My ELLs Know the School Staff

I try to incorporate every member of our staff into welcoming our ELLs. When I have a newcomer come in for the first time, we'll go around and meet some of those people. Whenever I do pull out and I am transporting a student back to my classroom, we'll stop in o our Director of School's office or the finance office or the nurse's office and let them use their English. Just the, “Hello, how are you?” “I'm doing well, and you?” type thing. And it is funny sort of the routine that builds, but it also allows that child to make an ally in the building. And it will be kind of funny to watch that to see a class going down the hallway and they'll pass the custodian and it will be my English language learners who are like, “Hey, Mr. Will.” And he'll greet them by name because they know each other. And so then that child feels like they're really important: “This is a school adult that is speaking just to me. They didn't speak to anyone else.”