Date Set for KATESOL/BE 2008!
March 26-27, 2008! Hosted by Emporia State University! Check this page for updates!
Note from Nicole Guerrero, KATESOL First Vice President and KATESOL 2008 Conference Chair:
We look forward in getting things started and we also look forward in your involvement in keeping KATESOL alive for another 25 years! Take care and I hope that your year is off to a great start. (For more information: nicole.guerrero@greenbush.org
KATESOL/BE Members Elect a New President
See the greeting from Dr. Abdelilah Salim Sehlaoui, 2007-2008 KATESOL President!
New board members were installed at the Wichita meeting, too.
Join or renew your KATESOL/BE membership today!
KATESOL/BE Celebrates 25th Birthday
KATESOL Pre-Institute
at the Wichita Airport
Hilton on Tuesday, June 5th!
KATESOL Birthday Keynote:
James Crawford, President, Institute for Language and Education Policy
The KATESOL Birthday Pre-Institute started at
9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 5th, at the Wichita
Mid-Continent Airport Hilton Hotel and Convention
Center. KATESOL/BE was also a co-sponsor of the
2007 Migrant Education Conference, following
the birthday celebration, June 6th through
June 8th, at the same location. We appreciate
the cooperation and support of the Migrant
Education Conference Committee, and the strong involvement of Kansas educators, parents,
and ELLs all four days, June 5-8,
2007.
Kansas TESOL Honored at TESOL International Convention in Seattle
Kansas Affiliate Reaches 25-Year Mark
KATESOL Past President Robb Scott attended Seattle
TESOL and received a 25-year plaque on behalf of
Kansas TESOL, at the Affiliate Assembly, on
Thursday, March 22, 2007. In the
photo above, Scott (far right) joins the other
three 25-year affiliates for a group picture.
Affiliates and leaders are: Dr. Marilyn Plumlee,
President of Korea TESOL; Molly Watkins, Mississippi
Member-at-Large for Alabama-Mississippi TESOL; Sufian Abu-Rmaileh, Executive Treasurer of TESOL Arabia; and
Robert Bruce Scott, Webmaster and Past President of
Kansas TESOL.
KATESOL's 25th Birthday to Be Celebrated Online!
ESL MiniConference Announces Tribute to KATESOL's Silver Anniversary
Former keynote speakers, session presenters, board members and regular members of the Kansas TESOL affiliate are encouraged to submit remembrances, updates, and historical notes to katesol25years@eslminiconf.net. "Full articles, short greetings, and poignant memories are all welcomed," said Robert Bruce Scott, ESL MiniConference founder and editor, and also
a past president of KATESOL. "This is exactly the kind of project that our online newsletter was created to support," he added, "in our mission to keep the conference spirit going all year 'round."
A Passion for Life and Learning
Krishna Chawla Leaves a Lasting Impression
A woman who had taught ESL in Kansas since the mid 1980s was killed instantly when a young driver hit her husband and her during an early morning walk in their residential Wichita neighborhood, on Monday, August 21st. Krishna Chawla was 67 years old, and had emigrated to the United States from India, with her husband and family, to provide opportunities to their two sons, who both practice medicine today. The husband, Mohinder "Paul" Chawla, is recovering from severe injuries suffered in the accident.
Krishna Chawla was a long-time member of both the Kansas Adult Education Association (KAEA), and the Kansas Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (KATESOL/BE). From 1995 to 1997, Krishna Chawla served on the KATESOL Executive Board.
On the Kansas Adult Basic Education (Kansas ABE) listserv during the days following this teacher's death, there were a number of statements by colleagues from Wichita and from adult education and ESL programs across the state of Kansas, honoring the memory of Krishna Chawla.
Krishna Chawla "was an ESL teacher in the Wichita Area Technical College ABE program," wrote her WATC colleague, Lorry Shoniber. "Previously she taught and directed an ESL program with Catholic Charities in Wichita." Shoniber added that "the staff at WATC is still in shock at the sudden loss of Krishna, a leader in our program."
Services for Krishna Chawla were scheduled for Thursday, August 24th, at Downing & Lahey Mortuary's East Chapel, and on Saturday, at the Hindu Temple of Greater Wichita.
The outpouring of emotional remembrances from friends, relatives, students, and fellow teachers, on a Legacy.com page linked to Kansas.com (The Wichita Eagle and Beacon Online), continued steadily throughout the weeks following Krishna Chawla's untimely death.
