Back to School

I’m returning to a familiar role.

Plot twist.

Many of you have followed my journey back into the classroom over the past year as an ESL teacher. It’s been one of the most meaningful years of my career. I had the privilege of teaching sixth, seventh, and eighth grade multilingual learners, and I grew incredibly attached to my students and their families. They taught me as much as I taught them, and I was looking forward to continuing in that role for years to come.

Then came spring.

Our campus learned that next year we would be reduced from five ESL specialists to three. Because I was one of the newest hires, my position (and one of my colleague’s) was cut. It was a difficult few weeks of uncertainty. I wondered whether I would have to leave my school or teach an entirely different subject. I was especially heartbroken that I wouldn’t get to continue building multi-year relationships with so many of my students.

Thankfully, my principal worked hard to keep both displaced ESL teachers on campus.

This school year, I’m returning to a familiar place—sixth grade language arts.

In many ways, this feels like coming home. These are the very classes I was teaching when I wrote The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild. Sixth grade has always been one of my favorite ages to teach. I love helping students and their families navigate this exciting transition into middle school.

I’ve already been planning lessons and procedures, and meeting with my new team. Today, I placed my first classroom book order and reflected on some old notebook models. Don is busy scanning hundreds of books for the classroom library, so there is a lot happening behind the scenes! I’ll be sharing my book lists, classroom setup, and reading plans in the coming weeks, and I’ll probably be asking all of you for recommendations and suggestions along the way.

The sweetest surprise? As I looked through my class lists yesterday, I recognized some last names. Several of my new students are younger siblings of kids I taught last year. That means I’ll still have the joy of staying connected with many of the same families. And I have no doubt my former students will come find me in my new classroom. I certainly plan to find them.

I do have mixed emotions about this change, though.

While I’m excited to return to sixth grade ELA, I’m deeply concerned about what these staffing reductions mean for multilingual learners. Our school is losing two ESL specialists, and unfortunately, we’re far from alone. Districts across the country are reducing positions that support English learners, even as many schools continue to serve growing multilingual populations. At the federal level, the Office of English Language Acquisition has undergone dramatic staffing reductions as part of broader changes at the U.S. Department of Education, raising concerns about future support for English learners.

Our multilingual students need every opportunity to thrive. I hope we continue to invest in the educators and programs that help students succeed.

As for me, I’m grateful. Grateful that I get to stay at a school I love. Grateful that I still get to work with multilingual learners every day in my language arts classroom. Grateful for my school colleagues who are helping me start over. Grateful that I get another chance to build a community of readers.

Here’s to new beginnings and another year of helping kids discover the power and joy of reading.