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Showing posts from October, 2015

My Cultural Adjustment Process to Teaching in an IEP (again)

I've learned from personal experience, research, and the literature that transitioning to a new place as a teacher can be and usually is hectic.  I just started teaching at the Center of English as a Second Language (CESL) at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (SIUC) as part of my duties as the curriculum coordinator.  Teaching represents at least half of my duties the first year, but then it should be reduced afterwards when I assume more coordinating duties and responsibilities.  Although I learned a lot about CESL during my first few weeks before teaching, I knew I would be in for a bit of what I call unintentional hazing when I met my first class. My dissertation focused on the cultural adjustment of English language teachers abroad, but I believe I can apply some of the models and theories to my experience here.  Even though I did not move abroad, I was faced with a larger proportion of students from the Middle East than I had before.  For most of my career, the majo