Kisha: Yes. That was at Colorado TESOL in 2025. For me, linguistic self-love is about learning to love the language that comes naturally to you—the language of your family, your community, and your culture—without believing that you have to change or diminish it to be intelligent, educated, or successful. That is deeply personal for me as a Gullah Geechee woman. I know what it means to grow up with a language variety that is sometimes misunderstood or viewed through a deficit lens.

Courageous care is what I ask of educators in response. Caring for students is not just about being kind. Sometimes care requires courage. It means being willing to question practices that tell students, directly or indirectly, that something about their language, culture, or identity needs to be “fixed.” It also means recognizing when our own beliefs about what sounds “professional,” “academic,” or “correct” may actually be creating barriers for students.

These concepts matter because language is incredibly personal. When we reject someone’s language, they may experience that rejection as being about much more than words—we can also be rejecting family, community, culture, and identity. I want students to develop new linguistic tools and learn how to navigate different spaces, but I never want them to believe that gaining a new way of communicating requires being ashamed of the one that brought them there.

Jennifer: I appreciate that call to action. Do we teachers have the courage to care the way our learners need us to? I admit it’s not always been easy to look inward and question my beliefs and “default” practices. Your own convictions centered around linguistic self-love stem from your personal experience. Right? How did you end up on your ESL path?

Kisha: My path to TESOL is deeply personal. I grew up in coastal South Carolina, in a Gullah Geechee community where language was—and still is—an important part of who we are. Like many Black children from Gullah Geechee communities, I grew up hearing and using language that did not always sound like the English we were expected to use in school. Long before I had words like linguistic diversity or language variation to describe it, I understood that the way people spoke could influence how others perceived their intelligence, ability, and even their potential.

I began my career as a middle school English Language Arts and ESL teacher in South Carolina. In many ways, that work brought me back to questions I had carried with me since childhood. I became increasingly curious about what happens in classrooms when students bring languages and language varieties that are different from what schools consider “standard.” I was especially drawn to dialects, creoles, and pidgins because those questions were not abstract for me. They were connected to home, community, identity, and my own experiences as a Gullah Geechee girl growing up in the South.

TESOL became my way into the language education profession. At first, I saw it as a field that would allow me to better serve English learners. But it became much more than that. TESOL gave me a professional home for questions I had been asking for much of my life: Whose language is valued? Who gets to decide what counts as “good” English? What happens to children when the language of their homes and communities is treated as something that needs to be corrected? And how can educators help students learn new ways of communicating without asking them to leave important parts of themselves at the classroom door?

So, for me, choosing TESOL was never simply about teaching English. It became a way of understanding my own story while helping create educational spaces where students’ languages, cultures, communities, and identities are recognized as strengths rather than obstacles to overcome.

Jennifer: I didn’t realize you started as a middle school teacher. Now you’re at a university. What guided your choice of teaching contexts over the years?

Kisha: I have taught in public K–12 schools, community colleges, and university-based teacher education, and I have also provided professional development for educators internationally. While these settings have been very different, my choices have always been guided by one question: Where can I have the greatest impact?

Over time, I realized that working with teachers and future teachers allowed me to extend that impact. When I help an educator think differently about language, that understanding can reach hundreds of students throughout their career.

This matters to me because language has tremendous power. It can affirm who we are and create a sense of belonging, but it can also be used to alienate, exclude, and make people feel that the way they communicate is somehow less valuable. Across every context in which I have worked, my goal has remained the same: to help educators understand that power and use language to create spaces where students feel seen, valued, and empowered.

Jennifer: I think that’s a mission we can all embrace: to help our students feel seen, valued, and empowered. Can you talk more about your current work? What kind of student population do you work with and how do you serve them?

Kisha: I currently work at Tennessee State University, an HBCU in Nashville, where I teach primarily educators. My students come from a wide range of professional and disciplinary backgrounds, including classroom teachers, school leaders, higher education professionals, and other education practitioners.

My teaching centers on language, curriculum and instruction, research, and global education. I teach courses in doctoral scholarship, qualitative research, and global education systems, and I also work closely with doctoral students as they develop their research and dissertations.

No matter the course, language is never far from what I do. I want my students to think critically about whose knowledge and ways of communicating are valued in educational spaces—and how, as educators and scholars, they can create more affirming and equitable experiences for the people they serve.

Jennifer: You’ve also served within our professional association. What did that experience mean to you?

Kisha: I have served within several professional associations whose focus is language educators and learners, but I most recently served on the TESOL International Association Board of Directors. That experience allowed me to witness the ways in which social, political, and environmental factors influence how organizations must adapt to meet the needs of its members. From the experience, I gained a deeper respect for volunteer leaders who dedicate hours of their time to ensure that these organizations live up to their mission. My goal has always been to give voice to the voiceless and highlight those who are doing social justice work in language education. I hope that my TESOL colleagues believe that I did just that during my time on the Board .

