"I am a recently retired ESL/ESOL/ELL Teacher. I've taught Beginning through Advanced ESL Adult Classes for 18 years in Fairfax County and in the Spotsylvania County Adult Regional Education Programs. I have experience in teaching large classes (25 students) and small classes (10 students), and am currently teaching a smaller class (5 students) for the Loudoun County Literacy Council. The adult students in this current class present a particular challenge in that they are illiterate in their native languages, but I'm seeing progress and loving it!

In the ELL (formerly ESOL) world, we teach four skills, usually referred to as "LORW" (Listening, Oral(Speaking), Reading, and Writing). I tailor each of these to the specific needs of my students.

I've been a guest speaker and presenter at five consecutive VAILL Conferences hosted by Marymount University (2000-2005), and a guest speaker at the 2005 Virginia State ESOL Convention in Roanoke, VA. I've actively participated in approximately 20 ESOL Certification Workshops and am certified in the Parents Educational Partners (PEP) Program, Best Plus, and TABE Testing. I've also been published and I've been interviewed by the local Fredericksburg newspaper on my successful teaching strategies that kept students coming to class! I constantly incorporate items of interest, as well as humor, since it's a well known fact that Adult ESOL Learners "vote with their feet" if their classes are not of value!

One of my most rewarding experiences in teaching ESOL has been teaching an illiterate student for four years and watching her pass her U.S. Citizenship Exam. I burst with pride every time I think of her achievement!" less...