What is 2livNlearn.blog?

2livNlearn.blog is a product of my varied experiences working with students and teachers. On this site you will find articles that relate to real issues that have come up as a part of navigating the needs of this fascinating, ever-changing, and uniquely-challenging student population. Every topic covered is one that I have researched or experienced as a part of teaching pre-kindergarten to college students or providing classroom teachers with support.

I also have attempted, whenever possible, to give you a usable download within many of the posts, that you can print and use within your lesson planning and/or instruction.

Who am I?

I am a district coach working with teachers in a large urban district in the southeast United States. Our district has over 13,000 students that speak a language other than English at home and represent over 100 different languages. Meeting their comprehensive needs takes flexibility and creativity on a daily basis.

I have two decades of experience in education working in regular, EC, and ESL classrooms with students from pre-kindergarten to college. I am certified K-12, Reading and ESL, hold National Boards, and several degrees. In my current role I work with classroom K-12 teachers who have students learning English as a Second Language.

The names of the teachers and students I work with have been changed to keep them anonymous and to protect the identities of individuals I work with who are sometimes mentioned in content related examples and antidotes.

On the personal side, I am a mom, wife, doggy-parent, avid reader, travel-lover, Oxford comma fan, and (when I have the time), writer. Getting the right words in the right order satisfies something in my soul.

Why I do this?

As a beginning teacher I was ill equipped to meet the needs of the English Learners in my elementary classroom. I cringe when I think back on what, at the time, were my best efforts to include and grow these students.  At that time, there was little available to tell me how to navigate daily challenges. What few resources I could find were predominantly about adult populations who had very different needs from my students. Even now, when academic texts abound, they lack the approachable style and accessibility that a conversation with a mentor teacher or colleague down the hall would provide. I hope I have blended academic, research-based information with a conversational tone that allows you to access and apply the information included.

Want to give feedback?

Like all lifelong learners, I welcome your constructive feedback. You can contact me through the Contact Page.

Thank you for reading and sharing!