Jennifer: Your work is both admirable and inspiring. I’m curious about who has inspired you personally or professionally. Did you have any mentors? 

Kisha: My professors, colleagues, and fellow scholars have served as mentors, challenging my thinking and helping me grow. But my mentorship also extends beyond those I know personally—and beyond the living. I count my ancestors among my mentors because their lives continue to guide mine. While saying that I am “my ancestors’ wildest dreams” may sound cliché, I believe it deeply. I am walking in possibilities they imagined, prayed for, and fought to make possible. I am also inspired by those who have been told that their native language, home language, or way of speaking is “wrong” or inadequate. Their experiences remind me why my work matters and compel me to question whose language is valued, whose voice is heard, and who is allowed to fully belong.

Jennifer: I can somewhat relate to that. My grandmother wanted to be a teacher. As one of the older children in a very large family, she had to leave school at an early age to work and help support the family. On top of that, Eastern European immigrants and their children weren’t always seen favorably in the early twentieth century. I hope she’s happily looking on from heaven, seeing me work as a teacher.

Here’s another curious question. Are there authors or other figures who have had an impact on you?

Kisha: Oh my goodness—this is a tough question! If I start naming names, I know I’ll leave someone important out. So, I’ll say this: look at the people I cite, the scholars I collaborate with, and the voices I continually return to in my work. Those are the people who have challenged my thinking, stretched my scholarship, and helped shape who I am as an educator and scholar.

Jennifer: Fair enough! I’ll put you on the spot with another question. What advice do you have for teachers just entering our field today?

Kisha: Probably not what most people would expect, but ‘get in where you fit in’. Teaching does not only happen in a traditional classroom or school. Know your “why,” and be able to articulate it—but also know that your why should not require you to sacrifice yourself.

Protect your mental health. Find the spaces where your gifts are valued and where you can make the kind of impact you want to make. And if a space is no longer healthy for you, give yourself permission to leave. You can care deeply about students, communities, and education without believing that you have to save a system that you did not create and cannot fix by yourself.

There are many ways to be an educator. Find yours.

Jennifer: I love that. Know your “why.” Find your way to be an educator. Thank you. It’s also very reassuring to hear another teacher say that it’s okay to leave. As I progress in my own career, I have to reflect more on when to hold on and when to let go. Can you turn your thoughts to the future for a moment? What concerns do you have for the future of our profession? What are your hopes in terms of the direction we can take?

Kisha: One of my greatest concerns is that teaching is no longer treated by those in power as the noble profession it is. Too many teachers are being emotionally exhausted, professionally devalued, and financially exploited—and then asked to give even more “for the children.”

Still, I am hopeful. I see educators becoming more willing to advocate for themselves, question systems that are not serving them or their students, and redefine what it means to be an educator. My hope is that we reclaim the profession—not through martyrdom, but by demanding the respect, resources, compensation, and humanity that educators deserve.

Jennifer: Oh, that resonates! Of course, I hear your words from my position as an independent teacher who’s been “evolving” for almost two decades in online spaces. I question how I serve and what’s no longer serving me. I’ve redefined both “teacher” and “professional success” out of need to find inner peace. Yes, I can share that hope – to reclaim our profession and find our place in it. Thank you very much for your thoughtful and generous answers to my questions!



Follow Dr. Kisha Bryan-Jordan on LinkedIn.

Featured image retrieved from Pixabay.

The homepage shows popular, trending, and recently searched words. Most likely, you’ll open the tool (on your PC or phone) with a specific word in mind. At my most recent livestream, a student asked me about using undertake as a synonym of promise. I was teaching the definition “begin and carry out,” for example, to undertake a major study. A search in Power Thesaurus confirms it is indeed a synonym for promise or pledge.

By clicking to view sentences, you can examine the examples to see if one meaning is used more frequently than another.

Opening the Definitions tab, you’ll save time by seeing multiple definitions from different sources. Register and variety (UK vs. USA) are noted where appropriate.

Another feature I appreciate is seeing not just one-word synonyms but also phrases and idioms that might serve as a substitution.

A quick note about hashtags: Because the thesaurus covers real-world English, some searches may surface mature contexts or usage labels. I noted the hashtag #sex when I was searching for synonyms for peak and then pinnacle. We need to bear in mind that mature definitions and examples are included in online dictionaries as well, so such general reference tools are best used in the hands of young adults and adults, not young children. I would recommend Power Thesaurus for high school students, higher ed, and adult learners.

Founder and CEO Alexander Radyushin sees potential use in and out of the classroom. Since I had the opportunity to ask questions, I fired away, knowing that other teachers would appreciate learning his answers.

Me: What inspired you to create Power Thesaurus?

Alex: I created Power Thesaurus in 2012 after struggling with existing thesauri while building a community-driven dictionary. I found most of them were too basic and in fact inconvenient to navigate. Their results did not always reflect contemporary language and [were] fairly limited. As an example, none of them provided results for phrases at that time. I wanted to build a cleaner, faster tool that helped users identify the most relevant word for a particular context.

