest, Janna Adams, is sharing ways that we can help our ELL families overcome some of these hindrances.
In today’s episode, we are chatting with Janna about some things she has implemented that have made a huge impact on getting ELL families more involved in school and the community. She is sharing her teaching experience and how she became an ESL teacher, why it is so important to engage ELL families in the school setting, ways ESL teachers can help connect these families to the school and community, and the difference she has seen with engagement after implementing these things.
Janna Adams is a 6th year elementary ELL teacher from Austin, Minnesota. She pursued a degree in K-6 Education from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, with endorsements in K-12 Reading, K-12 ESL, and Kindergarten. Prior to teaching elementary, she taught 5th and 6th grade ELL at a STEAM intermediate school. As a young girl, Janna once envisioned herself teaching general education in a rural school district, but after returning to her beautifully diverse, meatpacking hometown she has learned to grow, empathize, and love everything ELL. Outside of teaching, you can find her working on her fixer upper farmhouse, learning a new song to play on guitar and sing, or camping in the north woods of Minnesota.
Topics discussed in this episode:
- Janna’s background, teaching experience, and how she became an ESL teacher
- Why it is so important to engage ELL families in the school setting
- 5 ways ESL teachers can help ELL families overcome hindrances and be more engaged with the school and community
- The difference Janna has seen in the engagement of families in her school after implementing these things
Resources:
- Join the Equipping ELLs Membership
- Check out the ELL Strategy Academy
- Download the ESL Teacher Toolkit
- Shop TpT resources that help with supporting your ELLs
Related episodes and blog posts:
- Episode 60. Cultural Crash Course with Guest Margarita Pearce
- Episode 15. 3 Ways to Connect with the Parents of ELLs
- 5 Ways to Welcome ELL Parents into Your Classroom
- 10 Ways to Make Your ELL Family Night Worthwhile!
Connect with Beth:
More about Equipping ELLs:
We all know that teaching isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be this hard. Equipping ELLs is a podcast for both ESL specialists and homeroom teachers who are looking for effective and engaging ways to support their English Language Learners without adding to their endless to-do list. Tune in each week to hear tips, strategies, and inspirational stories that will empower you to better reach your ELL students, equip them with life-long skills, and strengthen relationships with colleagues and parents.
Your host, Beth Vaucher, is the founder of Inspiring Young Learners. She is an ESL certified homeroom teacher with over 10 years of experience teaching in the US and internationally. Her background of M.Ed in ESL and Curriculum and Instruction combined with her experience has led her to develop a bestselling newcomer curriculum that has sold in over 90 countries around the globe. She brings a different perspective to teaching ELLs from her years teaching and living abroad and working with ELLs from around the world. You will walk away from each episode with the ideas and tools you need to transform your experience as a teacher and cultivate a thriving and welcoming environment for your ELL students.
