NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

CESL
The mission of the Center for English as a Second Language (CESL)
at the University of Kentucky is to provide comprehensive English
language instruction for non-native English speakers in a university
setting. At the Center for ESL, we assist students in achieving
language proficiency goals for academic, professional, and social
purposes through multi-level language instruction. The Center for
ESL is dedicated to promoting diversity and to providing reciprocal
cultural enrichment opportunities to the University, the
community, and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

In this issue:

Introduction

English Slang

Go Teacher Birthdays!

Upcoming Events

Choosing
the Right

English Slang

Career
Araceli Davila

Go
Teachers
and TESLa

Program
Assistant
Bio: Christy
Ganchero

Where Im
From, a
poem by

Meaning: to be in disagreeable position; to be in a condition of

embarrassment, difficulty, or disorder
Examples:
Since I didnt do my homework, I am in a real pickle I might
fail the class.
The two girls he is dating met he is in a pickle.

Juan Asmal

Go Teacher Birthdays!
May
Student Name
Monica Crespo
Sonia Lata

Month Day
May 15
May 16

May 2014

May 2014 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

EVENTS
o Intercambios! Meet in POT 1143 every Thursday at 1:30pm to make new
friends, practice English, and help someone else practice Spanish.

o Kentucky Renaissance Festival, June 14th, 2014. Lords and ladies, we will be
going to the Kentucky Renaissance Festival in just under a fortnight. I would
strongly recommend that you accompany us to what is bound to be a
fantastic festival!

May 2014

May 2014 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Choosing the Right Career

BY Araceli Davila Macias

I love to teach English and I think that one of the hardest professions is
teaching. I consider that most people choose this profession because they like to be
a part of education. I believe that you should always do the things that you like. If
you choose any career, make sure that you like it because you will do it for the rest
of your life. It is difficult make that decision, so you must consider your abilities, and
the things that you like to do. These practices will help make the right choice.

Most people do not want to be a teacher. They always say that it is not a wellpaying career. Along with this, people who choose this profession need to be willing
to give classes. But teaching is not just staying in front of the students. It means that
you need to make sure that the students understand your class. Teachers should
always support the students, not just give a lecture about the subject. As a teacher
you share knowledge and experiences with your students.

I consider that teaching is one of the most gratifying profession that you could
do because you always have new things to learn, and you also prepare new things
for your students even though you have given the same class to many times. The
reason could be because every student that the teacher has will be different and
every student gives the teacher an experience to be grateful for. I like when a
student always remembers the teacher.

Finally, I believe that you always need to choose to do the things that you like
most. It doesnt matter if your parents, friends or family tell you that you were
wrong to choose to teach. You need to remember that you need to work all your life
in the profession you choose. For this reason, you must think carefully about the
profession that you choose because it will be a decision that will affect all your
whole life.

May 2014

May 2014 NEWSLETTER

Go Teacher Ecuador at
Graduate Student Association
for TESLa

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

BY Rosanna Willhite

Thank you to Juan, Monica, and Maro for

presenting at the graduate student Teaching
English as a Second Language Association,
TESLa, meeting at the end of last month. In
order to understand a first-hand view English
Language Learning, ELL, in Ecuador as well as
the needs of students studying in the United
States, these three served as representatives for
the previous and present Go Teachers Ecuador
students. They gave a well prepared and
thoughtful presentation that spurred many
questions from the audience about the
development of English in Ecuador and the
particular accomplishments and needs that are
present in Ecuador.
After their presentation, Lina Crocker
shared about her experience at the TESL
conference. Her findings on new and current
trends in the ESL and EFL classrooms around
the world, was exciting to hear about and good
to know. The dedication and commitment of
current ESL instructors to the development of
their students serves to create a rich and
inspiring community of learners and teachers.
Finally, we had delicious snacks baked by
our lovely TESLa president, Lindsay. Thank you
to everyone who presented and to those who
presented. If you are interested in attending
TESLa or would like more information, please
contact Lindsay Oberhausen at
lindsayoberhausen@oulook.com.

Christy Ganchero

Hello, my name is Christy Ganchero. I

have been working with the Center for
ESL since 2010. When I first started
working here, I helped out as a
classroom assistant. In 2012, I started
working in the ESL office as a student
office worker. You can normally see me
in the CESL offices filing and scanning. I
just graduated this semester with a BA
in Chinese and a BA in International
Studies.
My husband and I are leaving Kentucky
at the end of July to teach English in
Shenzhen, China. I studied Mandarin
Chinese for four years at the University
of Kentucky, and now I am ready to put
it to good use. I am looking forward to
experiencing what all of our ESL
students feel when they come to our
program to study English. I pray that
God will give me the wisdom to both
learn and teach while I am overseas.

May 2014

May 2014 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

Below is a poem written by one of our own, Juan Carlos Asmal, for a class assignment in Hema
Ramachandrans course. They wrote about their heritage using the original poem Where Im
From by George Ella Lyons as a template. The resulting poems are thoughtful and inspiring.
We are not able to include all of them in this newsletter, but more will follow in next months
issue. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

Where Im From

by Juan Carlos Asmal based of George Ella Lyons original work

I am from a valley that smells with the aroma of pines, from the mountains with round
domes, from flowers and chocolate.

I am from a white palace on a hill surrounded by lush green and mornings felt with melodious
birdsongs.
I am from the land of calla lilies, and Daturas which bloom like little bells.

I am from family Christmas gatherings and chocolate-skinned relatives, from Mama Becca and
Uncle Mosis.

I am from hard workers who go with no sleep at night and often cry, from the joy of life learned
from Mom and of always taking care of my little sister.
I am from Catholic altars which gave me a name and accepted me as Gods child.

Im from the high land of Cuenca and Caari ancestry, staples of potatoes and corn, from the
memory of Grandma always praying for food and moving her clothes from box to box to box
for no reason.
I am from a poor family that has no photo albums and is scattered around the house in
various boxes. Our history is archived in our hearts and memories.

May 2014

May 2014 NEWSLETTER

CENTER FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE

The link to Go Teacher Kentuckys

Facebook group is on the website!

Center for English as a Second Language

University of Kentucky
1673 Patterson Office Tower
Telephone: (859) 257-7003
Website: http://esl.as.uky.edu