EP222 — How to Be the ELL Expert in Your Building Even When Nobody Listens

Teaching ELL students is a privilege and a joy. Is it easy? No way. But with the right support, you can feel empowered to tackle each day with ease and confidence. I'm your host, Beth Beauches, founder of Inspiring Young Learners. With over 10 years of teaching both nationally and internationally, I know what it takes to ensure that your ELL students have what they need to thrive today, tomorrow, and for life. I'm on a mission to empower you to equip your English language learners. Welcome to Equipping ELLs. Let's get to today's episode. Hey there, and welcome back to the Equipping ELLs podcast. I'm really glad that you are here for this one. I want to start with a moment that I think a lot of us have experienced. Maybe a decision gets made about one of your ELL students. Maybe it's a placement decision or a scheduling decision or a decision about what support they will receive or what classroom they will be in. And nobody asked you. Not because the decision makers are bad people, not necessarily because they do not care about your students, but because in that moment, it did not occur to anyone that you were the person who should be at the table. And that moment stings. It's happened to me before and it hurts. And it communicates something about how your role is understood, about how your knowledge is valued, about whether the expertise you've spent years developing is actually shaping what happens for the students you serve. And if you've had that moment, and if you haven't either, this episode is for you. Because today we are talking about how to build your position as the ELL expert in your building. not in a perfect school with a supportive admin and collaborative colleagues. We're talking about a real school that you are actually working in, even when it is hard. even when nobody seems to be listening. Because what I have found in working with thousands of teachers instead of equipping ELLs is that you are an incredible expert, but sometimes the environment that you're in makes you doubt that. And today I want you to be able to uncover, to discover, and to bring about this school year, the expert that you are, because that is going to change how you show up day to day, how your admin and peers perceive you and work with you, and ultimately how you can then better advocate for your students. So let me start with the distinction that I think reframes everything. There is a difference between being the ELL teacher in your building and being the ELL expert in your building. And it is not about credentials or years of experience. It is about positioning. The ELL teacher advocates from need. My students need more support. My students are not getting what they need. My students are being misunderstood. And all of those things might be completely true. But when you lead from need, from what is missing, what is lacking, what should be happening, but is not, which there's probably a lot in your school that is lacking, right? We experienced this. But when we lead from that, you are positioning yourself as the person who brings problems. And people sometimes avoid the person who brings problems, even if they're real problems. So what I want to