I am an MLL teacher here at Battle Creek. I work with the classroom teachers and second language students in grades 1, 2, and 3. I have been teaching for Saint Paul Public Schools since 1999 and this is my first year teaching at Battle Creek Elementary.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from the University of MN, a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of WI, and a master’s degree in Second Languages and Cultures Education from the University of Minnesota. Participating in all these classes was beneficial, but the greatest learning experience for me was the 10 years I spent traveling around the world. Interacting with a variety of people who represented a wide array of languages and cultures changed my life.

I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to continue to learn and grow as I work directly with students who are part of different cultures and speak many languages including Somali, Hmong, Spanish, Amharic, Cambodian, and Vietnamese. They each bring a rich diversity of experiences and perspectives. My primary objective is to provide these students with many chances to express their ideas and reflect on what they are learning in oral discussions and in writing. Opportunities to produce language is essential to their language development.

In first grade the building blocks are set into place for reading and writing English. With those students I focus on developing vocabulary with thematic books and oral language prompts while supporting them with what they need to be able to learn to read and write English. Knowing how to read opens up gateways to learning as they are exposed to new vocabulary and correct English grammar.

In second grade, I support the specialized academic language that their teachers use in direct instruction and that they will need to be successful in school. We read and write about a variety of topics and genres that extend classroom instruction and then discuss and review what we are learning. The goal is to share our ideas with classroom vocabulary and grammatically correct sentences.

In third grade, students are expected to understand and apply a wide range of academic words and concepts across content areas. We read a large amount of nonfiction text and produce questions and answers for discussion and written response. I have high expectations and expect that they will learn and use those important words and concepts in class and on important tests such as the MCA.