-from an article on ESL MiniConference Online
Visit the KATESOL History Project
Visit the KATESOL Honor Roll
Guidance from the Kansas State Department of Education
on Home Language Surveys and Parental Notification under
Title III
The following information is from Melanie Stuart-Campbell, ESOL Consultant at KSDE
Any home-school correspondence (including notes that the teacher sends home) must be, by federal mandate, in a language and format that is comprehensible to the parent. The law states “to the extent practicable”. Spanish is, of course, “practicable” and please ensure your administrators and teachers are aware of this important mandate. If it’s not enforced, it’s viewed as discrimination under “national origin minority”.
Any recipient of Title III Funding must meet the parent notification requirements, please see attached memo. Parent Notification Letters, in English and Spanish, are attached for your convenience.
Attachments:
Title III Notification Policy from KSDE
Parental Notification Letter in English
Parental Notification Letter in Spanish
Home Language Survey in English
Home Language Survey in Spanish
Home Language Survey in Low German
Official Statement from TESOL International
on the Immigration Reform Debate!
Download the pdf, too!
www.katesol.org/ImmigrationResponse.pdf
On December 16, 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (HR 4437), a border security bill targeting illegal immigrants. Since its passage, the debate over the issue of illegal immigration in the United States has resulted in significant public protests. These protests have been carried out by immigrants and their supporters from such diverse groups as educational institutions, civil rights organizations, social service groups, unions, and houses of worship. No one is left untouched in this debate. In fact, the eyes of the world are carefully focused on how this debate will result in political and cultural change in the United States.
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL) represents approximately 14,000 members in more than 120 countries, in addition to 91 independent affiliates (47 inside the United States) composed of more than 47,000 additional members. As an organization whose mission is to ensure excellence in English language teaching to speakers of other languages, and whose members in the United States work daily with immigrants and their families, TESOL is very concerned about several of the immigration reform proposals currently under consideration in the U.S. Congress, as well as the tenor of the nationwide political debate.
With estimates of 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, there are clearly challenges with the U.S. immigration system. However, the issues are more complex than suggested by many of the proposals currently being made in the U.S. Congress. Solutions will not be reached by demonizing immigrants and their families. Draconian proposals such as building walls and turning undocumented workers into criminals are not only unworkable, but also are contrary to the values of pluralism, acceptance, and tolerance that make the United States such an attractive country in which to work, learn, and live.
Furthermore, TESOL is troubled by proposals to penalize those who offer assistance to undocumented workers and their families. English language educators working with immigrants and their families are focused on effective language teaching leading to high educational achievement for all learners. The deepest responsibility of educators is to educate their students well--not to police their students' immigrant status.
TESOL values respect for diversity, multiculturalism, and collaboration in a global community. The United States has grown and prospered through the measurable and immeasurable economic, linguistic, and cultural contributions of both documented and undocumented immigrants, and continues to do so. As such, TESOL urges fair immigration reform proposals that create pathways to citizenship and opportunities to learn English. Problems with the U.S. immigration system will only be fixed with equitable solutions that treat all human beings with respect.
KATESOL/BE Joins Successful Effort to Protect In-State Tuition for Kansas Immigrants!
When the call went out from Melinda Lewis--Director of Research and Advocacy at El Centro and 2006 KATESOL Keynote Speaker--for assistance in contacting Kansas legislators, KATESOL members responded overwhelmingly.
In mid-February, a bill to repeal the two-year-old Kansas law that gives resident status for college tuition purposes to undocumented immigrants who have completed
three years in Kansas schools, graduated from a Kansas
high school, and are working with the U.S. Office of Homeland Security to process resident visas and/or citizenship, was tabled in committee. But out-of-state
agitators, in particular the Federation for American
Immigration Reform (F.A.I.R.), pushed certain representatives in the Kansas House and got a re-vote
in committee, bringing the repeal measure out to the
floor for consideration.
The new KATESOL/BE listserv swung into action at
that point, with key input from members in Great Bend,
Liberal, Olathe, Topeka, Manhattan, Goodland,
Salina, Wichita, Goddard, Pittsburg, Hays, Lawrence,
Selden, and many other parts of the state. There
were letters to the editor, appearances by teachers
with their students at the Capitol Building in
Topeka, and good old-fashioned grassroots activism
from a segment of the Kansas population directly
impacted by the law--teachers and schools.
