Mary Phelan

Position/Title: ENL teacher

Name of School: M.S. 258 Community Action School

DBN: 03M258 Superintendent: Ilene Altschul

Personal Statement: As a third year English as a New Language (ENL) teacher at MS 258 - Community Action School, I show extreme devotion to my students on a daily basis. I actively engage my students in lessons through the development of curriculum based on their specific interests. I am currently working, with my Expanding and Commanding students, in creating a unit based around Social Issues, a unit that was born out of their interests in current events. At present, my students are working through the development of a Google Sites project that focuses on a social issue of their choosing.

Aside from following a student-centered approach to my curriculum design, I can be found scheduling a Google expert for my school’s Google Group, working as the school-facilitator for the CAR program, providing the full-staff with ENL experiential learning based professional development meetings, serving as the school’s MLL (multilingual learner) expert, and a handful of other efforts that prepare my peers to provide MS258’s MLLs with everything they could possibly need in order to succeed. My efforts with my students and in providing my peers with the necessary MLL-friendly strategies did not go unrecognized. In my first year at MS 258, Community Action School, every MLL, most of which were long-term, tested commanding on the NYSESLAT.

I continue to grow my teaching practice through attending nearly every MFSC MLL PLO that is provided. I am also working towards my MA at City College. I am studying English Education. In the future, I hope to gain my administrative license and my doctorate in education. I will continue to provide, and fight, for not only multilingual learners, but all students within the NYCDOE system.

Ages/Grades of students: 6^th-8^th grades

Number of Years in school: 2

Years in education: 3