A bridge of confidence

I have been teaching English as a second language to students for many years. What I really enjoy is how eager they are to learn English because most of their parents made a lot of sacrifices to come to America so their children could have a better future. I have always found their behavior and attitude to be so much more respectful.

Each year, students were tested at the beginning, middle, and end of the year to monitor their progress. I was teaching middle school English to students in Denver, Colorado. They were level 2 English speakers and absolutely wonderful students. Because of my encouragement and fun learning environment, my students made huge improvements in their English scores. The assistant principal came to my room so excited because of the amazing leaps and bounds my students had made.

“I believed my ultimate role was to build a bridge of confidence which allowed English to flow naturally.”

My classroom was a safe place for these students, and we were like a big family. They wanted to make their parents proud as well as me. If they were missing work, I would allow them to come in my classroom during lunch to finish missing work.

I realized that showing a true interest in my students' lives and making a human connection made them feel safe. I believed my ultimate role was to build a bridge of confidence which allowed English to flow naturally.

I have never stopped loving teaching. I am currently working with a developmentally disabled girl and my goal every day is to help her learn independence.