Skip to main content

ELL Intervention Series Part 2: A Refugee's Perspective


We are honored this week to share with you the fascinating conversation we had with an exceptional young man - Ali. He is an entrepreneur and soon-to-be high school graduate who came to this country as a Iranian refugee only two years ago. Ali shared with us his experiences traveling all over the world as he escaped Iran and sought asylum in America, and, once here, his amazing journey from limited English proficiency to high school graduate in only two years.

Ali is a young man with an incredible perspective and a message for all of us committed to helping students like him.

Listen to his story and ignite your practice here.

For more stories and inspiration for your student-centered classroom subscribe to us on iTunes or Stitcher or follow our blog here.

Music courtesy of The Creative Commons
http://www.bensound.com

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Texas Holds Students With Disabilities to a Higher Standard on State Exams

Let’s just call it like it is. 2016-2017 was not a great year for student assessment in Texas. Between the scandal of mis-graded STAAR tests, graders hired for peanuts on Craigslist, and large numbers of parents and students conscientiously objecting to even taking part in our state’s annual testing rituals, many Texans have been left wondering where, exactly, IS the accountability in our state accountability system.    But if there is one person who is keenly aware of where the accountability is, it’s the high school senior who’s taking a STAAR End of Course test. That senior needs to pass that test in order to graduate in that same month. That student is painfully aware that the STAAR test doesn’t care where he grew up, or who her parents are, or whether he is dyslexic or learning disabled or gifted and talented. Regardless of what challenges she faced or what advantages he received, everyone all sits down and takes the exact same test. That’s what TEA promises. All stude...
1 comment
Read more

Episode 24: Why do you STAY a teacher?

All of us have been asked the question at one point or another. What made you decide to become a teacher? You've been asked it in job interviews, where the right answer seemed critical. You've been asked it by incredulous family members, where the right answer seemed impossible. You've been asked it by students, where the right answer seemed loaded. We've all got our response memorized. Whether that response reflects your deeply felt, inspirational path into the classroom, the safe-for-work, sanitized version of your winding road towards respectability, or is simply a rehearsed tale that carefully avoids saying "I don't know why I do half the things I do." I don't know about you, but I'm bored by my story. It's not particularly inspirational, and, frankly, it's not particularly interesting. You want to see into a teacher's soul? Don't ask us why we started. Ask us why we  stay .  Why do we stay in a career that...
3 comments
Read more

Blog Post: Why do you stay?

I don’t make sweeping generalizations because they are always wrong, but if you are a teacher, people have wondered why you actually do that. The curiosity about WHY on EARTH you would choose this profession is so deep-seated that we even ask it of each other in job interviews. I mean think about that for a second. Can you imagine at NASA: “So Christina, why did you decide to become an astronaut?” Sitting before the medical review board: “What motivated you to become a neurosurgeon?” I guess I don’t really know – perhaps they do ask that sort of question, but it just feels kind of unlikely. My husband’s an electrical engineer who works on fighter planes, and I promise you he has never had to justify to anyone why he chose THAT particular career path. Yet I have justified my career path to everyone from job interviews to grant applications to friends at cocktail parties, and every single time everyone’s left feeling unsatisfied. I can feel them want...
Post a Comment
Read more