Tour around the ELT conference circuit as our team shares conference highlights and session reviews.

Conferences

Stay up-to-date with ELT trends and ideas with articles from experts and teachers in the field.

Articles

<blockquote>This article is the first in our TESOL Experts series where we feature professionals in the TESOL field and share their stories. <a href="https://www.tesol.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">TESOL International Association</a> provides professional development resources, events, and publications for English language teachers around the globe. We hope this series inspires you to get involved with TESOL!</blockquote>

Dr. Arlene Costello entered the English language education world as an ESL&nbsp;teacher.

She taught multiple grade levels, traveling from one school to another, then later worked for the district, coordinating language programs and delivering&nbsp;training.

Today, she&#39;s an instructor and program specialist for the International Affairs Intensive English Program at the University of West Florida. She&#39;s also chair of the <a href="https://www.tesol.org/about-tesol/association-governance/professional-councils-and-governance-committees/conferences-professional-council" rel="noopener noreferrer nofolow" target="_blank">TESOL Conferences Professional Council</a>&mdash;the council in charge of coordinating the sessions, keynotes, and speakers for the upcoming <a href="https://www.tesol.org/tesol-convention" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">TESOL 2022 Convention</a>.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s gratifying to be able to shape the full program and ensure that we have quality speakers and sessions,&rdquo; said&nbsp;Dr.&nbsp;Costello.

<h1>Making a Lasting Impact</h1>

Dr. Costello first joined Florida&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://sunshinestatetesol.wildapricot.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Sunshine State TESOL</a> (SSTESOL) as a member. She held various volunteer positions including the roles of Member at Large, secretary, and vice president, before becoming president of SSTESOL in&nbsp;2019.

As president, Dr. Costello was responsible for representing the organization at the&nbsp;national and international level, implementing the mission, vision, and strategic goals of the organization, and providing leadership to the&nbsp;board.

Some of her proudest achievements include:

<ul>
	<li>
	Getting the board to approve her recommendation to create the Reimagine and Rethinking Committee, which reinvented the board&#39;s structure so that Members at Large are now&nbsp;called &quot;Directors&quot; and have specific job&nbsp;descriptions
	</li>
	<li>
	Implementing quarterly support meetings for the eight local chapters within SSTESOL
	</li>
	<li>Revising the constitutions and bylaws to align with new recommendations</li>
</ul>

&ldquo;My personal goal was to establish an extended presence in the state and to make the organization a visible organization that supports our members in personal development, advocacy, and leadership,&quot; said Dr. Costello. &quot;We have expanded our presence and influence. I&rsquo;m really proud of that.&quot;

<img alt="Dr. Arlene Costello" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2132/content_Melissa_TESOL-Experts-Dr-Arlene-Costello.jpg" />

Dr. Arlene Costello is pictured here.

<h1>From Local to International</h1>

As someone who had heavily volunteered at the local level, Dr. Costello grew interested in becoming more involved at the international&nbsp;level.

TESOL&rsquo;s Conferences Professional Council appealed to her the most since she had coordinated many conferences at the local level and state level already. When an opening became available, she&nbsp;applied.

She held the associate chair position first before becoming the chair. As chair, Dr. Costello guides the professional council, coordinates the work, provides leadership, and advances the strategic aims. She also creates and delivers orientation sessions for all new council members. Since her term ends in April 2022, she&rsquo;s also been guiding the incoming&nbsp;chair.

&ldquo;A good leader shares responsibilities,&rdquo; she&nbsp;said.

When asked what motivates her to do the volunteer work she does for TESOL, Dr. Costello said,&nbsp;&ldquo;My love of the profession&nbsp;and my love to serve the organization. It&rsquo;s hard work but it&rsquo;s satisfying that my circle is so&nbsp;wide.&rdquo;

Her advice for educators thinking about joining TESOL?

&ldquo;Expand your circle of influence and network in order to seek the opportunities for involvement,&quot; she said. &quot;Getting involved in your profession is satisfying. You can help shape it by being involved. Advocate for your profession because no one&nbsp;else is going to.&rdquo;

Visit the <a href="http://www.tesol.org" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">TESOL</a> and <a href="http://www.sunshinestatetesol.wildapricot.org" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">SSTESOL</a> websites to learn more.&nbsp;

To attend the TESOL 2022 Convention in person or virtually, <a href="http://www.tesol.org" target="_blank">register&nbsp;online</a>.&nbsp;Advance registration closes March&nbsp;1, 2022.

