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Carolyne Odenwelder: Teacher of K- 5 ESL (English as a Second Language) Students
Submitted by abare04 on June 29, 2007 - 9:13am.
 | Carolyne Odenwelder: Teacher of K- 5 ESL (English as a Second Language) Students |
| post-graduate, Brassfield Rd. Elementary Achievements: This nomination is for the ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher of K-5 students at Brassfield Rd. Elementary in North Raleigh, Carolyne Odenwelder. Carolyne chose to spend her brief summer break as a visiting teacher in a K-12 private school in Loja, Ecuador. Loja is a city nestled in the mountains of Ecuador about 750 km. south of Quito, the capital and is in the southernmost province (state) of Ecuador. She currently is finishing up her time at the school: Collegioiberoamericano. http://www.colegioiberoamericano.edu.ec/ Through a contact in WCPSS, she received notice that the school was seeking English speaking teachers to visit & teach so as to enhance their English as a Foreign Language Program. Carolyne decided to spend her vacation between school years in this endeavor for her professional development as as ESL Teacher. Her primary professional goal was to immerse herself in the Spanish language & culture of that school & community so as to improve her abilities in meeting the needs of the Spanish-speaking children she teaches here in the Wake Co. Public School System. While there, Carolyne has observed and taught all age levels. She states that her "cultural knowledge has taken a quantum leap.....I have learned much about the history, geography, food, and culture of the people of Ecuador." Her "stay has been a wonderful mixture of professional and cultural development." She adds that she wants this experience to improve her Spanish so that she can "communicate better with the parents of (her) students, conduct workshops for them to help them understand how U.S. schools work & how to help their children learn." As a fellow teacher at Brassfield Rd. Elementary, I am nominating Carolyne for this Gold Star for taking her vacation time to improve her professional abilities as an ESL teacher and learn how she can be more effective as an advocate for Spanish-speaking students & their families. Carolyne has been teaching ESL for 25 years, & is about to begin her 8th year in WCPSS. She is a National Board Certified Teacher with her Masters Degree in ESL. Submitted by: Amy Bare |