Me: What’s your background?

Alex: My background is in web development and digital product design. Working with English has made me especially conscious of nuance and the challenge of choosing a word that is not merely similar, but natural and appropriate in context. Today, Power Thesaurus is supported by professional development and editorial teams that maintain and review its language content on a daily basis.

Me: Is the platform and all features free? What are the benefits of signing up?

Alex: The core resource is free to use without creating an account. A free account allows users to save favorites and search history and keep them synchronized across the website, mobile apps, and browser extensions. We also offer an optional PRO membership with more extensive content, additional functionality, and an ad-free experience.

Me: How do you envision its ideal use?

Alex: We see Power Thesaurus as a tool for exploring language and making informed word choices, not simply swapping one word for another. User can begin with the ranked synonyms or antonyms, then compare definitions, parts of speech, examples, and usage signals before selecting a word. As an example, in a classroom, a teacher might ask students to compare several alternatives, explain how their meanings or tones differ, and use the best choice in a new sentence. It can support vocabulary development as well as drafting and revision.

I hope you’ll check out the tool and perhaps you’ll find Power Thesaurus useful, or should I say helpful or beneficial? I like the suggested idiom a cut above the rest!

Featured image retrieved from Pexels.

Related posts:
Discovering the Fun and Benefits of Readers Theater (2024) – Scripts included.
Hit the Ground and Running with Readers Theater (2024) – Scripts included.

News article referenced:
“It Wasn’t All Bad.” The Week, vol. 26, no. 1283, 17 April 2026, p.5. This article was used with permission from the editorial team of The Week. I thank the publication for granting me this “fair use” for educational purposes.

ABOUT FELICIA
Felicia Rosen is a retired educator who loved teaching as much on the last day of her career as she did on her first. She received her BS in elementary and special education from Boston University in 1983 as well as her M.Ed. in education of the deaf in 1985. Felicia  taught deaf students for many years in a program south of Boston. After it closed, she taught English learners for 23 years in a local elementary school. Throughout her career, Felicia often spoke of writing a book and is excited to share her teaching experiences via her new memoir.   

Jennifer: Felicia, the first thing that stood out to me when our paths crossed was your experience using both ASL and English. How did that come about? 

Felicia: My path to becoming an ESL teacher was a circuitous one. I was a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing from 1985-2000. All but one of those years was in an educational collaborative program south of Boston. I had been fascinated with deafness and learning American Sign Language from the time I was in elementary school and dreamed of becoming a teacher of deaf students. When the program closed, I had to find another position. 

After an exhaustive search for something in the field of deafness without success, the Thursday before Labor Day weekend I went for an interview for a part-time position as a teacher for English learners at a local elementary school. I had three certifications: elementary education, special education, and teaching the deaf, but did not have a license to teach English learners. I told my babysitter that I was going for an interview, would go grocery shopping afterwards, and would be home shortly thereafter. 

The interviewers asked me about my experience teaching English learners. I explained that I had taught deaf and hard of hearing students over the years from preschool to eighth grade and that we used a bilingual, bicultural model, using ASL as our students’ native language as we guided them to learn English as a new language. As I gave many examples of how I did this, one of the interviewers turned to the other and said, “That’s exactly what we do, except we don’t use sign language to do it!” I was hired on the spot. I had to call my babysitter to let her know I would be gone longer than I anticipated. 

I intended to spend one year teaching English learners and then planned to go back to teaching deaf kids. Twenty-three years later, I retired from my position as an ELE teacher! 

Jennifer: Sounds like a calling! What contexts did you end up teaching in? And how far did you go beyond teaching communication skills?

Felicia: I taught in self-contained classrooms of deaf students and also spent a few years as the learning disabilities specialist in that program. I taught every academic subject you can imagine, from colors, counting, and letters of the alphabet with preschoolers, to Civil Rights, algebra, plate tectonics, and sex education with my older students. ASL was used as a common language (their first, my second) and using it, I was able to teach concepts, clear up misunderstandings, and explain how it differed from the printed/written word. Since my students couldn’t hear or couldn’t hear well, learning to read and write was challenging. They couldn’t learn via phonics, so they were taught via sight words and phrases. I had to point out how meanings differed, depending on context. When students signed as they read, I could tell, based on the signs they used, whether or not they understood what they were reading.

Jennifer: So basically, you had to develop another set of skills to evaluate and give feedback. What about your work with traditional English language learners? How did that compare? 

Felicia: With my English learners, I worked in an elementary school. I pulled out students in small groups to provide service. My lessons with them also included all academic areas, to develop their receptive and expressive language and literacy skills (via speaking, listening, reading, and writing.) Developing basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) as well as cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) was interwoven into every lesson. Academic and language objectives were addressed as my students learned about photosynthesis, the water cycle, geometry, solving word problems, grammar, animal adaptations, and ecosystems, and other grade level topics.

