(Message from the President – continued from page 1)
This year VATESOL was in the spotlight at the convention as one of only six affiliates worldwide that was recognized as a “Best of Affiliates.” Elisa Tucker, of Loudon County, was selected to reprise her session “Welcoming Newcomers to your Classroom and Community,” which she first presented at the VATESOL conference in Virginia Beach in 2009. I encourage you to read her article about her experience in this issue. What an honor to our organization to have been recognized in this way!
If you have never had the opportunity to attend the annual TESOL convention, it is truly worth experiencing. Next year’s convention will be held in Philadelphia and I encourage anyone with innovative teaching practices or research to submit a proposal by the June deadline.
In the meantime, the VATESOL board is gearing up for the regional SETESOL conference, which will be held October 13-15 at the Omni Hotel in Richmond. Under the incredible energy and expertise of conference chair, Lily Mirjahangiri, we have a stellar line-up of plenary speakers. Read more about what Lily has in store for us in this issue.
I look forward to working with you this year.
Laurie Weinberg
VATESOL President
Elisa Tucker, cont. from page 1
My presentation combined language learning research with best practices to offer a variety of tools and techniques for instructing newcomers in an elementary setting. I was excited to share my experiences with colleagues from around the state. When VATESOL contacted me about a year later to let me know that they were nominating me for TESOL’s Best of Affiliates, I was quite honored.
Acceptance of my presentation as a Best of Affiliate allowed me to attend the TESOL Convention for the first time. In addition, I was able to meet and see all the “names” that had become part of the ELL teachers’ vernacular…Margo Gottlieb (WIDA), Echevarria & Short (SIOP), Carolyn Graham (Jazz Chants)…and to meet ELL professionals from all over the world. I was amazed at how many people attended the convention and how many sessions were available. It was a wonderful experience.
Elisa Tucker received a M.Ed. from George Mason University and is an elementary ELL teacher and mentor in Virginia. She was honored as a Teacher of the Year in 2007.
SETESOL 2011 Conference Preview by Lily Mirjahangiri
Dear Colleagues and TESOLers!
VATESOL is delighted to be the host of the 25th Southeast TESOL conference in Richmond, Virginia: October 13-15, 2011. This is a great opportunity for TESOLers to gather and explore many effective ways of cherishing and celebrating cultural and heritage diversity through language teaching. The conference site is located in the heart of beautiful historic downtown Richmond with restaurants and shops minutes away. Also, the famous Richmond Folk Festival, which is a three-day free event with music, dance, and food from across America, is held at the same time of SETESOL 2011 and it is only few blocks away from the conference site.
For more information on call for proposals and early registration please visit VATESOL web site at: www.vatesol.cloverpad.org
We look forward to seeing our TESOL colleagues at SETESOL 2011 in Richmond, Virginia!
Lily Mirjahangiri
Conference Chair, SETESOL 2011
Vice President, VATESOL
Celebrating Culture & Heritage Through Language Teaching
25th Southeast TESOL Regional Conference
October 13-15, 2011
Richmond, Virginia
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Deadline for Proposals: April 30, 2011
Proposals must be submitted via email to Jo Tyler at
To ensure maximum participation and representation, SETESOL requests that each individual or publisher submit no more than one proposal for this conference, excluding panel discussions. Note that the selection of a proposal is not ensured. All presenters must register and pay for the conference to be included in the program. Final deadline for presenter registration is July 15, 2011 (payment may be sent by Sept. 15).
For conference related questions, please use the 2011 conference email address
For the latest conference information, please check our website
http://www.vatesol.cloverpad.org/
Directions: Please download this form as a Word document. Fill in your information and save with your last name and presentation title as the file name (example: Smith-New Language Instruction Strategies). Submit the completed form as an email attachment to by April 30, 2011. All communication will be via email. Presenters will be notified of proposal acceptance by June 15, 2011. Read and complete all pages of this form.
1. Presenter(s): The first presenter is responsible for forwarding all correspondence to other presenters. Provide information as you wish it to appear in the Conference Program.
