Numerous factors have motivated me to want to become a school leader, such as colleagues who are role models in my life, my desire to make a change and to be an advocate for students who may struggle to support themselves. However, one project that I have been involved with that has ignited my desire to become a school leader was becoming the first English Language Learner (ELL) educator in my building in my first year as a full-time teacher. In previous years, my district had struggled with ELLs entering our middle school because we were such a low-incidence district. Due to a lack of enrollment and being on the cusp of the RETELL initiative, we did not have any teachers who were SEI endorsed or prepared to meet the various needs of the incoming ELL students. However, after some time as a long-term substitute English Language Arts educator, my administration asked if I would be interested in pursuing a master’s degree that would align with the needs of the ELL students. With the completion of my Shelter English Immersion endorsement class, I was hooked. That summer I continued to …show more content…
Additionally, as I began to design the program, I also became a resource for teachers and administrators who were pursuing the SEI endorsement. For example, I conducted a “SEI Crash Course” Professional Development where I presented key ideas and strategies provided by the RETELL course for all of the departments in my district. Through this presentation, I was able to share my goals for the ELL students entering the building as well as my aims for my position as the ELL teacher in the middle school. In short, with this new role, I was able to provide support for staff and students in my school and establish a new program to ensure the success of the English Language Learners in my