For both populations of students, we focused on reading comprehension, answering fact-based questions and those that required inference based on text evidence. Students learned to think critically and to express their opinions clearly and specifically. For my English learners, teaching them to read phonetically was possible, since they were able to hear.  If students were already literate in their first language (L1), with cueing, they quickly learned to transfer what they knew about decoding to doing so in English. Younger students who had not yet learned to read had the added challenge of learning to decode text in an unfamiliar language, without a native language explanation of how it’s done. It’s important to remember that decoding alone does not equal comprehension. Reading instruction for my ELs focused largely on comprehension of what was decoded.

Jennifer: Any other commonalities?

Felicia: Yes, there were. Whether they were deaf or hearing students whose first language was other than English, all learning happened with the utmost respect for the students’ native languages and their unique cultures. In the program for the deaf, there were Deaf paraprofessionals who worked as role models and language models for our students. (I refer to them as Deaf, not deaf, since the adult paraprofessionals were members of the Deaf Community, which doesn’t identify itself based on hearing loss; rather on their common language/culture of using ASL.) 

With my English learners, information was made as accessible as possible via translated native language objectives and vocabulary and/or content information for each unit. I used to tell my students that if they were going to make the effort to learn English, I would make an effort to speak/write in their native languages as much as I could. I did my best to explain what we were going to do each day in their native languages. Fortunately, I was able to speak conversational French and developed the ability to speak basic Portuguese. My students and I would encourage each other to try our best. Humor was used to lower anxiety for new tasks and mistakes were taken in stride.

Jennifer: I think using your French and learning basic Portuguese is a wonderful demonstration of going the extra mile! You certainly put the students’ needs first. I’m very impressed that you worked with two different populations. I imagine both similarities and differences often surfaced. 

Felicia: They sure did. In fact, they became apparent quickly, and surfaced on a regular basis. As someone who has been fascinated by language acquisition since my days as a graduate student, similarities between deaf students beginning to express themselves in ASL and hearing students beginning to speak and write in English has been on my mind for quite some time. Based on linguistic research I have read and my own first hand experience with these groups, it seems that young deaf children who are learning to express themselves in ASL (as a first language) have commonalities with hearing children learning to express themselves in English (as a new language), because each group is figuring out how it all works. Whether by signing or by speaking, each group uses what they have internalized about the language input they have received so far, to get their point across. Their output initially resembles what one would expect to see or hear from very young learners of a first language. I have come to agree with linguist Noam Chomsky that there is some innate language structure that all new language users display, whether deaf users of ASL or hearing ELs.

When my English learners started to develop oral language skills, I noticed something interesting. They would speak in a topic-comment word order, in a very similar way that ASL was signed by my young deaf students. While not identical to ASL structure, it immediately caught my attention. It was as though the ASL of my deaf students were spoken aloud by my ELs, rather than signed! To the naive listener, it may have simply sounded like “broken English.” To me, as someone familiar with ASL sentence structure, the similarities were striking. How cool, I thought, that my hearing ELs would initially develop English this way!
In Brazil June and July, yes school.
In my house, have rats.
My house Sunday, me color.

Jennifer: I love that point. “Broken English” only sounds broken to the outsider, but for you, their teacher, it was communication in action — language being built. 

Felicia: Yes, and each group of beginner students (deaf as well as my ELs) expressed past tense and future tense in similar ways when they were learning to explain when something happened. Consider how these young deaf students expressed verb tense:
Yesterday, yesterday way back (a long time ago)
Sleep wake up, sleep wake up 2 ( the day after tomorrow)

My beginner ELs used similar techniques to convey past events:
Two last week (2 weeks ago)
Yesterday yesterday me go to the party (2 days ago)

Each population of learners had similar misunderstands regarding the use of certain grammatical structures. One example that comes to mind is learning when to use ‘s’ for a plural noun, vs when to use ‘s’ to convey third person singular verbs. Understanding the difference between boy and boys was easier for students to understand than the difference between want and wants or like and likes. Over the years I came to expect that some students would think the sentence ‘Mary likes pizza’ meant that Mary really likes pizza a lot! They reasoned that since ‘s’ added to a noun indicates more than one (or a lot), adding ‘s’ to the word ‘like’ to form ‘likes’, must mean a lot of liking!

Each group of students made similar grammatical mistakes, but for different reasons. My deaf students lacked auditory access to English, while my ELs could hear, but had limited experience with English. Until my deaf students learned and practiced the English they encountered via print (reading and writing), they would have difficulty internalizing the rules of grammar. My ELs needed ongoing exposure to hearing English spoken, practicing speaking themselves, along with reading and writing practice, before they too could develop proficiency. 

I could go on and on, since I find this so intriguing! Let’s just say that beginner ELs expressed themselves in a remarkably similar way to young deaf students learning to use ASL and both groups needed time to learn and internalize rules of English grammar. 

