Tag : “ELD”

“ELL” Doesn’t Say it All

September 16, 2019Amethyst Hinton Sainz Education, Education Policy, Literacy

Did you know that the majority of English learners in U.S. K-12 schools are not immigrants? From outside of the ELD classroom, it’s easy to see the group as rather monolithic in their needs, despite their cultural and linguistic diversity.

#FirstDays Beyond the Four-Hour Block

August 21, 2019Amethyst Hinton Sainz Education, Education Policy, Literacy, Professional Development, Teacher Leadership

We were asked to introduce ourselves in our blogs this week, and that feels funny, since this is the sixth (or seventh?) year I have had the opportunity to contribute to Stories from School Arizona. This will be my 25th

The Gifts they Bring: English Learners and Gifted Ed.

February 7, 2019Amethyst Hinton Sainz Assessment, Education, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom, Literacy

A few weeks back I was chatting with a gifted education specialist in our district, an excellent teacher my son was lucky enough to have in elementary school. I asked him some questions that had been in the back of

My To-Do List: A Peek Into a Teacher Leader’s Week

January 10, 2019Amethyst Hinton Sainz Life in the Classroom, Teacher Leadership

The simple fact that this is my second “list” blog post in a row should tell you something. No matter how many hours I am putting in at home right now, there do not seem to be enough. Teaching is

A Holiday Wish List for ELD Equity

December 7, 2018Amethyst Hinton Sainz Current Affairs, Education, Education Policy, Literacy, Professional Development, Teacher Leadership

It’s that time of year when the child within us develops a dreamy, far-off look, and her eyes begin to gleam. Sugar plums? A Red Ryder BB gun? A new laptop? A roof rack and two kayaks? Creating a holiday

25 Word Stories from Monsoon Season 2018: The Haboob of the New, and What Follows

September 7, 2018Amethyst Hinton Sainz Education, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom

Header Photo Credit: Sharla Hoff I remember that feeling, being in a haboob before we knew the word “haboob.” Wonderment, trepidation, a lungful of whatever was driven loose by wind. First day of junior high, and families arrive together, parents

House Bill May Allow for Innovations Beyond the 4-Hour ELD Block

February 18, 2018Amethyst Hinton Sainz Assessment, Current Affairs, Education, Education Policy, Literacy

In December, Emmanuel, a hypothetical yet typical student from Honduras, moves to the U.S. with his father. Emmanuel, based on his age and previous schooling, is placed into seventh grade. He speaks very little English; more accurately, he can read

Holiday Tears and Cheers with English Language Learners

December 23, 2017Amethyst Hinton Sainz Life in the Classroom, Love, Social Issues

There are many moments when I really wish my Spanish was better, and yesterday was one of those moments. It was the last day of the semester, and my introduction level English Language Development class (grade 7 and 8) was

Reality Check for English Language Learners

December 8, 2016Amethyst Hinton Sainz Assessment, Education, Education Policy, Life in the Classroom, Literacy, Uncategorized

Snippets of surreptitious conversational Spanish dart around the classroom amid scattered outbursts of giggles. I review the color-coded highlighting of sentence parts in our newest sentence formula involving superlative adjectives, pointing to the laminated neon cards magneted to the

Teaching to the Test (or Not)

June 9, 2016Amethyst Hinton Sainz Assessment

I know I have written about this topic before, the relationship between standards and standardization, instructional innovation and teaching for creativity, and standardized tests, but I am going to take another go at it, because this year I changed levels

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