ESL Endorsement

My school's administration offered to pay for me to get a second endorsement in ESL (English as a Second Language), something I can add to my teaching license. (I currently have an English endorsement.) There are several universities in Utah that offer ESL endorsements, but my school district is working with Southern Utah University to offer several cohorts whereby for the next year, about 16 of us will be taking the 16 classes required for the ESL Endorsement. It's actually quite convenient; classes meet once a week, on Tuesday evenings at the district auxiliary offices, which is about five miles down the road.

I haven't been especially interested in ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) in the past, but it's a good skill to have so I'll keep an open mind about the classes, of which there are six. (And perhaps I'll wind up enjoying much more than I think.) The first class is "Foundations of ESL," and like all the other classes, meets once a week for three hours in the evening; during the rest of the week there are various online assignments - videos to watch, articles and textbooks to read, essays, quizzes, etc. We're even lent textbooks: The Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development Handbook: A Complete K-12 Reference Guide and Myths and Realities: Best Practices for English Language Learners.

Among our assignments this week, we're reading the following:

• Chapters one and two of The Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development Handbook;
• "Helping ELL [English Language Learner] Newcomers: What Your Students Need to Know & Related Links";
• "Educating Newcomer ELLs with Limited Schooling: An Overview";
• Chapters one and two of Myths and Realities.
• Also, a video: "Utah Conversations with Pamela S. Perlich, Ph.D."