Join HSTA’s EL caucus to amplify educator voice
Posted: May 27, 2021
The Hawaii State Teachers Association invites members across the state to take part in a newly formed caucus to increase educator voice and support for English learners.
This initial EL caucus will be led by state resource teacher Tanya Mau and Waiakea Elementary teacher Jill Tung-Loong, who also serve on our employer-union Joint English Learners Committee.
The caucus aims to equip educators with the tools and skills necessary to address the needs of multilingual learners. In addition to addressing everyday issues that arise in the classroom, Mau and Tung-Loong look forward to connecting with passionate members and taking information gathered in caucus back to the employer to advocate for changes that advance teacher and student success.
“We are all teachers of language,” Mau said. “There is value in learning and being aware of the strategies needed to work with multilingual learners, especially in Hawaii. At some point in our careers, we all come across an English learner in our classroom. It’s important that we are all equipped to help them be successful.”
Jill Tung-Loong, Tanya Mau, and Osa Tui, Jr.
Mau and Tung-Loong are also looking to support teachers who may be struggling with the Hawaii State Department of Education’s Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) sheltered instruction mandate.
The mandate gives all licensed K–12 teachers who plan or provide direct instruction to students three years from the beginning of the 2021–22 school year to obtain a minimum of six TESOL-related course credits or the equivalent.
While the requirement itself has existed for decades, the HIDOE recently set a deadline and centralized data collection to better process credits and track the requirement in a timely manner.
Mau says the strategies taught in coursework to meet the Sheltered Instruction Qualification (SIQ) go a long way toward knowing and working effectively with students and their families, regardless of whether they are English learners. The solution, she says, is best illustrated by Ignacio Estrada: “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”
The first meeting takes place virtually Monday, June 7, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sign up here and Zoom information will be emailed to all attendees next week.
HSTA President-Elect Osa Tui, Jr., a registrar at McKinley High, hopes the caucus will connect and engage passionate educators, and spread awareness of this valuable work.
“While we have a joint employer-union contract committee, we need to engage members across the state to work with the employer in addressing the needs of teachers, and ultimately our keiki,” he said.
“The overall goal is to create a support system and connections between teachers passionate about seeing their multilingual learners succeed,” Tui added.
Meanwhile, the Joint EL Committee has been working to ensure there are a variety of ways for teachers to obtain TESOL credits, as well as varied course offerings that can meet the needs of beginner and veteran teachers.
Starting in July, Mau is teaming up with Iao Intermediate EL coordinator Nicole Heinlein and Farrington High literacy coach Norman Sales to facilitate a professional learning community for teachers in their second through fourth years of teaching. Registration closes June 1 and space is limited. Learn more and register.
Teacher feedback shared with the committee during Institute Week in February reinforced the committee’s goal to ensure more coursework was offered to meet the SIQ.
HSTA is offering two approved courses: ESL Sheltered Instruction Level 1 (summer/fall 2021) and ESL Sheltered Instruction Level 2 (fall/spring 2021–22). Learn more at pd.www.hsta.org. A third course in special education is currently in development with the HIDOE for approval toward the credits.
The HIDOE is inviting teachers who are interested in and qualified to facilitate their own course to submit their ideas through a Request for New “ESL” PDE3 Credit Course Form.
If you have questions on credits you want considered towards the SIQ, contact the HIDOE Office of Talent Management (OTM) Educator Quality Section by phone at (808) 441-8499 or email hqt@k12.hi.us. We recommend you have your EL coursework documentation on hand.
If you have questions on creating a course to meet the SIQ requirement, contact the Office of Student Support Services (OSSS) Student Support Section EL Program by phone at (808) 305-9664 or email osssel@k12.hi.us.