Name of 1st presenter:Professional affiliation:
E-mail:
Additional presenters:
Name / Affiliation / E-mailAll presenters’ names, affiliations and email addresses will appear in the Conference Program.
2. Presentation type: (select only one category)
Report (45 minutes: research report, descriptive report)Panel Presentation (45 minutes: themed reports)
Panel Discussion (105 minutes: themed reports/demonstrations with participant discussion)
Demonstration (45 minutes: interactive session)
3. AV Equipment: (select which ones you need)
LCD Projector and screenLaptop computer
Internet access
LCD projectors and Internet access will be available in all presentation rooms.
4. Interest group: (select no more than 2 categories to characterize the target audience)
Elementary (K-5) school teachersSecondary (6-12) school teachers
Adult education teachers
Higher education teachers (intensive English programs, ITAs, English for academic purposes)
Professional development providers (teacher educators, supervisors)
Program administrators
Policy advocates
5. Topic emphasis: (select no more than 2 categories to highlight the presentation’s main topic)
Applied linguisticsAssessment
Bilingualism/bilingual instruction
Culture
Instructional methods
Materials
Media and technology
Policy
Program administration/supervision
Teacher education
Other (please describe):
6. Preferred presentation date: (type an X in the box next to your preference.)
No preference Friday, October 14th Saturday, October 15th
Additional Instructions and Review Process
(Proposal form continued on next page)
All proposals will be evaluated through a “blind” review process; reviewers will not know the names of presenters.
Factors Affecting Selection
The convention brings together individuals from around the country working in diverse roles to benefit English language learners of all ages and at all stages of language development; therefore, an important factor in selection is program balance. The Convention Program Committee seeks such balance in:
· range of topics and audience focus
· professional and geographic distribution of the participants
· relevance of the proposal to the needs of English language teaching professionals and the conference theme
Another important factor is how well the session description and abstract are written (see next page). Session descriptions and abstracts should be clearly and concisely written, and should convey the session’s importance and appropriateness to the field. They will be evaluated on the following criteria:
· significance for the intended audience
· evidence of a high standard of research and/or practice (where applicable)
· evidence that the presentation will be well prepared
Factors Disqualifying a Proposal
· The proposal is not completed according to the directions outlined in this Call for Proposals
· The proposal contains clear reference to the name(s) of any of the presenters
· The proposal was not received by the deadline: April 30, 2011
· The proposal was not submitted by email
Presenters of accepted proposals should:
· Confirm acceptance and register for the conference by July 15, 2011. Please note that accepted sessions may be dropped if presenters are not registered. SETESOL and VATESOL do not reimburse program participants for expenses (i.e., hotel, registration, meals)
· Refrain from changing the conceptual content of the presentation after it has been accepted
· Provide their own handouts for the anticipated number of attendees
Additionally, the lead presenters of panel presentations should communicate in a timely manner with all panel members about the status of the proposal and other information sent by TESOL.
Review Procedures
Proposals will be reviewed by active members of SETESOL affiliates with experience in the topics and interest areas indicated on this proposal form (questions 4 and 5 above). Reviewers will not know the names of presenters. Presenters will be notified of the review results by June 15, 2011. Notification will be sent to the email address given in question 1 on this form.
7. Title of presentation: (11 word limit)
8. Summary: (50 word maximum. This will be printed in the Conference Program, so please proofread carefully!)
9. Abstract of your presentation: (200 word maximum. Abstracts will be evaluated for selection on the basis of the following criteria: clear statement of objective, clear summary of presentation content, currency and importance of topic, focus and organization of abstract, relevance to conference theme and target audience, content should fit session duration.)
Submit this entire form by April 30, 2011 to Jo Tyler at
Advocacy Update on The Dream Act: Unfinished Business
by Shelley Wong
The year 2010 ended with a crushing defeat for the Dream Act. After working so hard and coming so close, the news was a terrible disappointment for the Dream Act students who like the students during the civil rights struggle who sat in at the lunch counters in Greensboro, North Carolina and the young people of Tunisia and Egypt-- overcame their fear at great risks to themselves to participate in a movement for democracy, freedom and social justice. Some had traveled to Washington, D.C. from as far as California and Texas to urge the passage of the Dream Act.