The main difference between my deaf students and my ELs was that when misunderstandings arose, my deaf students and I could more easily negotiate meaning, since we shared a language with which to communicate: ASL. When my English learners misunderstood something, particularly when they were level 1 beginners, it was trickier to explain and clarify, since I could not fluently speak Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Urdu, Spanish, or French. Yes, I could clarify basic information or use Google Translate, but it was not full two-way communication the way it was with my deaf students.

Jennifer: Looking back, can you see how your teaching evolved over the years?

Felicia: Yes, I definitely can. Pivoting from teaching deaf students to English learners was a process. For one thing, I no longer had the ability to communicate fully with my English learners as I was able to do in ASL with my deaf kids. Although I had 15 years of teaching experience under my belt when I began teaching ELs, I had to rethink how information would become accessible, in order to give directions, convey new concepts, and negotiate meaning. I relied heavily on pictures, realia, and native language translations (using word to word dictionaries at first, and later Google Translate) to introduce lessons. I used total physical response, along with songs, chants, gestures, and even sign language to convey information. My English learners and I chanted and sang to learn and reinforce all kinds of topics, from days of the week, body parts, and times tables to phases of the water cycle. 

Although I was no longer teaching deaf students, using sign language was extremely helpful. My newcomer ELs took to signing like fish to water! For beginners, using signs and gestures became a bridge to communication. For instance, when we learned about prepositions, we used objects and placed them on, off, in, out, over, under, around, through, between, or next to each other. To express themselves to indicate where an object was located or to demonstrate comprehension, students would at first sign the location. After a short time, they would sign and say the preposition aloud. Eventually, they would verbally explain where objects were in relation to each other, without using the sign to go with the preposition. Learning about prepositions became one of my students’ favorite units! 

Speaking of signing, when I began teaching English learners after fifteen years of teaching deaf students, it took me a while to change some habits. For instance, if I were writing on the board or had my back turned and one of my students asked me a question, I would not answer until I was facing the group. The same was true if I were holding something in my hands, like books or other supplies. I would only answer after putting those things down. I was used to always facing my deaf students and using ASL to communicate. This wouldn’t have been possible with my back turned or my hands full. I think my ELs were puzzled by this, perhaps thinking Mrs. Rosen sure was odd!

Jennifer: Interesting! It was both a courtesy and a necessity. I can see how continuing the habit with ELs made you give students your full attention. 

Felicia: Another way my teaching evolved over the years was using technology to enhance comprehension. When I began teaching in 1985, I wrote on a chalkboard and used dittos for handouts. I always had bags and boxes of realia I needed to teach vocabulary, demonstrate concepts, and to clarify misunderstandings. If a student asked, “What’s a cork?”or  “What does coral look like?” I usually had that object in my classroom.  If I were trying to explain opposites, such as heavy/light, soft/hard, fat/thin, rough/smooth, I could do so by going to my supply closet or drawing a quick picture. I used to joke that one day I would pull out a live elephant from my closet!

As the years went by, I still had all those items available, and still drew lots of pictures, but I also had a Smartboard that would allow me to show an actual object, a famous person, a video to demonstrate concepts, or diagrams to show a process. Posting objectives on the Smartboard could be done in many languages, without having to look things up in dictionaries.  Visuals could be available in seconds to clarify misunderstandings. It was a convenience I could only have dreamed of when I was a new teacher.

Jennifer: You clearly enjoyed a long, rewarding career. Can I ask what you are most proud of?

Felicia: I feel fortunate to have had not one, but two satisfying careers. The first career was yearned for from a young age, while the second one happened unexpectedly. I never intended to stop teaching deaf students. I considered it my life’s work. When I began to teach English learners, it was supposed to be a brief intermission before I could find another position in a program for the deaf. I am proud that I was able to pivot successfully into teaching a new population of students and opening my eyes to appreciating language acquisition in a new form. I also added an ELE certification to the three I already had.

Since our EL program had a large population of Brazilians, I am proud that I developed the ability to express myself in Portuguese to help my newcomer Brazilian students feel comfortable and valued. While I never became a fluent speaker, I was able to convey necessary information and provide basic clarification. When my students saw me trying my best to pronounce words in their native language and laughing at myself for mispronouncing words or using the wrong word entirely, they saw that making mistakes was okay. I continue studying Brazilian Portuguese to this day, even though I retired three years ago. 

I am most proud of having built relationships with my students that allowed them to feel supported, valued, and deeply cared for. When students came into my classroom, they were not afraid to try challenging tasks. They knew I believed in them and did everything I could to help them feel successful. We learned and laughed together on a daily basis.

Jennifer: I love hearing that you treasure the relationships the most. That’s beautiful. Dare I ask about any regrets? Anything you would have done differently? 

Felicia: What an interesting question. I loved my students as though they were my own children and hope they remember me with the same positive feeling. I gave teaching everything I had, and then some. Was I perfect? Of course not. But I can honestly say, I tried my best. 