TESOL Experts: Dr. Arlene Costello

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When I was an ESL teacher, students often asked me what they could do to practice their reading outside of&nbsp;class.

This question was particularly hard to answer for lower-level&nbsp;students since I knew it would&nbsp;likely be&nbsp;difficult to read an entire English novel with a language level lower than&nbsp;B1.

My answer for those eager lower-level&nbsp;students was usually the same: Try reading children&rsquo;s books!

Even for older students, children&rsquo;s books can be a great resource for learning basic vocabulary and getting used to seeing English in&nbsp;context.&nbsp;

<h2>Reading Recommendations Your&nbsp;Low-Intermediate Students Will Love</h2>

Here are a few go-to reading recommendations from the Middle Grade (MG) category:

<ul>
	<li>Percy Jackson and the Olympians&nbsp;(series) by Rick Riordan</li>
	<li>They Called Us Enemy (graphic novel) by George Takei</li>
	<li>Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga</li>
	<li>Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper</li>
	<li>Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega
	&nbsp;
	</li>
</ul>

<h2>Reading Resources for Elementary-Level Students</h2>

Another great reading resource is the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.helblinglanguages.com/int/en/helbling-readers-red-series">Helbling Readers Red Series</a>, which contains books written for elementary-level students (CEFR A1&ndash;A2). You&#39;ll find&nbsp;original titles, some of which are illustrated to help with comprehension, as well as&nbsp;classics adapted for lower&nbsp;levels.

Here are a few of the available titles:

<ul>
	<li>The Time Detectives (series) by Martyn Hobbs</li>
	<li>Sherlock Holmes (series) by Arthur Conan Doyle, adapted by Maria Cleary</li>
	<li>Alice&rsquo;s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, adapted by Jennifer Gascoigne</li>
	<li>A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur&rsquo;s Court by Mark Twain, adapted by Scott Lauder and Walter McGregor</li>
	<li>The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Geraldine Sweeney</li>
	<li>The Westbourne Kids (graphic novel series) by Martyn Hobbs</li>
</ul>

Students will find that a little bit of extracurricular reading every day goes a long way. Likewise, sharing what they&rsquo;ve read recently with the class provides them with an opportunity to practice speaking. In short, extracurricular reading is full of benefits and has virtually no&nbsp;drawbacks.&nbsp;

Got any other recommendations for low-intermediate reading resources to add to my list? Let me know in the comments&nbsp;below!

<div class="white-box">
<h3>More Fun Ways to Get Them to Practice Their Reading</h3>

See how ESL Library&#39;s ready-made lessons and resources can help improve your students&#39; reading comprehension and vocabulary while making teaching easier for you. <a href="https://ellii.com/tour/lms" target="">Learn more...</a>
</div>

Reading Recommendations for Your Low-Intermediate Students

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Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-flag-canada-day.html" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">National Flag of Canada Day</a> is celebrated every year on February&nbsp;15. It marks the first time the red-and-white flag featuring the iconic maple leaf was raised on Parliament Hill. The Maple Leaf flag that we know and recognize today was first raised 57 years ago on February&nbsp;15,&nbsp;1965.

In 1964, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson wanted a new flag to represent Canada. After a parliamentary committee narrowed it down to three possibilities, someone needed to take the three designs, sew them, and bring them to life. Joan O&#39;Malley was given this job.

Alison Donovan, Ellii&#39;s very own Publishing Assistant, is related to Joan. We were lucky to chat with Alison and ask her a few questions about this amazing story.&nbsp;

MELISSA: How are you related to Joan O&#39;Malley?

ALISON: Joan is my husband&rsquo;s aunt, and she&rsquo;s a very cool lady.

MELISSA: Why was Joan asked to sew the Canadian flag?

ALISON: Her father worked for the federal government and was part of the team that developed the prototypes for the flag. They needed someone to quickly sew the proposed designs on a Friday night, so he asked his daughter to do it.

MELISSA: A few years ago, Joan was officially thanked for her work. What was it like when she was recognized for this 50 years later?

ALISON: Everyone was very proud and excited to see Joan acknowledged for her part in making the Canadian flag. This is an important part of Canadian history and it&rsquo;s wonderful to see Joan recognized for her role. It&rsquo;s pretty amazing to know the woman who was involved in creating the Maple Leaf flag!

