Next up in the featured educators series is Jurizz, a public school teacher from New York City. She shares her insight as an English as a New Language instructor, including some tips on using students' home languages as a resource for further learning.

What was your journey to becoming an educator for ELL students?
Master’s for teaching English to speakers of other languages . I am now teaching English as a new language with my internship certificate

What type of school do you work in (public/private/childcare) and what languages do your students speak at home?
NYC Department of Education public school D75

How old are the children that you teach? 
I teach K-12
 
What benefits do you think that being bilingual/multilingual has for children?
The brain works better.

How do you weave bilingual learning into your everyday classroom routine?
By welcoming the use of their first language and showing my kindergarteners visual support.

How do you keep language learning playful?
I inject language learning through games like bingo, games that require taking turns..

Do you find it easy or difficult to find bilingual resources and toys to use in your classroom?
Somewhat hard.

What are some common misconceptions that you think people have about children learning multiple languages?
These kids have a learning disability.

How do you involve families in your program?
Family partnership is always important. Have family support through workshops, PDs or school events and don’t forget to celebrate diversity.

Do you have any incredible bilingual resources to share with other teachers?
I am a new six-month English as a new language (ENL)  teacher. I am actually scouring for good ENL resources. I hope I’m able to help with my answers to your survey. I am also searching online for help in my everyday teaching with my English language learners. I find ENL assessments in TpT helpful, though.