Sometimes behavior management was a challenge. I must admit that at times, I would become frustrated with students who were more interested in fooling around than in paying attention to lessons or completing assigned tasks. Positive reinforcement for behaving appropriately was usually successful. Unfortunately, there were times when certain students just wouldn’t comply.

At times like these, I used to tell them that I couldn’t be an effective teacher without their desire to learn. I would say, “If I care about teaching and all you want to do is look out the window, you won’t learn. If you care about learning, but all I want to do is look out the window, you won’t learn. If all of us just look out the window, you won’t learn. I want you to learn and know you can be successful, but you have to want it with me. We’re all in this together.” 

Jennifer: So true. It takes effort from both the teacher and the learner. At this point, can I ask you to share advice for teachers just entering our field today?

Felicia: What a long list that would be! I’ll try to keep it to ten pieces of advice. First of all, remember that one size does not fit all when it comes to teaching methodology. What works well with one student or group of students may not work at all with another. The same information can be conveyed in a multitude of ways, depending on students’ language levels, learning styles, and  individual needs. The key is to be flexible in the way information is presented, practiced, and applied.

Besides that, make sure to lower the affective filter so that students feel at ease in your class. This means maintaining a warm and low anxiety atmosphere where mistakes are allowed. When tasks are broken down into manageable parts, students feel successful. As they gain expressive and receptive language and literacy proficiency, newfound confidence will lead to even more learning. Confident students are willing to take academic risks. 

Speaking of mistakes, for your own well-being, forgive yourself for making them! A teaching career is a marathon, not a sprint. Take to heart the adage ‘You learn something new every day.’ Every lesson is a learning opportunity. Theory is one thing. Putting it into practice is another. University coursework gives you information and advice, but experience is the best teacher. Some lessons go well, while others are totally ineffective. Whether lessons are just what you hoped they’d be or the total opposite, take stock of what happened. What worked? What didn’t? Try to analyze what went wrong and how you can address it next time, going forward.

Over the years, I’ve learned that checking for comprehension at every opportunity is the most important thing you can do. Do so both expressively and receptively. Checking for comprehension sure came in handy when I asked my students to write a summary of the story we had read together. “Do you know what this means,” I asked. As soon as I said the word ‘summary,’ one child raised his hand and eagerly announced, “I know about this! It is boat that go under the water and can see on top!” It had not occurred to me that he might have thought I meant a submarine! I was glad I asked, that’s for sure. 

Checking for comprehension can be as simple as having newcomers give a thumbs-up/thumbs-down, point to a diagram, or complete a task to answer questions or demonstrate comprehension. (Do you like peanut butter? Are these lines parallel? Put the rock on/in/under the box. Show me 12:15 on the clock.) For all ELs, comprehension can also be demonstrated orally or in written form. Tailor your comprehension checks to fit the students in front of you.

As a fifth suggestion, keep a record of student language samples, both oral and written on a regular basis. I started doing this with my deaf students in 1985 and continued doing so until I retired in 2023. With the deaf kids, I wrote down what they signed in ASL, while for the ELs, I wrote down what they said orally. For both groups, I kept samples of what they wrote in a folder. Keeping language samples helps you remember how much students have progressed over time. It’s amazing how quickly students in my beginner group started expressing themselves orally as soon as they saw me take out a piece of paper with their names written on it. When one of them said something he or she had never said before, I would casually write it down. Sometimes I would write down what the student said on a corner of the whiteboard. Once I started doing this, hands were in the air very quickly! They were extremely motivated to see me writing down what they had said on the piece of paper. This is a very low-tech way to encourage oral expression! 

I think tip #6 is next, right?

Jennifer: Yes, six. Go ahead. You’re on a roll. This is great!

Felicia: Build relationships with your coworkers, particularly classroom teachers. Ask them to share with you what they are addressing with students. Keep them up to date on what objectives you are focusing on. Tell them success stories about your shared students, such as new spontaneous comments they have made, questions they have answered, text they have read/discussed, or written work they have completed. Share academic concepts and vocabulary your students are learning and/or applying successfully. Although this can be time consuming, shared information is helpful for everyone.

Tip 7: Learn to manage conflict with coworkers when it arises, without losing your cool (or your mind.) When disagreements or miscommunication happens with other staff members, as they inevitably will, particularly regarding effective ways to address the needs of ELs, having established respectful relationships with them is key. Building and maintaining relationships with those who may not necessarily see eye to eye with you or the ELE department, may gradually lead to opening minds that might otherwise stay strongly shut. Do your best to see the glass as half full, even when things get stressful. 