<h2>Student Activity: Design Your Own Flag</h2>

Feeling inspired? We want to see your flag designs!

Teachers, ask your students to design a flag that represents the class. They can draw, sketch, paint, or design it digitally. Then, ask them to describe the flag they designed. Students can write about it, discuss it with a partner, present it to the class, or record themselves talking about it.

Afterwards, send us a picture of the flags your students designed to <a href="mailto:hello@ellii.com?subject=Show Us Your Flag Designs!">hello@ellii.com</a>, so we can feature them on our blog! You can also send us your students&rsquo; descriptions of their designs, whether they recorded them or wrote about them.

It&#39;s time to get creative and have fun!&nbsp;We can&rsquo;t wait to see what your students come up with.

<img alt="flags designed by teacher Annet's CLB class on Flag Day, 2023" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3050/content_Flags-CLB.jpeg" />

Thank you to Annet&#39;s CLB class from Bradford Learning Centre for taking this challenge and sharing these flags with Ellii (February 15, 2023).

<blockquote>
&quot;My students described their flag as something that brings people together from different countries in unity and happiness. They look up to the class as a stress free zone!&quot;&nbsp;
</blockquote>

<h2>Read More About Joan O&#39;Malley</h2>

<a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/the-story-of-the-woman-who-sewed-canadas-first-flag" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Ottawa Citizen</a>

<a href="https://www.therecord.com/news/canada/2014/11/14/woman-who-sewed-first-maple-leaf-flag-thanked.html" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Record</a>

<a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/woman-recounts-night-she-sewed-canada-s-first-maple-leaf-flag-1.2398505" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">CTV News</a>

<h2>Related</h2>

<ul class="resources">
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/2017">Canada Day</a>&nbsp;(Beg) &ndash; Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons/1882">Canada Day</a>&nbsp;(Int &ndash; High Int) &ndash; Holidays &amp; Events</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/2434">Canada Day</a> &ndash; Word Bank</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/126/resources/2992">Canada Day</a> &ndash; Young Learner Activities</li>
	<li class="lesson"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/111/lessons/2233">Canada Project</a> &ndash; Group Projects</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/2216">Map of Canada</a> &ndash; Visual Learning</li>
	<li class="resource"><a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/114/resources/2561%C2%A0">Canada</a> &ndash; Listening</li>
</ul>

Celebrating National Flag of Canada Day

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Learn how to make the most of your Ellii subscription with tips from our publishing team.

Teaching with Ellii

This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

Many years ago, Marilyn was helping a friend with a project for her evening language class. That&rsquo;s when she realized she wanted to become a teacher.

&ldquo;Like many instructors who come to this line of work, I fell in love,&quot; says Marilyn.

Marilyn has been an ESL teacher for 15 years now. She currently works at <a href="https://www.nych.ca/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">North York Community House</a> (NYCH), an organization in Toronto that provides support for newcomers. There, she teaches English language classes at the introductory level through the <a en="" href="https://settlement.org/ontario/education/english-as-a-second-language-esl/linc-program/what-is-the-language-instruction-for-newcomers-to-canada-linc-program/" https:="" immigration-refugees-citizenship.html="" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow&gt;Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada&lt;/a&gt; (LINC) program. Funded by &lt;a data-cke-saved-href=" target="_blank" www.canada.ca="">Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada</a> (IRCC).&nbsp;The LINC program provides free English classes for landed immigrants, permanent residents, and convention refugees to Canada.

&ldquo;This government-sponsored initiative is free for students and is designed to familiarize newcomers with life in Canada&nbsp;by teaching the basics of English, as well as some cultural and societal aspects of Canada,&quot; she explains.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marilyn has been teaching her classes online over Zoom. A typical day of online teaching starts with checking her email to make sure&nbsp;her students received the Zoom invitation, haven&rsquo;t forgotten their ESL Library passwords, understand the homework, and know when class starts. Next, Marilyn plans out the day&#39;s lesson using a combination of her own personal&nbsp;materials, lessons from ESL Library, and links from YouTube.

&ldquo;ESL library has been my favourite tool! I find the <a href="https://ellii.com/flashcard_genres" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">flashcards</a> exceptionally useful. They save me endless time searching for pictures online to explain things like food, drinks, and clothing. My students enjoy the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/90/lessons" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">grammar stories</a>, which put&nbsp;the grammar in context for them.&rdquo;

Check out Marilyn&#39;s&nbsp;text response below to learn more about why she loves ESL Library and how she uses it with her students.

<iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *;" height="400px" src="https://www.videoask.com/axb09pa7dgi9nkfjdi4c5dheaig7c7m1pzvq3pwv" style="border: none; border-radius: 24px" width="100%"></iframe>

For Marilyn,&nbsp;teaching online is not always easy.

&ldquo;It has been a challenge to help students &lsquo;enter&rsquo; the Zoom classroom. I&rsquo;ve had to have tremendous patience with my students and myself as I learn to navigate the virtual world with more finesse and confidence.&rdquo;

But despite these challenges, Marilyn truly loves&nbsp;being a teacher.

&ldquo;I love my work because I get to witness the growth of language skills, the emergence of confidence in using English, the new friendships people make in my classroom, and then their movement forward into the world of jobs and college. Some students have remained in touch,&nbsp;and I love seeing their progress.&rdquo;

Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a>

Teacher Feature: Marilyn

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Ello-hay, Eader-ray!

Hello, reader! If you were able to understand the phrase above, you must speak pig latin.

Pig latin is a made-up language game used by English-speaking children, and the point of it is simply to confuse people who don&#39;t understand it. Words are formed by removing the first <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2152" target="_blank">consonant</a> of a word, adding it to the end, and adding the <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/103/resources/2316" target="_blank">suffix</a> &ldquo;ay.&rdquo;&nbsp;Easy! (Or easy-ay.&nbsp;If the first letter is a vowel, all you need to do is add &ldquo;ay.&quot;)

<h2>But Why Is It Called &quot;Pig Latin&quot;?&nbsp;</h2>

Fun fact: Pig latin&nbsp;has no relation to Latin at all!&nbsp;This&nbsp;made-up language is most likely called pig latin because to anyone who doesn&rsquo;t understand the rules, it sounds as confusing as Latin. And why &ldquo;pig&rdquo;? I&rsquo;m afraid I don&rsquo;t have an answer to that one. Orry-say!

So where exactly does this silly language come from?

Although no one really knows who invented pig latin, it&#39;s been a part of popular culture since the late 1800s. Pig latin has been featured in&nbsp;various songs and television shows throughout the years, as well as in movies like The Lion King and Monsters Inc.&nbsp;

<h2>Other Languages Like Pig Latin</h2>

While pig latin is&nbsp;the most common invented language related to English&mdash;aside from maybe <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gibberish" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">gibberish</a>, which has more confusing rules&mdash;other languages have their own versions.

French has verlan,&nbsp;a type of slang where you swap the&nbsp;first and last parts of a word. Swedish has a similar language game called fikonspraket, which literally means &ldquo;fig language.&quot;

<h2>More Than Just Fun &amp; Games</h2>

Of course, not all made-up languages like pig latin are fun code games or slang.

Esperanto was invented in Poland in 1887 to encourage peace by bringing people of many nations together&nbsp;under the same common language. It&#39;s still used today and is one of the world&#39;s most famous made-up languages.

Made-up languages can also be found in the beautiful fictional worlds we often see in movies, TV shows, and books.

The Dothraki language was made popular in Game of Thrones, a fantasy television series based on author George R. R. Martin&#39;s bestselling book series A Song of Ice and Fire. Another famous example of an imaginary language is Klingon, from the creators of the science-fiction show Star Trek.&nbsp;

Made-up languages are all around us. Ow-hay Any-may Anguages-lay O-day Ou-yay Peak-say?

Pig Latin & Other Made-Up Languages

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This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

In 1999, Poonam, a teacher of 15 years, immigrated to Canada from India. She worked at a bank in Toronto for over eight years, often helping immigrants with their banking. As she realized how challenging the language barriers were, she decided to go back to teaching. She joined <a href="https://www.tesl.ca/" target="_blank">TESL</a> in 2009 and has been an adult ESL instructor at the <a href="https://www.ycdsb.ca/" target="_blank">York Catholic District School Board</a> since 2010.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;Every day in the class feels like a beautiful day of learning. It&rsquo;s a treat to be in class with these learners who come from different walks of life and cultures, and the feeling of being a part of their family just makes me a better teacher and person.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Although it was a bit overwhelming in the beginning, having to teach online during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a positive learning experience for Poonam.

