Teacher Appreciation

One great teacher can make all the difference! Many teachers of English language learners never imagined that they would be working with ELLs, such as Maria Feist, from Downingtown, PA.

In this From the Heart interview with Colorín Colorado, she writes,

I was always blessed to have diversity in my classroom and the opportunity to learn about various cultures from my students. However, in 2001, I had my first NES — Non English Speaking student. At the time I was teaching Kindergarten. After my initial panic as to how I was going to teach this student who did not speak any English, I realized I had 22 other teachers in the room with me: my students! I was amazed at how quickly my ELL student learned English and adjusted to the culture of the school.

After that experience, I was hooked. I loved teaching the ELL students and being what I call the "Good Will Ambassador," welcoming the families to the school and their new country, and locating resources for them, such as translators. In 2005, my Principal asked me to have the classroom where we would cluster the ELL students. I took all of the ESL workshops I could find. The ESL teacher that I worked with as a classroom teacher was an amazing resource for me. She encouraged me to get my ESL Certificate. After completing my certification program, an ESL position became available in my district. So here I am!

Visit Colorín Colorado's Achieving Success section for more From the Heart stories.