Congratulations to January’s
NJTESOL/NJBE Member of the Month: Brittany Fuentes

Brittany Fuentes teaches in the Old Bridge Township Public Schools. According to the member who nominated her, she is deserving of this recognition for her dedication to the field. Recently moved from elementary to high school, she “stepped up to the plate and ensured that each one of her students excelled”. She advocated for them, assists students and parents with filling out necessary paperwork, and recently took a bus tour field tripod the important locations in town, including the police department, library, and state park.

In her own words, she states “I feel honored to have been nominated for Member of the Month. I am extremely passionate about finding the best resources and tools to help my students find their strengths. Being a member of NJTESOL/NJBE and attending the conference earlier this year allowed me opportunities to explore with colleagues from all over the state. I look forward to continuing to grow in this profession!

Thank you Brittany for all that you do for your district and its ML students!

Nominate the member of the month!
NJTESOL/NJBE is proud to recognize members in your world who go above and beyond, please consider nominating them for Member of the Month. The form is easy to fill out and the nominees are always grateful for the recognition of their hard work. Here is the link for the Member of the Month Nomination Form.

Announcements

Share your successes with other members by writing an article for the annual Voices Journal! Topics include

Current issues
Classroom explorations
Program descriptions/exemplary scheduling
Alternative perspectives

Here are the guidelines. Submissions are due January 15th for publication in early March.

Somerset – Hunterdon Chapter Meeting: January 15, 2025 from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Maggie Churchill will be joining us to talk about the WIDA Standards framework. The session will be in a discussion/Q&A format. Please come with questions for Maggie! Register on Eventbrite.

The Countering Anti-Black Racism (CABR) Committee invites all members of NJTESOL/NJBE to attend our Meeting on Wednesday, January 15, from 7:00-8:30 pm. We will meet on the 3rd Wednesday of every month through June.
This month we will continue unpacking anti-Blackness in Latinidad including the implications for Hispanic Heritage Month and what this means for our actionable work on this committee, in this organization, as educators, and as advocates. Sign up on Eventbrite

The Advocacy Committee meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 5:00. Join us on Jan 16th for discussions on issues that impact Multilingual Learners and their families in New Jersey. Register using the Google form to get a Zoom link.

Passaic County Chapter Meeting: January 23, 2025, from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Melanie DeDios will present on Canva for Educators. Register on Eventbrite.

Join us for the NJTESOL/NJBE Executive Board Meeting on Friday, January 24, 2025, at 6:30 on Zoom. This monthly event brings together the Executive Board and NJTESOL/NJBE members from across New Jersey to discuss and collaborate on English language learning and bilingual education. Register on Eventbrite.

The Parent Expo Committee will be holding its fifth Virtual Parent Expo on Saturday, January 25, 2025, from 9:30 – 12:00. There will be presentations for multilingual parents and families; please encourage your students’ families to attend. More information and registration is on Eventbrite

The Professional Development Committee – Join us virtually for our third PLC meeting February 3rd at 5:00pm. In this session we will discuss how to teach foundational reading skills through structured literacy for multilingual learners in English. Topics will include assessment and how to create lessons that are diagnostic and culturally responsive by leveraging the L1. We will look at the parts of a structured literacy lesson plan including developing accuracy and automaticity in letter/sound correspondence as well as at the word, phrase, sentence, and text levels. Free lesson planning resources and lesson materials will be shared. You can register here.

Scholarships and Awards for you and your students – Start the applications now! There are 4th and 8th grade awards, high school, higher ed, and teacher ed scholarships, and the Judie Haynes grant for teachers – due date March 15th. The new Barbara Tedesco award for a bilingual or ESL teacher and collaborating educator is due Feb. 15th! Apply here.

Registration for the 2025 Spring Conference is open!
Theme – Intersectionality: Shaping Experiences and Creating Opportunities
Two components to choose from: In-Person Conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel
May 20, 21 & 22 (Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday) OR
Virtual Library Conference: Access from May 27 through August 21
Take advantage of discounted early registration through January 31, 2025
or regular registration through April 25, 2025
See more information here.

Beyond Words:
The Benefits of Being Bilingual

By Neel Burton M.A., M.D.

This article opens with three key points and finishes with some unusual perspectives.

Multilingualism is, in fact, the historical norm for human beings. For instance, hunter-gatherers in places like Papua New Guinea are bilingual or multilingual, and in history this was also common. Burton gave the example of Queen Elizabeth 1 who could speak nine languages and was fluent in five.
Bi- and multilingualism have important cognitive, economic, and social benefits. Bilingual students perform better in paying attention, cognitive inhibition, memory, observing, multi-tasking, problem solving, and judgement. Additionally, being fluent in two languages makes it easier to learn a third one. Also, workers who are bilingual earn about $3,000 dollars a year more than their monolingual peers.
Every language on this earth is another way of being human, another way of being alive. Depending on the language they are using, people who are bilingual view the world through alternate lenses. When asked the same question in different languages, the same individuals had different answers. The author also mentions that languages differ in what purposes they are best suited for, such as English for science and technology and French for cooking.
For other points of view, Burton asked some of his Facebook and Twitter contacts this question: “‘If you are bi- or multi-lingual, what do you most value about that fact?'”

“‘Being fluent in a couple of other languages has given me insight into other ways of seeing the world. That helps empathy, and openness.'”

“‘I appreciate the cognitive advantages being multilingual has offered. Also the connections with culture, history, and the knowledge acquired.'”

“‘It feels as if I can switch into two different modes and think from different perspectives.'”

Burton closes with this thought: “Every language on this earth has its own rules and conventions, its own sounds and rhythms, its own beauty and poetry, its own history and philosophy. Every language on this earth is another way of being human, another way of being alive.”

You will find more responses here.

2024 Spring Conference Platinum Sponsor

NJTESOL/NJBE Scholarships and Awards for your students and you!

and

4th Grade Award Winner’s Essay

Congratulations to January’s NJTESOL/NJBE Member of the Month: Brittany Fuentes

Announcements

Beyond Words: The Benefits of Being Bilingual

ARTICLES:

Congratulations to January’s
NJTESOL/NJBE Member of the Month: Brittany Fuentes

Beyond Words:
The Benefits of Being Bilingual