Tip 8: Never underestimate students. My deaf and hard of hearing kids couldn’t hear or couldn’t hear well. Many of them couldn’t speak clearly. However, that didn’t prevent them from learning and thinking deeply about grade level content and life in general. I remember having a discussion with a third grade deaf child about “building bridges of understanding” and wondered if she would really get what I meant. As it turned out, she later used this phrase spontaneously with two of her classmates to resolve a conflict they were having. I remember one of my newcomer second grade ELs arriving after the school year had begun, probably in late September or early October. She didn’t speak or understand a word of English. By December, her classroom teacher told me that this student had been explaining how to do the math assignment to one of her American born peers! Lacking English proficiency didn’t stop her from using the academic skills that she had developed in her home country/in her native language to assist a peer in need. This student’s desire to communicate accelerated her English language acquisition, while her friendly personality made helping a classmate a natural thing to do. 

Another important tip (Almost done!): Never lose an opportunity to give students encouragement and positive feedback. Let them know you care for them. When you genuinely care about your students, they’ll know. They can feel it! Along these lines, maintaining a sense of humor is key. Laughter is a terrific way for students and teachers to bond.

Speaking of humor, my final tip is to use it as a stress reliever and a teaching tool. Laughter was what helped my students and me relax in my classroom. Finding humor eases tension and allows teachers and their students to enjoy one another’s company. I don’t think a single day went by without laughing during my lessons. Of course, you should never allow students to laugh ‘at’ each other; rather, allow them (and yourself) to laugh with each other! 

Jennifer: Thank you so much for that robust list of tips! You’ve certainly amassed a lot of experience and wisdom. Do you miss teaching? What has retirement been like? And what advice do you have for other teachers heading towards retirement?

Felicia: Surprisingly, I have been enjoying my retirement very much! I really thought that retirement would be very difficult for me. Teaching was my identity. I lived and breathed being a teacher for almost 40 years. I couldn’t wait to go to school in the morning. My students were so important to me. During my last year of teaching before retirement, I worried that if I were no longer a teacher, I would cease to exist! Who would I be, if not a teacher? 

Gradually, I came to realize that I would always be a teacher, even though I would no longer do it for a living. I would be a retired teacher who had almost 40 years of memories of my students and our time together. I loved them and believed in them. I knew it was the right decision to leave the party while I was still having a good time!

Since retirement, I spent the first few months uploading my electronic resources onto two teacher platforms: Teachers Pay Teachers and Classful. I wanted to make resources available to other educators for an affordable price. I also spent time writing and self-publishing a book about my teaching adventures , Happy Times Go Fast! Learning, Laughter, and Language Acquisition. It is available on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

These days I keep busy playing pickleball, going to the gym, doing cryptograms, practicing Portuguese and French with Duolingo, and reading for pleasure. I also enjoy spending my leisure time with my husband, friends, and family. Oh, and I finally got my Sundays back! As all teachers know, Sundays are spent preparing for the week.

Jennifer: I think the key truth is that you never stop being a teacher. It’s forever a part of your identity.

Felicia: I truly feel that teaching is a calling as much as it is a profession. No one asks at a job interview for a teaching position whether you are willing to arrive early, stay late, work nights, weekends, and during vacations. Why don’t they ask? Because it goes without saying that unless you are willing to do this, you are applying for the wrong type of job! Yes, the hours are long, but the joy of watching students learn and develop confidence in themselves is the greatest reward I can imagine. 

During the summer of 1986 after my first year of teaching, I worked in a temp job for New England Telephone. It was a 9 to 5 clerical job in their downtown office in Boston. At the end of the summer, my supervisor called me into her office to offer me a full-time position, at a salary significantly higher than the one I would be earning as a second year educator. When I respectfully turned down the offer, she said something to me that I will never forget: “What can teaching possibly give you besides satisfaction?” It was clear that there would be no satisfactory answer to that question from her point of view. Again, I declined and never looked back. What a question!

I can sincerely say that I never doubted my choice of a profession, even though it meant that my weekends were cut short due to Sunday marathon work sessions, my attention was often divided between work demands and home responsibilities, and maintaining my teaching certifications took many hours of additional coursework. It took some juggling to maintain a semblance of work-life balance and an excellent sense of humor. 

Fortunately, I have been married to a supportive husband for the last 38 years and have friends who understood that while I was working, making plans on Sundays was probably not going to work out. While my career kept me extremely busy, family time was always precious. Our daughters grew up in a home where they were deeply loved, education was valued, and their individual interests and ambitions were fully supported. I am proud to say they are now adults and have professional careers of their own. 

Jennifer: That’s commendable. A true balance. I know you’re not active in the classroom anymore, but you’re still aware of the landscape and how it’s in transition. What concerns do you have for the future of education and specifically ESL? What are your hopes in terms of the direction we can take?

Felicia: My concerns about the future of education is the never-ending emphasis on quantitative data collection, such as state and local testing. In Massachusetts, ELs who have been in the US for one year have to begin taking the MCAS exam. While passing this test is no longer a requirement for high school graduation, it is still used to measure school performance, evaluate curriculum effectiveness, and satisfy federal funding requirements. 

