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NJTESOL/NJBE Through The Years:
(Thank you to our historian, Barbara Tedesco, for
sharing some of this information in a recent interview for our
newsletter, Voices)
NJTESOL/NJBE had its first official meeting on October 18,
1969. After a push for bilingual education from the New Jersey
Department of Education (NJDOE), the organization was initially formed
to address the impending needs of bilingual and ESL teachers. At the
time, there were many questions about what exactly the organization
would look like. However, practicality was quickly deemed important as
ESL/bilingual was a relatively new teaching field. New Jersey became the
third state to form as an affiliate of TESOL, Inc. The first official
conference was in 1971. It was just one day at The College of Saint
Elizabeth and was only $2.00 to register (wow!). On August 9,1974, we
became an affiliate of the National Association of Bilingual Educators
(NABE) as well.
Advocacy has always been an important component of NJTESOL/NJBE
and the need has only grown over the years. It is critical to be aware
of statewide and national issues that impact English language learners
and their families. Many of our members contact state senators and
representatives to share their opinions and advocate. In addition, our
executive board frequently creates position papers on “hot topics” that
affect English language learners and bilingual students in New Jersey.
The goal is for these papers to be disseminated and our expertise is
often sought out by the New Jersey Department of Education Bureau of
Bilingual/ESL Education. The first NJTESOL/NJBE position paper was
written about oral language proficiency. Our recent position papers are
posted on our website. Topics include language rights and protecting the
rights of English language learners.
On January 19, 2016, New Jersey became the
15th state to adopt The Seal of Biliteracy; which
was established to recognize high school graduates who have attained a
high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, listening and writing in
one or more world languages in addition to English (NJDOE).
NJTESOL/NJBE, with guidance from our socio-political representative,
Elizabeth “BJ” Franks, played an integral part in bringing the seal to
New Jersey. The Seal of Biliteracy opens doors for English language
learners and bilingual students as they graduate from high school and
begin a career or continue their education. It also promotes
bilingualism and encourages students to continue using their native
language at home and school.
Today our organization has between 1400-1500 members. However,
it is important to note that this number is not reflective of the number
of bilingual and ESL teachers in New Jersey. We hope that the future
will bring growth to this area. We also hope to cultivate biliteracy
through advocating for dual language immersion at the early childhood
level, especially in the years to come.
NJTESOL/NJBE 2019 Spring Conference:
We are looking forward to our annual Spring Conference. This
year’s theme is cELLebrate: Celebrating the Success of
Bilingual, Dual, & English Language Learners and is
scheduled for May 29, 30, & 31, 2019 in New Brunswick, New
Jersey. We are excited to welcome Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa as our keynote
speaker on Friday, May 31. “Dr. Q” came to the United States with only
$65.00 and bravely climbed the fence from Mexico into California to
start a new life in 1987 (Landau, 2013). Today he is a widely recognized
neurosurgeon and author. His story is truly inspiring.
In addition to all of the wonderful workshops available to
conference attendees, we also have an annual Advocacy Summit and
President's Award Reception. On Wednesday evening, we will host the
Advocacy Summit. It is an informative meeting about advocating for our
students and their families as well as a celebration of our advocacy
honorees. In 2018 we honored Ken Bond, Bilingual/ESL Education
Specialist, NJDOE, for his dedication to English learners. Thursday
evening is the President’s Award Reception where we will honor our
scholarship award winners. We award seven student scholarships as well
as one teacher scholarship. Since it is our 50th
year, we have invited all of our past presidents to attend the
reception. Our first president, Janet Susi, will be in attendance.
Visit our website https://njtesol-njbe.org/
to register for the 2019 Spring Conference or to learn more about our
organization.
References:
Landau, Elizabeth. (2013, May 25). From Migrant Worker to
Neurosurgeon. CNN. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2013/05/24/health/lifeswork-dr-q/index.html
NJDOE. (n.d). New Jersey State Seal of Biliteracy.
Retrieved from https://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/wl/biliteracy/over.htm
LeighAnn Matthews, NJTESOL/NJBE Liaison, is an ESL
Instructional Coach at Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District in
Bridgewater, New Jersey. She is also a part-time lecturer at Rutgers
University. During the summer months, she teaches English as a Foreign
Language at Rider University Study Tours Program. | 
