What NJTESOL/NJBE Can Do For You!

By Michelle Land

Hello fellow members!! If you are reading this article, you are a member of NJTESOL/NJBE and have received the annual Voices publication. Our organization, founded in 1969, is run by the executive board which is composed of approximately 25 volunteers and has 5 consultants who handle the “business” of the organization. We meet monthly and put in a lot of volunteer hours over the course of the year to support our members. We are also proud affiliates of TESOL International, NABE, as well as NJEA. Our organization has grown and evolved over these past 55 years. So, what can NJTESOL/NJBE do for you?

The yearly Voices Journal as well as the Weekly Voices newsletter are great ways for our members to get valuable information delivered right to your electronic mailbox. For many members, this is all that they may need, but there is so much more that our organization is involved in and does to support our members and their students.

The NJTESOL/NJBE Hotlist, our online email forum, has seasons of support throughout the year. In August/September, questions about class sizes, program requirements, etc. In February, questions begin about ACCESS testing. June, we find there are many comments or concerns about test results. The hotlist is a unique forum that allows members to share their questions and receive feedback from our members all over the state.

full workshop If you have attended our annual spring conference, then you are aware of how valuable the community is that is created by attending the spring conference. This year’s conference, “Systems of Support for Multilingual Learners” is shaping up to be another fabulous opportunity to reconnect, meet new members of our education community, and participate in meaningful professional development. The conference is not just highlighting systems of support for MLs, but also systems of support for our members!

One of our missions, as listed on our website, is to promote scholarship and foster research. As a result, we have several fantastic opportunities for MLs, parents, and educators to be recognized for their hard work and contributions. They are celebrated at our President’s Reception during the conference. Here is a list of the scholarships and awards that we have. We recently created a brand new award specifically for our members and professionals who collaborate with them – The Barbara Tedesco Collaborative Partnership Award!

The following scholarships are offered every year:

Name of Scholarship	Those Who Can Qualify	Award
Two Fourth Grade English Writing Challenges	Two English learners who have been in the U.S. 3 years or less	an iPad
Two Eighth Grade English Writing Challenges	Two English learners who have been in the U.S. 3 years or less	a touchscreen laptop
Two Raquel Sinai Newcomer Scholarships	Two students in ESL and/or bilingual classes in grade 12 who have been in the U.S. two years or less	$2,000
Two Seal of Biliteracy Scholarships	Two high school seniors who are current or former ESL/bilingual students who received the NJ Seal of Biliteracy in 2023 or will receive it in 2024.	$2,000
Praxedes León Parent Awards	Parents of the Seal of Biliteracy Scholarship winners	$500
Higher Education scholarships	Two ESL/bilingual students enrolled part-time or full-time in a NJ college – presently taking ESL courses	$2,000
Dr. Jessie Reppy Memorial Scholarship	A graduate student enrolled in an accredited master’s degree program with a major or specialization in teaching English to speakers of other languages	$2,500
Bilingual Educator Scholarship	A graduate student enrolled in an accredited program with a major or specialization in bilingual/bicultural education	$2,500
Grant from Judie Haynes	An educator who teaches English learners under difficult conditions. The grant money may be used to purchase materials or provide services.	$1,000

The Barbara Tedesco Award for an ESL/Bilingual educator and a non ESL/Bilingual educator with whom they have a collaborative partnership in the same district. The winners will each receive a one day free registration to the NJTESOL/NJBE Conference.

Over the past few years, our organization has evolved and expanded to include sub-committees that address specific interest groups within our field. The opportunities developed by the sub-committees are almost always FREE! These sub-committees are:

2023 Spring Conference Silver Sponsor

Professional Development – providing free professional development on a variety of topics for our members as well as anyone else who is interested in attending, such as mainstream teachers and administrators. The next FREE PD is March 9th. For more information, you can contact the chair: Maria Cecilia Vila Chave at secretary@njtesol-njbe.org

Advocacy – provides opportunities for the voices of teachers and ESL and bilingual students to be heard to make changes through alerts about legislation that will affect them. Our Civil Rights Webinar will be March 14 at 4:30. For more information, you can contact the chair: Sonya Bertini at socio-political-rep@njtesol-njbe.org

Countering Anti-Black Racism Committee – addresses the concerns that members have in regards to anti-black racism and how to best support our members and their students too. For more information, you can contact the chair: kiina dordoni at social-media@njtesol-njbe.org

Parent Expo – coordinates the annual Parent Expo which is a FREE opportunity for family members to get valuable information that will help them know their rights and make the most of their possibilities. For more information, you can contact the chair: Kathleen Fernandez at executive-director@njtesol-njbe.org

Our technology coordinator, Marilyn Pongracz, has been carefully curating the “Links and Resources” page of our website to include the most relevant and up to date information that our members and their families may need. Many of the questions you may have in regards to testing, curriculum, etc. can be answered through one of these links.

Immigration Resources
English Language Acquisition
Bilingual/ESL Education
Curriculum
State Testing Requirements
Advocacy

Teacher Resources
K-8 Students
K-12 Students
High School, Adult, and College Students
College and Career Planning Resources
Professional Organizations

Local Chapters throughout the state have meetings (virtual and in person) that provide our members with the ability to meet throughout the year to learn, share, and celebrate. https://njtesol-njbe.org/chapters/. You can also reach out to our Liaison Qawwee Shabazz at liaison@njtesol-njbe.org

Finally, on our website, we have collected and updated online teaching resources for our members.

I have certainly neglected to mention some of the many other things that our organization does to support its members and their students, but as you can clearly see, I am extremely proud of all that our organization does and has done.

One of NJTESOL/NJBE’s strengths is our flexibility and ability to adapt. We are always evolving and welcome suggestions, questions, and constructive criticism. If you are interested in getting involved, finding more support, or have ideas that might make our organization even stronger and more supportive of its members, please feel free to contact any of our executive board members, or our chapter leaders, or write to our hotlist.

Reference

https://njtesol-njbe.org/

Michelle Land has her Master’s in Language Education and her Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a concentration on the Soviet Union. She is presently serving as President of NJTESOL/NJBE (New Jersey Teachers of English as a Second or Other Language/New Jersey Bilingual Educators). Michelle is bilingual (English/Norwegian) and has conversational Russian skills. She has taught ESL/EFL at home and abroad for over 30 years. Michelle regularly does professional development at the local, state, and international level. Michelle is a Sheltered English Instruction trainer.

2022 Spring Conference Diamond Sponsor

Text Annotation in the 2020 WIDA Standards Framework – a Q&A

By Margaret Churchill

Annual Voices Journal

Volume 4 - 2024

What NJTESOL/NJBE Can Do For You!

The following scholarships are offered every year:

Text Annotation in the 2020 WIDA Standards Framework – a Q&A

ARTICLES