&ldquo;Learning new techniques of teaching, use of varied platforms, and educating my students on how to learn online has been a tremendous development. The support from my manager has always been continuous and forthcoming, and she has helped me overcome any hurdles and challenges in doing my job, in the past and now.&rdquo;

Poonam has been a long-time member of ESL Library and is grateful for the support the platform provides.

&ldquo;My heartfelt thanks to all the staff members and teachers of ESL Library for the wealth of resources and lessons that supplement my teaching. Thank you for working so hard to make teaching fun for me. My students love the exercises and lessons.&rdquo;

Check out her text response below to learn more about why she loves ESL Library and how she uses it with her students.

<iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *;" height="600px" src="https://www.videoask.com/a0big6i6d5v2vd4avhfud5prss4aryqa709c0qhm" style="border: none; border-radius: 24px" width="100%"></iframe>

As a dedicated teacher, Poonam strives to create a welcoming and relaxed space to learn.

&ldquo;I try to create a positive and comfortable learning environment using real world tasks, peer teaching, and most of all, encouraging and applauding them every step of their progress. Also, I always tell them that it&rsquo;s okay to make mistakes. Making them feel that we are a family has strengthened my rapport with them.&rdquo;

For Poonam, the most rewarding part about being a teacher is seeing her students confidently use their English language skills.

<blockquote>
&ldquo;Being a part of their educational journey and to celebrate their success is an amazing feeling. When my students successfully use the language in real-life situations and I see the impact my teaching has had on them, it encourages me to perform better.&rdquo;
</blockquote>

Poonam also believes that ESL teachers play a bigger part in their students&rsquo; lives than they may realize.

&ldquo;I believe teaching ESL is not just teaching English. It&rsquo;s about educating the learners how to live and enjoy their life in this beautiful country. I always follow the rule of putting yourself in the other person&rsquo;s shoes. It creates respect, rapport, and makes teaching and learning a lot of fun. A passionate educator can leave an everlasting and positive impact on a learner&rsquo;s life. Just teach with your heart!&rdquo;

Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a>

Teacher Feature: Poonam

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Find useful resources and tips for teaching English with interactive apps and sites.

EdTech

January 6 is National Technology Day. National Technology Day celebrates the world&rsquo;s technological achievements and explores how technology positively impacts our daily lives. In honor of this day, we&rsquo;re celebrating the ESL Library platform and recognizing the hard work that goes into it. We chatted with Eduardo, our CTO, and asked him a few questions about the technology behind our platform. Here&rsquo;s what he had to say:

MELISSA: How has the ESL Library platform changed over the years?

EDUARDO: Over our 20 years in the industry, the technology behind ESL Library has changed a lot. Our engineering team grew exponentially, ensuring we can build a better, more complete, and more reliable system. We are running on more powerful servers&nbsp;so every class can be taught without delay. Our software is built using the latest development frameworks, giving our team the ability to incorporate the best techniques and newest technologies to our platform in order to deliver the best experience to teachers and students.

MELISSA: What have been some of the biggest challenges?

EDUARDO: The increased demand caused by the pandemic was both a blessing and a curse. Scaling up our servers to support 10x its usual traffic was not an easy task, and the team had to work around the clock to make sure the system was working properly. We are all humans, and even with the uncertainty of those moments&mdash;with our personal and professional lives being affected&mdash;the team had&nbsp;the massive change that was happening for educators and learners around the world in mind. We knew every second was important and wanted to help our users making this transition easier, as much as we could.

MELISSA: What are you most proud of?

EDUARDO: I am proud to be creating technology that aims to empower teachers, not replace them. Education is what drives the world towards a better future, and it should never lose its human touch, its collaborative aspect. A computer will never be able to understand and enlighten a student mind as well as a teacher can. A computer can, however, assist a human teacher to accomplish their mission in the best possible way.

MELISSA: What will the ESL Library platform look like in the future?

EDUARDO: We are working towards making ESL Library easier to use, more accessible, more personalized, and more insightful. We are looking forward to making ESL Library even better with the numerous features, integrations, games, and real-time activities we have planned.

Teachers, how does technology positively impact your life? What are some of your favorite technologies? How do you use the ESL Library platform and what is your favorite part about it? We&rsquo;d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Celebrating the ESL Library Platform for National Technology Day

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This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

Before Elena became a teacher, she was a ceramic artist. After working by herself for a number of years, she began to feel like she needed a change.

