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Annual awards

From the Awards Committee Chair:

Greetings from OKTESOL. I hope you are all doing well and that we can see you at the upcoming OKTESOL conference in November. I am writing to you because we need your help. We have two awards that we hand out at our yearly convention and those awards are based on the nominations of the members of our organization. We depend on you to identify your peers in the TESOL field that you believe merit recognition. This is a great opportunity to reward those people that you feel are deserving of praise. Please take a moment to look at the attached nomination information and think of somebody that you think would qualify. I am the awards committee chairperson this year and would very much like to see a lot of participation in this process. OKTESOL Awards information

Thank you for your help and consideration,

Dan Rueckert Ph.D
Assistant Professor of TESOL
Oklahoma City University

Board positions up for election Nov. 14th

President-Elect
The President-Elect must have served on the OKTESOL board for at least two years. The President-Elect shall serve as publisher liaison for the conference committee. The President-Elect will assume the presidency at the close of the Annual Meeting the year of his or her election.

K12 Chair
To foster recognition of English as a second or other language (ESOL) as an academic discipline in K12 education; to document the manner in which children are being educated in English; to serve as a vehicle of communication for ESOL educators in K12 education; to educate the public, government officials, and other educators on the need for ESOL instruction at the K12 level, the nature of such instruction, and the need for hiring qualified people to deliver such instruction; to develop and establish standards of achievement and performance of students; to stimulate relevant research in the field; to stimulate development and adaptation of appropriate materials at the K12 level; to assure an adequate pool of qualified personnel by encouraging more programs for professional development; to advocate the training and certification of ESOL K12 teachers; to make the organization more responsive to the needs of ESOL in K12 education.

Secretary
The secretary shall record and keep the minutes of Business and Executive Board meetings and record attendance at Executive Board meetings. The Secretary shall maintain permanent files of correspondence and reports.
* Current Secretary, Ellen Kraft, is running for re-election of this position.

IEP Chair
To foster the recognition of English language instruction as a professional/academic discipline at all levels of education; to facilitate the gathering and exchange of knowledge and information among ESOL professionals in IEPs; to stimulate and disseminate scholarship, research, and professional development regarding language teaching and related concerns in IEPs; to provide a forum for the exchange of views on IEP-related issues; to advocate for the professional concerns of the members and the students the members teach; to mentor, advise, and train members with regard to conference proposals, publications, and professional concerns; to promote ethical and high professional standards of teaching, administration and employment practices in IEPs; to ensure viability and continuity of TESOL by training and encouraging aspiring practitioners in the IEP-IS to become officers; to identify persons within the IEP community who may serve as resources to others; to cooperate with other organizations addressing the needs of IEPs in order to achieve common goals.
*Current IEP Chair, Keely Roberts, is running for re-election of this position

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From the President

By Christine Wilson

            Greetings to everyone! I am pleased to be your new 2009-2010 OKTESOL President. I am looking forward to working with all of you over the next few months and hope to see many of you at our fall conference at the University of Central Oklahoma to be held on November 13^th and 14^th in Edmond.

            I joined the OKTESOL Board in 2006 when I started as the CALL Chair. I served in this position for two years, as well as coordinating the Tulsa Spring Flings. Since last October, I have held the position of President-Elect.  I am also currently serving on the OABE-OKTESOL Fall Conference Planning Committee.  

             I am presently the ELL Coordinator for Glenpool Public Schools for grades pre-k through 12. I have a dual BA in Spanish and Foreign Language Education, K-12, from the University of Oklahoma. I also have a graduate TESOL license from the University of North Texas and hold certification in Oklahoma for grades pre-k through 12. I am now completing an MA in Curriculum and Instruction at Oklahoma State University this year. I will be continuing my studies in a doctoral TESOL program next year. I have taught ELL at the university level, as well as pre-k through 12 and adult ESL for 14 years. In addition to this, I was an International Immigration Advisor and Designated School Official/SEVIS Coordinator for the University of North Texas for one year. I have also taught ESL in Italy and worked as an ESL Curriculum Writer for a private school in Seoul, Korea.

             Our success as an organization depends on all of you. I cannot stress the importance of your time and contributions enough and how this will help us reach our goals this year. Your participation and the impression that you make on others to join our activities will have a huge impact on what we are trying to accomplish as an organization. With this in mind, I have listed a few of my principle goals for OKTESOL:

1)                  To challenge all members to help expand our organization.

2)                  To encourage more active participation throughout our state.

3)                  To offer more conferences and workshops in remote parts of Oklahoma.

4)                  To inspire board members to assist with training members for future positions.

5)                  To broaden all educators’ perceptions about our organization and what we represent for Oklahoma’s future in ESL.

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The OKTESOL JOURNAL (OTJ) is a professional journal published by the Oklahoma Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (OKTESOL). OTJ encourages the submission of previously unpublished articles on topics of significance to individuals concerned with the teaching of language. The journal accepts and publishes original articles primarily in the research and practice of the teaching of English to speakers of other languages, which includes K-12, university, and adult ESL education settings. OTJ prefers that all submissions be written so that their content is accessible to a broad readership, including individuals who may not have a familiarity with the subject matter addressed. The OTJ is an online journal; however a print version will be circulated each year.

 

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