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- Kelly Crockett's writes about teaching ESL and practicing ethics in her article below..
- For TexTESOL V President Don Weasenforth was honored for his contributions to the organization by being named TexTESOLer of the Year for 2009. See the story below.
- TESOL's Electronic Village Online is once again sponsoring free professional development activities - and TESOL membership is not required. See the announcement from Aiden Yeh, one of the coordinators of the event.
- SOCALLT teams up with the Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association to host a three-day conference from April 29-May 1 in Hot Springs. Read the details and register to attend.
- TESOL's latest position statements, programs, and institutes.
- From Susie Coultress, Assistant Director for Bilingual/ESL, Division of Curriculum, Texas Education Agency: The Revised 2009-2010 List of Approved Tests for Assessment of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students is posted on the bilingual/ESL website.
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How We Who Teach ESL Put the “E” in Ethical
| | By Kelley Crockett
TexTESOL V Advertising Representative
Did you know that just by being an ESL teacher you are displaying Aristotle’s idea of practice? This idea of practice includes common standards of excellence among those who are part of a community of fellow practitioners. In other words, practice, according to Aristotelian wisdom, means “a socially established cooperative human activity where individuals produce goods or services in the course of trying to achieve them through their standards of excellence” (Lynch 2009 p 20). Does this describe you? Even if you don’t feel you have a community of fellow practitioners in your school, you do have access to a strong network of support through your TexTESOL fellow practitioners.
We are a community dedicated to standards of excellence. The pursuit of standards of excellence is an exercise of virtuous behavior that is based on sound principles of fairness. ESL teachers utilize their special training to provide a first-rate and accessible education for all students including those who are still learning English. We all understand that providing an excellent education for ELL students has a long-term benefit to society that only an educated society can enjoy – stability and democratic participation. Your association with this group of fellow practitioners is professional and as professionals we all become accountable to each other to pursue the same high standards of excellent teaching. That pursuit is active and ongoing.
Does it surprise you to know that the American conceptualization of the word ethics includes an activist approach of “making things right,” whereas the Europeans are more comfortable interpreting the word ethics as integrity? (Cox 2009 p viii). Neutrality is not an ethical stance. We are advocates for our students. We look beyond doing the minimum. Our laws for educational equity are meant to be followed, but it is the people who actively apply them in the best interests of the students that really make a difference. As Svara notes, “our constitution once supported slavery, still permits capital punishment and has limited protection for women’s rights, so it has value as an ethical guide, but there is a bigger picture” (Svara 2007 p 55).
ESL teachers see the big picture and daily put the “E” in ethical!
Kelley Crockett teaches Ethics in the Public Sector at UTA.
References
Cox, R. (2009). Ethics and Integrity in Public Administration. London: M.E. Sharpe.
Lynch, T. and Lynch, C. (2009). Democratic Morality: Back to the Future. In Ethics and Integrity in Public Administration edited by Cox, R. 2009. London: M.E. Sharpe.
Svara, J. (2007). The Ethics Primer for Public Administrators in Government and Nonprofit Organizations. Boston: Jones and Bartlett. |
Don Weasenforth 2009 TexTESOLer of the Year
|  Don Weasenforth has profoundly influenced the direction of TexTESOL V since he joined the affiliate in 2003. He has served on the Board as the Newsletter co-editor, the President-elect, President, and Past President. In addition, he served as the Publicity/Marketing Committee Chair for the 2005 TexTESOL State Convention and, most recently, as the Conference Chair for the 2008 TexTESOL State Convention.
On an international level, Don has increased the affiliate’s visibility in several ways. First, he has forged a sister-affiliate relationship between TexTESOL V and Yakut TESOL of Russia. (He served as Invited Lecturer for the Yakut TESOL Summer Institute in 2008 and 2009.) Second, Don’s vision for TexTESOL has led to our agreement with TESOL International to host the convention in Dallas-Ft. Worth in 2013.
Today Don works at Collin College where he teaches ESL courses and English 1301. His research interests focus on technology and language acquisition as well as discourse grammar and editing strategies.
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More Professional Development and Travel Opportunities
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- TACHE announces its 35th Annual Conference in San Antonio.
- Toyota's International Teacher's Program offers those interested in environmental stewardship and global interconnected a fully-funded opportunity to travel to Costa Rica.
- The Educational Seminars Program of the U.S. State Department and American Councils for International Education offers a number of exchange programs for teachers and principals.
- Fund for Teachers provides grants directly to teachers for a number of professional development activities.
- Global Exploration for Educators offers deeply discounted trips to educators interested in broadening their horizons and earning professional development or graduate credit.
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Helpful Links
| Center for Applied Linguistics
CALnews October 15, 2009 http://www.cal.org/about/calnews/101509.html
CALnews November 10, 2009 http://www.cal.org/about/calnews/111009.htm
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Created on 02/04/2003 10:24 AM by admin
Updated on 01/03/2010 12:24 AM by MaryPeacock
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| Announcements |
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South Central Association for Language Learning Technology's Joint conference with Arkansas Foreign Language Teachers Association, April 29 - May 1, 2010, Arlington Resort Hotel, Hot Springs, Arkansas. Click the link for details.
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| Information available from the Center for Applied Linguistics |
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| Click on the link above to learn about opportunities to go abroad. |
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