The Dream Act is a struggle against a broken and unequal immigration system that leaves some people without rights that are afforded to all Americans—the right to work, the right to go to school and the right to serve their country. The Dream Act was defeated December 18, 2010 --leaving undocumented students--many who came to the United States as young children-- without a pathway to legalized status. The vote in the Senate (55 to 41) fell short just 5 votes of the 60 required (Huffington Post). It was a crushing defeat for the undocumented students and their supporters who had worked so hard for the passage of the Dream Act.
If the Dream Act had passed--it would have enabled students who came to the United States before they were 15 years old and who had graduated from U.S. high schools a means to normalize their immigration status. Qualified students who went to two years of college or served in the military for 2 years would be granted temporary residence status (a green card) and after 6 years would be able to take a test and apply for citizenship.
It is estimated that over 65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schools each year. I use the term “undocumented students” instead of “illegal immigrants” because the choice of the later term makes it seem as if these students have committed a crime. Over 50 % of those who are undocumented entered the U.S. legally but were unable to have their visas or work permits renewed.
Those who were brought to the United States by their parents as children had no say in the decision to come to the United States. As Erik Huerta explains:
“Once, when I was seven, I fell asleep in Michoacán and woke in Boyle Heights (Los Angeles). No joke. Now I am a bewildered 26-year-old undocumented college student…”
In California Assembly Bill 540 passed in 2002 which allowed undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. Erik didn’t hear about the bill until 2005 when he entered East Los Angeles College in the fall of 2005:
“I became a journalism major, “el reportero de las ganas.” Slowly but surely, I was begging to find others like me. I read articles and saw their videos online. Tam Tram was the first undocumented student I ever saw speaking out openly — undocumented and unafraid. She gave me the courage to stop feeling bad for myself, to make the best of the situation and carry on. I wasn’t alone anymore.”
When Erik found that there were other undocumented students, like himself, he joined the network of student advocates for the Dream Act:
“I began finding more and more undocumented students as I shared my struggles online through blogs. I discovered group after group that was organizing for our rights and the DREAM Act. I finally had a place to belong, and friends that understand what it’s like to grow up as an undocumented American.”
The immigrant rights student organizations reach out to high school students and let them know that they should not give up their dreams of an education:
“I share my story regularly with high school kids because I know my words will resonate with others who are undocumented and afraid. I let them know they’re not alone and that things will get better if they continue their education. Despite lack of legal status, no one can take away our education.”
All children have the right to go to public schools but when they graduate from high school, they are not allowed to work and in many states must pay out of state tuition for college. Some who have been in ROTC programs in high school would like to join the military but are not permitted to serve their country. Some of the leaders of the Dream Act movement have been able to graduate from universities but are not allowed to work in the professions for which they have trained. Students like Erik encourage high school students not to give up their dreams for an education and a future.
The 10 year Struggle for the Dream Act Continues: Next Steps
Because the Dream Act was defeated, despite the majority of the Senators voting for it and despite the support of President Obama, undocumented students continue to face the fear of being deported. We cannot afford to stop our efforts now. We were only 5 votes short of passage in the Senate in December. We need to step up our efforts. The unfinished business of TESOL professionals is to renew our efforts in support of the passage of the Dream Act.
Members of TESOL, Inc. and many TESOL affiliates in the U.S. have engaged in education and advocacy efforts in support of the Dream Act over the years. We have passed resolutions and written articles, launched letter writing campaigns, met with elected officials and have participated in teach-ins and rallies. During my Presidential year, TESOL presented a joint President's Award to California State Senator Gilbert Cedillo for his efforts to pass California Senate Bill 540 and the UCLA student organization IDEAS for their work for the Dream Act.