Your New Middle School SIG Representative:
Amber Ingram
Hello NJTESOL/NJBE family!
My name is Amber Ingram and I am proud to be your new Middle School Special Interest Group (SIG) representative to the Executive Board! As an educator and academic, my approach is shaped by the prioritization of racial and social justice. I firmly believe in the transformative potential of community, and as such, I rely on the insight of young people as an invaluable asset to inform my instructional practice, design and research.
Currently, I’m the K – 12 ESL/Bilingual Instructional Coach with Orange Public Schools. I have also taught ESL in grades K – 7 and at the adult level. In addition to teaching, I have served on the NJEA and NEA Executive Boards where I was able to advocate for the needs of ESL and Bilingual students and students in urban schools. This summer, I will be presenting “Creating Inclusive Spaces for Multilingual Learners” at the NEA Aspiring Educator Conference.
My goal as your Middle School SIG is to fortify NJTESOL/NJBE membership through outreach and community building. My personal experience as a multilingual learner has been underscored by the inherent connectivity that second language acquisition offers us. Growing up around Spanish-speaking communities, I developed a love of the cultures, cuisines and dialects of los países hispanohablantes. Additionally, as a practitioner, I have become adequate in the languages of my students: French, Portuguese and Haitian Creole.
Thus, I am committed to establishing enduring connections across school districts within the language learning community, ultimately improving educational outcomes for our state’s diverse student population. Lastly, it’s imperative that we, as educators, advocate for greater clarity from the state regarding NJAC 6A:15 by demanding explicit guidance on its implementation. By fostering statewide collaboration and connection, we can strengthen New Jersey’s position as a national leader in authentic multilingual and multicultural education.
Please feel free to reach out to middle-sch-rep@njtesol-njbe.org. I look forward to meeting you all.
Naashia Mohamed observed that while most teachers want to make a difference in their students’ lives, it is difficult to know how to do this in terms of social justice. She first defines social justice at three levels: personally in beliefs and values, inter-personally in advocacy for others and maintaining their dignity, and systemically in recognizing inequities in society.
