One to Grow On / If I Were an ELL …

While waiting for an after school meeting to begin, Carol Ann Tomlinson found herself chatting with an high school history teacher as he shared the struggle he faced to help a large population of English language learners (ELLs) who had recently arrived at his school. He spoke of how supporting these students was a new challenge for the staff, and that his colleagues had received no formal assistance to prepare them for this role. Tomlinson asked if he had figured out any useful strategies that seemed useful. He nodded and explained that he had thought about what it would be like if he were 17 and trying to make his way through high school in a new country. Tomlinson reveals that if she were an English Learner trying to make her way in an unfamiliar country she would want just this sort of teacher, one who had put himself in the ELL's shoes, imagined the challenges, and found concrete solutions to help her find her own way and where no student was ever without a voice.