President’s Perspective Dr. Stephanie Nehus, AAEA Board President
Spring & EL's Spring is on the horizon! I don’t know about everyone else, but winter is my least favorite season. Warmer weather and budding trees and plants always signify a new beginning, a fresh start, and for us in education the downhill slide to graduation and the end of the school year. In looking up the definition of spring, I found four different meanings (Google Dictionary). As a verb: 1. Move or jump suddenly or rapidly upward or forward. 2. Originate or arise from. As a noun: 1. The season after winter and before summer, in which vegetation begins to appear, in the northern hemisphere from March to May. [In addition, from Wikipedia, spring and “springtime” refer to the season, also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection, and regrowth.] 2. A resilient device, typically a helical metal coil, that can be pressed or pulled but returns to its former shape when released, used chiefly to exert constant tension or absorb movement. This led me to reflect on the depths of our English language. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for our English Learners (EL’s) who come to the United States and to our schools and are immediately immersed into the English language. As noted above, this single word has four very different meanings and unless you have the appropriate context you might be utterly confused. English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs are growing by leaps and bounds across our state. I know here in my district, we continue to see an increase in our EL population. I encourage each of you to focus on the importance of being intentional about academic language as students are learning content. We, as educators, must think outside the box to ensure ALL students are presented with the opportunity to enhance their educational experiences. It is critical that we welcome newcomers and their families into our districts and communities. I charge you to review your communication practices to ensure that you are inclusive of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The state provides a free resource, TransAct Parent Notices, to interpret all communications in many different languages. Back to spring…I am ready to jump rapidly forward to March 20 and will intentionally focus on rejuvenation and regrowth as we hopefully move post COVID and take in every student celebration as we end the school year while still honing in on planning for next year. I encourage each of you to find a new spring in your step, too! 4
