Affiliate News - 04/10/2020 (Plain Text Version)
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NYS TESOL, NEW YORK STATE TESOL CELEBRATING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY! KEY THEME- ASSOCIATION HIGHLIGHT OVER 50 YEARS, HISTORY AND ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS OVER 50 YEARS Laura Baecher, President of NYS TESOL, New York, NY USA
A half-century mark is a great time to pause and reflect, as well as to consider the future. I should know, having reached that milestone myself recently! As an organization, New York State TESOL is nearing its 50th anniversary and is spending some time reflecting on our history. It is a true blessing to reach this Golden Anniversary and an excellent time for contemplation and appreciation. Our conference (please submit your proposals and join us!): https://sites.google.com/nystesol.org/nys-tesol-50th-ac will be November 12-14, 2020, and recognizing how much we owe to our past presidents will be a cornerstone of our conference. Our history begins with Harvey Nadler, who was our first president in 1970. He recalls, “As the first President of New York TESOL, I had the opportunity to work with a great group of people whom all had a common goal. Our mission was to build an organization that would provide a forum for educators teaching English to speakers of other languages. While it was a period of great unrest in the United States (remember the Nixon impeachment!), it was our time. During these early years of TESOL, we worked on writing the by-laws, planning the annual conference, and publishing a journal. It was a busy, productive time in which we all promoted the new organization. As the field of working with speakers of other languages expanded in private and public schools and at the college level, our state TESOL membership increased. As our knowledge base continues to grow and change, I am hopeful that as our county and our world face the many challenges to come, we can do so with the understanding that change can be a positive force.” John Fanselow played a critical role as our ninth president in 1978. During his tenure, bilingual educationwas becoming part of our K-12 school systems, and the board began advocating for state certification for ESOL teachers, which was granted by the New York State Board of Regents. NYS TESOL found a permanent home at Teachers College, Columbia University, thanks to John, and his leadership is still felt throughout our organization today. He embodies mentorship, and his belief in the strengths we all bring has fostered generations of caring volunteers. Each one of our 49 past presidents has been a truly passionate advocate for English learners and their teachers, contributing in lasting ways to our communities and making a difference in educational policy and practice. From fighting for funding for English learners to educating political leaders and the public, to help the organization move into each successive technological innovation, our presidents are our backbone, and we are so grateful to each of them and the thousands of volunteers who have served NYS TESOL over the past 50 years. We look forward to recognizing all of you at our conference in November! Laura Baecher is an Associate Professor of TESOL at Hunter College. Her research interests relate to the professional learning of English language teachers, including content-language integration, teacher leadership, the use of video for feedback, and practicum and supervision in teaching English learners. She is currently the President of NYS TESOL. |
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