English-language learner

We moved to Washington State, um, Mercer Island, and that was predominantly white community.

I was the only student there to attend ELL 'cause I couldn't speak any English.

So I felt really disconnected and lonely, and the only thing that provided me comfort was the homemade Chinese meals that my mom packed me for lunch.

There would be things like fried rice or dumplings, and that really f- made me feel a sense of belonging and connected to my culture.

So at first I, like, focused mostly on, like, the types of food provided, you know, making sure that we surveyed a bunch of people, making sure that it was the types of food that these Latin American students liked.

Um, but we totally overlooked kinda important dignity and confidentiality part of the initiative.

Or, and then we basically talked to a bunch of social workers and ELL teachers, and we worked a whole distribution system where we basically are only in contact with the social workers, counselors, and ELL teachers, and we, um, email them, and they let us know just the number of bags that they need every week, and that's the only information that we need from them.

And, um, so on a monthly basis, we drop the bags off at each of the schools at the counselors' or social workers' or ELL teachers' offices.

What the Equal Educational Opportunities Act requires.

Why a court called Arizona's ELL funding arbitrary and capricious.

how the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling shifted power to the states, what Structured English Immersion, SEI, means for classrooms, how House Bill 2010's funding boosted funding for EL students, why administrators face personal liability for noncompliance, how advocacy groups keep pushing for equitable resources, and what Senate Bill 1014 changed about the four-hour model.

Florida's v. Arizona began in 1992 as a fight over funding for English language learner programs in Nogales Unified School District.

It's called Flores versus Arizona.

Later, it reached the Supreme Court as Horn versus Flores in 2009.

This was a landmark lawsuit about funding for English language learner education ELL for short.

The claim? Arizona was violating a federal law called the Equal Educational Opportunities Act, or the EEOA.

[upbeat music] Teaching ELL students is a privilege and a joy.

Is it easy? No way.

But with the right support, you can feel empowered to tackle each day with ease and confidence.

I'm your host, Beth Boucher, founder of Inspiring Young Learners.

With over 10 years of teaching both nationally and internationally, I know what it takes to ensure that your ELL students have what they need to thrive today, tomorrow, and for life.

I'm on a mission to empower you to equip your English language learners.

Welcome to Equipping ELLs.

Let's get to today's episode.

I'm on a mission to empower you to equip your English language learners.

Welcome to Equipping ELLs.

Let's get to today's episode.

Hey there, and welcome back to the Equipping ELLs podcast.

My name is Beth Voshell, and I am so grateful that you are joining me here today.

Today, I wanna talk about something that most of you are probably using, experimenting with, or at least thinking about right now, maybe you're afraid of it, maybe you've avoided it, and that is AI.

How can we use AI to make those things easier for us and give our students that support? But let me say this, AI is not a curriculum, it is not a system, and it does not know your students.

And if you've ever pasted a prompt into ChatGPT and gotten something that looked great on the surface, but did not quite work for your actual ELL students at their actual levels, you know exactly what I mean.

Teaching ELL students is a privilege and a joy.

Is it easy? No way.

But with the right support, you can feel empowered to tackle each day with ease and confidence.

I'm your host, Beth Beauches, founder of Inspiring Young Learners.

With over 10 years of teaching both nationally and internationally, I know what it takes to ensure that your ELL students have what they need to thrive today, tomorrow, and for life.

I'm on a mission to empower you to equip your English language learners.

Welcome to Equipping ELLs.

Let's get to today's episode.

And if you've had that moment, and if you haven't either, this episode is for you.

Because today we are talking about how to build your position as the ELL expert in your building.

not in a perfect school with a supportive admin and collaborative colleagues.

We're talking about a real school that you are actually working in, even when it is hard.

And today I want you to be able to uncover, to discover, and to bring about this school year, the expert that you are, because that is going to change how you show up day to day, how your admin and peers perceive you and work with you, and ultimately how you can then better advocate for your students.

So let me start with the distinction that I think reframes everything.

There is a difference between being the ELL teacher in your building and being the ELL expert in your building.

And it is not about credentials or years of experience.