How, I used to wonder, did it make sense to give an English learner state testing in math, science and technology during their first year of school in the US and then add the reading test from the second year onward? The state, in its infinite wisdom, decided that giving the reading test during a student’s first year wouldn’t make sense, but still gave the math test and the science and technology tests, as though reading were not required for those assessments! For newcomer students, scores would not reflect their proficiency in understanding and applying math, science and technology concepts. Rather, scores largely reflected each student’s ability to read and understand content related charts, tables, word problems, and specific directions. Ridiculous!

Actually, even the ACCESS Test that is designed for ELs can provide misleading information. For instance, for an EL who has become a fluent English speaker, but has significant documented learning disabilities that cause an inability to independently read grade level text, he or she will have difficulty receiving accurate speaking and listening scores. Why? Because when students take the listening portion of the ACCESS Test, they must independently read multiple choice options before responding to each “listening” question. During testing practice in the weeks before the ACCESS was given,  I had more than one student who understood what was said through the headphones, but couldn’t read the answer choices. The result? The student looks as if he or she can’t understand spoken English, when the real issue is lack of reading proficiency. This leads to being assigned a low tier speaking test, which will not give the student the opportunity to demonstrate oral language skills.

Jennifer: So what would you propose?

Felicia: My main suggestion would be for more qualitative assessments to be done, rather than quantitative assessments. I also think that the ACCESS listening test should allow oral responses to listening questions, rather than choosing from written answers. Testing should measure what it claims to measure!

When I first began teaching ELs in 2000, students were not required to take MCAS until they had been in the US for three years. I think that is a more reasonable amount of time than after a single year.

As a special education teacher, I was responsible for writing and implementing Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for each of my deaf students. Within this document was each student’s current level of performance as well as specific and measurable objectives they would be expected to meet on a quarterly or annual basis. I feel that with ELs, it makes sense to think of their progress in similar terms: Where are they when they first arrive into your classroom or program? What is their current linguistic level? What would indicate growth expressively? Receptively?  How will you measure it in a qualitative way? Once students have made gains in these areas, however long it takes, document it and move on to the next level. Learning expressive and receptive language and literacy skills takes time. Putting pressure on students accomplishes nothing. Progress can’t be rushed, any more than a cake will bake faster by turning up the heat. All you get if you do this, is a burned cake and burned out students! 

Jennifer: Thank you for sharing your candid thoughts. The mic is yours, so to speak. Anything else you’d like to add?

Felicia: It occurs to me that many people (some of them educators or administrators) have preconceived notions about English learners (or immigrants in general.) Newcomers may not know any/much English when they arrive in the US, but that does not mean they lack academic proficiency or critical thinking skills in their native language. So many (too many) educators assume that a child who doesn’t yet speak or understand English must have learning problems.  What these students need is plenty of support to acquire basic interpersonal communication skills and academic instruction across content areas that is accessible to them. This is what I did with my ELs every single day. In some cases, students were able to answer academic questions better than their American peers, once they learned in a supportive environment and gained enough oral proficiency to show what they knew to their classroom teachers and classmates.

The message that being bilingual or multilingual is a gift should be shouted from the rooftops! Many people think that knowing more than one language is great, so long as English is the primary one. Yes, it’s a disadvantage to be a student in an American school without English proficiency. That is why ELE instruction is so important and why encouraging and welcoming our ELs goes a long way towards promoting academic success.

Being a non-English speaker is not a disability. It is a starting point. 

Being a native English speaker is not a guarantee of academic success. If it were, special education teachers would have a lot of time on their hands.

Jennifer: I think some of those messages should truly be shouted from the rooftops! Thank you, Felicia, for sharing your reflections, insights, and advice.



Follow Felicia on LinkedIn
Contact: frosenohs1979@gmail.com
Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:  Happy Times Go Fast! Learning, Laughter, and Language Acquisition

Teaching Resources Published by Felicia
Teachers Pay Teachers
Classful

Featured image retrieved from Pixabay

Featured image by R23X retrived from Pixabay


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Improve Your Well-Being, Improve Your Teaching (2026) – A list of self-growth books

This question came up during my office hours, and we had the time and opportunity to look at dictionary entries. It was at this point we came across the variation: nothing more than. “Oh no!” said my student, anticipating more confusion.

Luckily, the difference in intention made the distinction easy. The Cambridge Dictionary confirmed that we often use “nothing more than” in a dismissive tone. My student correctly understand that calling someone “nothing more than an amateur” sounded critical and insulting.

However, we did have to consider the possibility of similar-sounding statements:
a) The team would like nothing more than to win the gold medal.
b) The team would like nothing less than to win the gold medal.

What’s the difference? Here’s how I perceive it:
a) The gold medal is their ultimate dream.
b) If it’s not a gold medal, they won’t be satisfied. Silver and bronze are unacceptable.

This gave my brain some exercise!

Sources:
The Cambridge Dictionary
The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
YouGlish


Featured image by Michal Navrat retrieved from Pixabay

Featured image retrieved from Pexels