&ldquo;I wanted to expand my world. Being only an artist did not make me feel like I contributed enough to the world since my work is more decorative than political. I started as a volunteer and loved teaching, so I got trained.&rdquo;

Elena has been a teacher for about 10 years now. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she currently teaches online from her home in Austin, Texas. She teaches adults from all over the world.

&ldquo;I think of my classes as my own little UN. Exchanging cultural information is as important as learning English.&rdquo;

For Elena, teaching online has had its challenges but overall, she&rsquo;s happy now that she was forced to learn how to teach in a virtual setting. She does miss interacting with her co-workers though.

&ldquo;I miss the potlucks&nbsp;and the camaraderie with fellow teachers the most.&rdquo;

Elena finds ESL Library to be incredibly helpful. Check out her text response below to learn why she loves ESL Library and how she uses it with her students.

<iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *; fullscreen *;" height="400px" src=" https://www.videoask.com/a9r8ng91vpvumxzzi7pno3nsn9rly0iztymeawxe" style="border: none; border-radius: 24px" width="100%"></iframe>Despite the challenges of teaching online, Elena loves being an ESL teacher.

&ldquo;I love learning about other languages and of course, when students finally understand something that was previously confusing, it makes my day.&rdquo;

When asked if she has any advice for aspiring teachers, Elena said it&rsquo;s important to watch the news.

&ldquo;Learn what is happening in other parts of the world and learn something about the structure of languages spoken by the students in your class. Do adjectives come before nouns? Is their language a stress-timed language? If you know these things, you can help them faster.&rdquo;

Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a>

Teacher Feature: Elena

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This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

Meet Albania. Albania has been a teacher since 2017. Currently, she teaches Business English online to adults from her home in Mexico City, Mexico.

&ldquo;I decided to become a teacher because I really like sharing knowledge. Plus, the best way to learn something is by teaching it.&rdquo;

For Albania, a typical day of teaching begins with a lot of coffee! Since most of her students are adults, she tends to spend the days preparing for her classes and the evenings teaching.

<img alt="a screenshot of Albania teaching one of her students online" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1991/content_teacher-feature-albania.jpg" />

Here is a screenshot of Albania teaching one of her students online.

Albania finds it incredibly rewarding when she sees her students applying the knowledge they learned in class. However, she finds it challenging to consistently show up for class bubbly, motivated, and patient.

&ldquo;Life can get difficult from time to time. In class, students are the most important thing and I try my very best to show up motivated so that they feel motivated.&rdquo;

Albania is a big fan of ESL&nbsp;Library. Check out her video response below to learn why she loves ESL&nbsp;Library and how she uses it with her students.

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When asked if she has any advice for aspiring teachers, Albania had a lot of guidance to offer.

&ldquo;Do it! You&#39;ll have a lot of fun and you will learn a lot in the process. Try to encourage your students to make mistakes and to be okay with it. It&#39;s part of the process. Try telling them that making mistakes it&#39;s actually a brave thing. Learning something is the most beautiful thing, but it requires a lot of patience with oneself. As a teacher, try to see yourself as a facilitator and be willing to be open to student&#39;s&nbsp;feedback and suggestions. Try to recognize that every student is different. This will be challenging at the beginning, but rewarding during the process. Plus, it will make it efficient in the long run. In the end, we are all students.&rdquo;

Want to share why you love ESL&nbsp;Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a>

Teacher Feature: Albania

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This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

In November of 2019, Beth was interested in working remotely. She decided to give teaching online a try.

&ldquo;Surprisingly, it worked out. I would have a full day of classes with students from all over the world, and this made it so much fun and interesting!&rdquo;

<img alt="a picture of Beth" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1954/content_Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Beth.jpg" />

Beth is pictured here.

Beth teaches English online from her home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Most of her students are adults at the intermediate to advanced level but she has also taught children and teens as well. Check out Beth&rsquo;s text response below to learn why she loves ESL Library and how she uses it with her students.

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For Beth, the most rewarding part about being a teacher is being able to meet and learn from students all over the world.

&ldquo;It&#39;s also rewarding when a student tells me how their experience has helped them gain confidence in their professions and job interviews.&rdquo;

Outside of tutoring English, Beth is a student herself.

&ldquo;I&#39;m a Spanish language learner/student myself, so I do have some understanding of the struggles and challenges of being a student too.&rdquo;

When asked if she has any advice for aspiring teachers, she said it&rsquo;s important to have fun and to be open minded.