The bill was sent back to committee by a close
63-58 vote, March 7th, and is not expected to surface again this year. "Thanks for ALL of your help!," wrote
Melinda Lewis in an e-mail on March 7th. "I really appreciate it, and, more importantly, so do our
kids!"
New Attendance Record--500--at KATESOL/BE 2006, at K-State
Visit the Conference Web Site
Download the Conference Program Book (PDF file)
Two articles on the event in the K-State Newspaper!
See results from KATESOL Conference exit survey!
Visit the KATESOL Honor Roll
KATESOL/BE Executive Board Expands
At the KATESOL Annual Business Meeting, on
Saturday morning, February 4th, results of the
recent elections were announced. Dr. Anh Tran, ESOL
Endorsement Program Director for Wichita State University,
is the newly elected First Vice President of KATESOL/BE,
for 2006-2007, and will serve as the Conference Chair
for KATESOL/BE 2007, to be hosted by Wichita State. KATESOL 2007 will mark the 25th anniversary
of the KATESOL organization, which became a TESOL
affiliate in 1982. Dr. Socorro Herrera, this
year's Conference Chair and the incoming KATESOL/BE
President for 2006-2007, encouraged KATESOL members
to support Dr. Tran and keep building on the current
momentum to expand and improve KATESOL each year.
There was a tie in the voting for KATESOL/BE
Board Member-at-Large for Western Kansas, and
the decision was made to expand the board--to eight--so
that both candidates will serve. The newly
elected KATESOL/BE Board Members for Western
Kansas are: Laura Cano, Assistant Principal,
Sunflower Elementary School, Liberal, Kansas; and
Stephanie McGinley, Special Education Teacher,
Goodland Public Schools. Stephanie McGinley will
be serving her second two-year term in office.
KATESOL/BE Officers for 2006-2007: Dr. Socorro Herrera,
President; Dr. Anh Tran, First Vice President; Dr. Della
Perez, Second Vice President (Immediate Past President);
Debra Stevens, Secretary-Treasurer; Nicole Guerrero,
Board Member for Eastern Kansas; Arla Jones, Newsletter
Editor (Co-Editor with Kim Kreicker); Laura Cano,
Board Member for Southwest Kansas; Stephanie McGinley,
Board Member for Northwest Kansas.
Message from the President of KATESOL/BE
Visit the KATESOL History Project
Visit the KATESOL Honor Roll
Please read and share these Questions and Answers about the Kansas English Language Proficiency Assessment, Dated February 2006, by Melanie Stuart, of KSDE (PDF file).
Please read and share these 10 Frequently Asked Questions on ELLs and ESOL, by Melanie Stuart, of KSDE.
You may wish to read KATESOL's recent
statement on the Zach Rubio case in Kansas City!
Click for information fromthe KATESOL/BE General Membership Meeting, June, 2005 at the summer Migrant Ed Conference in Wichita!
Click for information about the upcoming annual
conference of the Kansas Adult Educators Association,
February 22-24, 2006, in Salina! (Note: Kelly Mobray, President
of KAEA, is a member of the 2005 KATESOL/BE Honor Roll.)
Instructions from KSDE on Kansas English Language Proficiency
Assessment for April-May 2005 NCLB Testing Window
Announcing the 2005-2006 KATESOL/BE Honor Roll Recipients!
Click for information about KATESOL/BE 2005
Read the KATESOL/BE Response to the Indian Ocean Disaster
(Click here to see how you can help.)
Thank you to Governor Kathleen Sebelius for her welcome letter
(Click here to view the letter)
Thanks to Education Matters for Announcing KATESOL/BE 2005
(KSDE's Technology Assistance for Kansas Educators, at www.taken.org)
Thanks to the Jones Institute for Excellence in Education
(For Strong Support and Conference Planning at Emporia State University)
Thanks to the University of Oklahoma's Region VII Comprehensive Center
(For linking to KATESOL/BE 2005 from their "Help for Schools" page)
Muchas gracias a la Asociación Costarricense de Profesores de Inglés
(Por haber incluido información acerca de KATESOL/BE 2005 en sus paginas)
Thank you to ABAX America LLC
(For including KATESOL/BE 2005 in your upcoming events)
MIDTESOL Annual Conference was October 22-23, 2004
Read the story about the Diversity Institute from the Garden City Telegram!
Report from June Migrant Ed Conference in Wichita
Report from March KATESOL/BE Conference in Hays
.
