by Deborah J. Short

It is common during this time of year to see “Best Of” lists—best books, best songs, best films, and the like. In this column, I’d like to share five items on my Best of TESOL 2020 list. The items are not in a ranked order, nor are they exclusive. In fact, I’d love to see items that would be on your list in the comments section below. Nevertheless, here they are:

1. TESOL’s 2020 Virtual Convention. Kudos are still to be offered to the Strategic Events staff at the TESOL office and the members of the Conferences Professional Council for pulling off the feat of holding a very successful 2020 Virtual Convention with only 4 months of preparation. We cancelled our Denver Convention in mid-March last year, but by mid-July, they had us up and running with close to 100 sessions during the 3-day convention, which was attended by about 4,000 participants from 130 countries. They will do an even better job, no doubt, with our Virtual Convention in March 2021.

2. myTESOL Lounge Live. In response to the global pandemic and the closing of physical schools, TESOL launched a new, free, online chat opportunity known as myTESOL Lounge Live in May. Anyone around the world interested in English language teaching could join the online meetings, not solely members of TESOL. The 14 sessions were hosted by TESOLers—18 hosts, in fact, from eight different countries—and were mostly open discussions around a specific topic. By mixing whole group and breakout room discussions, these gatherings allowed us to feel more connected in a time of high stress and unpredictability.

3. Seal of Biliteracy Updated Guidelines. TESOL, ACTFL, and five other organizations updated the 2015 guidelines for the Seal of Biliteracy, making it more accessible to students from a wider range of language backgrounds by authorizing more pathways to attainment and providing implementation guidance for states, districts, and other entities. The seal is an award that students who have demonstrated proficiency in two languages have added to their high school diplomas in the 40 states and the District of Columbia that have adopted it. It may also be added to a college or university diploma. Although initially developed as a U.S.-based achievement, the Seal of Biliteracy can be adopted by ministries of education and educational programs around the world.

4. Membership Professional Council. TESOL launched its newest professional council this year, dedicated to engaging our members and helping new members in particular become active participants in the TESOL community. The members of the Membership Professional Council have been reaching out to new and potential TESOLers through our myTESOL lists and other venues, such as affiliate conferences. A pilot New Member Mentoring Program began in November, which will pair new members with mentors for their first year.

5. TESOLers Helping TESOLers. This is my catchall category for the wonderful ways in which TESOL members have helped one another with webinars, resource collections, online chats, social media supports, and more. When the going got tough, as the idiom says, our English language teaching community got going. Through our interest sections, professional learning networks, professional councils, and global affiliates, we shared ideas and expertise about teaching remotely, managing our students’ socioemotional needs, reducing stress, finding supplementary materials, assessing students virtually, incorporating social justice topics into lessons, and so much more. Our TESOL groups held more than 35 webinars, for example, on TESOL’s platform and numerous other sessions through Facebook Live, university Zoom accounts, and other modes. One event, ELT Day for Puerto Rico, happened before we knew about the COVID-19 virus, proving our commitment to helping colleagues was not dependent on a global pandemic but is a value we all share.

It is also common at this time to think about the year to come. So, besides looking back at 2020, I also want to look ahead and offer three wishes for 2021.

1. Extra funding for schools to close the academic learning gap that has occurred among students during the pandemic. We know students will need more supports, including extra learning time, more staff, and modified curricula, in order to catch up on reported learning losses. My wish is for nations and states to view educators as essential workers with priority for vaccines and to invest heavily in education.

2. Changes to teacher education and hiring practices. The past 9 months have shown us that having a highly qualified teacher is key to effective learning. My wish here has two parts. First, universities should train all preservice teachers in techniques for remote instruction and methods for teaching language and content to new learners of the language of instruction. Second, schools, programs, and businesses should hire teachers based on their educational backgrounds and credentials, not their native language.

3. Continued attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The cries for reducing systemic racism have been heard around the world. In the new year, we must all look at ourselves, our classrooms, and our workplaces for bias, discrimination, and structures that limit diversity and inhibit inclusion and work to dismantle them. We must actively promote practices that lead to equity and access. We should be more culturally responsive in our teaching and find opportunities to mentor teachers and researchers from underrepresented and marginalized communities.

My final, fervent wish is for your health and safety in 2021. Thank you for your dedication to English language teaching. I hope we will be able to see each other, in person, soon.

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Deborah J. Short, PhD, is TESOL International Association president (2020–2021). She directs Academic Language Research & Training, LLC and provides professional development on academic literacy, content-based ESL, and sheltered instruction worldwide. She has led numerous research projects related to English learner education, codeveloped the SIOP Model, and served as series editor for several 6 Principles books.

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