"Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day…" - 5 new articles

I thought this video was an interesting one:

 

     

I’ll be co-hosting a short free webinar on how to support ELLs in content classes.

It will take place on Dec. 16th at 3:30 PM Pacific Time, and you can register for it here.

Carol Salva and Anna Matis are co-hosting it with me, and we’ll be speaking with experienced ELL educator Dr. Merica Clinkenbeard.

That conversation will take place during the first half-hour, and then we’ll be talking about all things ELL to participants during the second half-hour – anything anyone wants to talk about.

I’ll also be sharing my favorite tips for content teachers.

And, if you’re interested in this topic, you might want to check out:

The Best Sites For Learning Strategies To Teach ELL’s In Content Classes

The Best Videos For Content Teachers With ELLs In Their Classes – Please Suggest More

The Best Tools Where Content Teachers Can Have Materials Automatically Translated For ELLs – Help Me Find More!

The Best Advice To Content Teachers About Supporting English Language Learners

     

During my classroom career, I was repeatedly impressed by the optimism of the vast majority of my English Language Learner students, and their ability to shrug off hardships that – if I were in their situations – would be debilitating to me.

One example I often cite is how my ELL students responded to the onset of the COVID epidemic – within a couple of weeks of physical schools closing, almost all of them were back in class on Zoom with me energetically participating class.

I experienced similar attitudes in practically all my interactions with their family members, too.

I am now wondering how much longer many ELL students and their families may be able to maintain those hopeful perspectives.

For months, students and their families have had to deal with the stress and hardship of they, their family members, and friends being kidnapped by ICE (see New Study Finds ICE Raids Are Hurting Lots Of Students, ‘Regardless Of … Immigration Status’ ; “With ICE in Chicago, a Teacher Worries, ‘Am I Doing Enough?’” and Student Fear and Absences Surge as Immigration Enforcement Expands).

He then practically eliminated all refugee admissions – unless you were a white person in South Africa – leaving many family members of students in harms way.  He has also eliminated Temporary Protective Status for hundreds of thousands of people who have fled violence in their homeland.

Now, as you’ve likely heard, he has turned the National Guard shooting tragedy into a white supremist witch hunt and saying he will order the government to re-examine the legal status of green card holders from nineteen countries, and revoke the naturalization of others.

Substantial research has been done about people’s “mental bandwidth.” Basically, when you are worrying about basic living issues, it’s hard to concentrate on other things.

In the face of these white supremacist attacks, I can only imagine what must be going through the minds of so many ELL and non-ELL students and their families.

How much energy will students be able to devote to academic learning?  How many will suffer from mental health distress?  How can students maintain an optimistic and hope attitude in the face of xenophobia?

Are school/district administrators and teachers realistically going to be able to provide the needed support in the face of all their other responsibilities?

I will soon be working as a volunteer tutor for ELL Newcomer students in a nearby elementary school, and next week will be visiting my former ELL high school students.  What I’m doing is a drop-in-the-bucket, and I can only send my good energy and good wishes to all active teachers still in the “trenches.”

     

I’m adding this infographic from Visual Capitalist to The Best Sites To Learn About Climate Change.

     

GDJ / Pixabay

The United Nations has declared December 1st to be World AIDS Day.

You might be interested in The Best Web Resources For Learning About HIV & AIDS.