&ldquo;Allow your students to share their own ideas of what works for them!&rdquo;

Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a>

Teacher Feature: Beth

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This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

Teaching English started out as just a hobby for Augusto. When he lived in Florida, United States, he taught English to Brazilian newcomers who were struggling to learn the language. He found he enjoyed helping people. That&rsquo;s when teaching became so much more.

&ldquo;Doing that, I found myself and where I belonged. From the hobby, it became my life, my love, and my mission from that moment on.&rdquo;

<img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1828/content_content_2.jpg" />

Augusto is pictured here teaching one of his students online.

Augusto has been teaching for 16 years now. Currently, he teaches students at the A1 to C2 level in Esp&iacute;rito Santo, Brazil.

&ldquo;When I transform my student&rsquo;s life for a better one, it&rsquo;s the most rewarding prize for me.&rdquo;

Prior to COVID-19, Augusto taught small sized classes in person four times per week. When the pandemic hit, he had to pivot and learn how to teach online. Check out Augusto&rsquo;s video response below to learn why he loves ESL Library and how he uses it in his classroom with his students.

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Augusto says it&rsquo;s important for teachers to believe in themselves and to never give up.

&ldquo;Being a teacher can be hard sometimes, but the reward is for life. We change people&#39;s lives. We are the ones who change the world and prepare the next leaders.&rdquo;

Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a>

Teacher Feature: Augusto

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This article is part of a series of posts highlighting our community of teachers around the world. We hope you find their stories interesting and inspiring!

Twenty-one&nbsp;years ago, Ralph&rsquo;s church heard about a community in Ružomberok, Slovakia that wished for their children to learn English. Ralph&rsquo;s church wanted to help. That summer, they taught 30 children at their first of many English Camps.

&ldquo;We had no idea what we were doing, but through trial and error we began learning how to improve our English classes.&rdquo;

Since then, they&rsquo;ve grown quite a bit. They now have about 125 students from ages seven to 15 each summer, and they have added an adult class.

&ldquo;Since 2000, we have had over 200 American volunteers teach English in&nbsp;Slovakia.&rdquo;

In 2009, Ralph took his English-teaching experience and went to China for two weeks. He taught both baseball and English to university students in&nbsp;Nanjing.

&ldquo;I brought over 50 baseball gloves&nbsp;and some baseballs and bats with me. We had fun learning new words and phrases in baseball language. It was great fun just being with them!&rdquo;

<img alt="Ralph with university baseball team in Nanjing China" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1800/content_Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Ralph_teaching-english-basebal-uni-Nanjing-China-future-school-teachers.jpg" />

Here, Ralph is pictured with his class in Nanjing.

In 2015, Ralph&rsquo;s teaching expanded even more when his church began providing conversational English classes to international students attending Virginia Commonwealth University.

&ldquo;Providing English classes for these international students has become my great joy! The opportunity to meet students from all over the world and to help them build a community with Americans and other international students is so rewarding!&rdquo;

<img alt="Ralph with class of doctors and scientists wanting to improve their conversational english" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1801/content_Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Ralph_english-class-medical-doctors-scientists-improve-conversational-english.jpg" />

Here, Ralph is pictured with his Sunday morning English class.

Over the past few years, Ralph has relied heavily on ESL Library when teaching his international students.

&ldquo;The lessons are well organized and offer a variety of current issues and topics. I feel like I learn much from the lesson topics as I teach the lessons to international students. ESL Library offers lessons that are adaptable to almost any situation and are applicable for students at different English levels. They are fun to use!&rdquo;

<img alt="Ralph at a meal with students " src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1802/content_Melissa_Teacher-Feature_Ralph_students.jpg" />

Here, two of Ralph&rsquo;s students are pictured holding ESL Library materials.

Check out Ralph&rsquo;s video response below to learn more about why he loves ESL Library and how he uses it with his students.

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In the future, Ralph hopes to teach in Slovakia again. He&rsquo;s also exploring the possibility of teaching English in a refugee camp.

&ldquo;Many people in our world live in hopeless conditions. Doing something as simple as helping them learn English can give them a sense of hope!&rdquo;

Want to share why you love ESL Library and how you use it in your classroom? <a href="https://www.videoask.com/fw0f8td5x" target="_blank">Tell us here.</a>