OABE - Oklahoma Bilingual Education
Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education Newsletter
The Outgoing OABE President, Sharon Ballew
O-Si-Yo OABE Board Members!
I would first like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for allowing me to once again serve as your President of the Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education. This is my 30th year as a member of this great association and my fifth time to serve as President. I have truly enjoyed each and every time I have served on the Board and have had the great pleasure of working with the most wonderful advocates for bilingual education as well as making lifelong friends.
One of the greatest outcomes of the year is the increase in membership! All the thanks goes to you, veteran members, who worked to be able to get more people from your schools to attend the conference which also allowed them to become members. So, welcome new OABE members! We have not have this many members in the association in a number of years and the Board is thrilled!
One of the issues I wanted to work on during the past year is the way the schools have to use the Home Language Survey. Please don’t give up on the conversation! Take time to visit with your school leaders, the State Department of Education, Joy Hoffmeister, parents, and your legislators about the HLS and the implications it has on our Title III programs. Make an issue of the fact that the form should NOT have to be completed each and every year…once bilingual, always bilingual! And, because of the way the law is stated, I have advocated for a separate HLS for Native American students. There are a number of states that allow the school district to develop their own Home Language Survey based on the needs of their school community. What a concept! Let’s get this issue resolved!
Enjoy the rest of your school year!
Wado,
Sharon Ballew, OABE Outgoing President
The NEW OABE Executive Board Members
Meet the NEW OABE President - Mr. Kelly Forbes
Dear OABE and OK Educators, Communities, and Stakeholders,
I am thrilled and humbled to introduce myself to you as the new OABE President. I cannot begin to explain the excitement I feel at this moment, and how HAPPY I am to have been chosen to work with such a great team.
My name is Kelly Forbes, and I am a native of Tulsa. I grew up in Broken Arrow the majority of my life and graduated high school from Metro Christian Academy in 2002. It was at Metro where I met one of the most amazing and influential teachers in my life – my Spanish teacher. Her passion for the language and culture was infectious and I quickly fell in love with all things Hispanic/Latino. I then moved to the Oklahoma City metro area receiving my bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Oklahoma City University, and then my master’s degree in Bilingual Education from the University of Central Oklahoma. I have been fortunate enough to study in Spain, Costa Rica, and Argentina, as well as travel to Peru, Mexico, Honduras, including a few other countries in Central America. Throughout my academic career I have enjoyed all things multicultural and fell in love with helping students become bilingual and biliterate. However, as much as I love education I did not think I would become an educator. After graduating from OCU in 2006 I was a dancer for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line on the Explorer of the Seas. I traveled to some of the most beautiful places in the world and met wonderful friends. As I had a break in between contracts I was asked to be a permanent substitute for a charter school teaching Spanish. I had no idea that God was then about to change my life path. I fell in love with teaching and have never been so happy.
My life then placed me at Taft Middle School in Oklahoma City Public Schools. I was the newcomer ELL teacher for students who were in the USA for the very first time. My class consisted of 6th-8th grade students who represented seven countries and eight languages. I just recently saw some of my students and they have now graduated from high school and are in college. They hugged me and thanked me. It was a humbling experience as this is why we teach. As they reminded me why I do what I do, I owe them the thanks for helping me become who I am today in the field of education.
After leaving the classroom, I decided to become an OKCPS ELL Instructional Facilitator helping teachers teach students with limited English proficiency. This job led me to Crooked Oak Public School where I became their Director of Bilingual Acquisition and Cultural Knowledge. I was their first Title III director and chose this title cautiously. I wanted to include the additive bilingual aspect of second language acquisition, as I also wanted to ensure that the schools remembered from where the children came – including remembering their culture. Furthermore, I wanted the teachers to know that I had their B.A.C.K. I believe in standing alongside the teachers no matter what, as they are the backbone to any school. I carried this mentality with me as I worked as Hillcrest Elementary School’s assistant principal. The past year has been a very exciting time as I have been mentored by great leaders in OKCPS as I have been preparing and praying for a time such as this.
As you can see, English as a second language has played a significant role in my educational career. It is my passion and drive for excellence in (bilingual) education that inspires me to not only advocate for students and their families for educational reason, but also for the benefits of a bilingual mind. It is of the utmost importance that we, as a community, help educate each other on the specific needs of all students and educators, including multicultural/lingual students/educators. I am honored to partake in such an advantageous endeavor as the new OABE President, as well as work with such a great team: Sharon Ballew – Past President, Julio Contreras – President Elect, Cara Lovell – Secretary, Anastasia Mendoza – Treasurer, Chris Culver – Newsletter Editor, Cheryl Huffman – Parliamentarian/Historian, and YOU!
I believe that all children can learn, regardless of their backgrounds; therefore, it is my passion to be a transformational teacher leader in an association where excellence is taught, modeled, and helps us achieve our highest expectations and academic successes. With that being said, I commit myself to leading with you…as a team and as a whole. My hope is for us to be a family, to be friends, and to be professional colleagues. I am anxious to learn from you, as well as to share with you everything I know. I am constantly growing and believe in a growth mindset, and in pluralistic leadership. This association is our association, our families’ association, our kids’ association, and the community’s association. Community and teamwork are key. Furthermore, due to my background and desire, I believe that multicultural diversity, as well as diversity in general, is the strength of our unity. Together, I look forward to supporting and promoting the legacy that is OABE, as well as continuing in its vision and mission. And remember, “No significant learning happens without a significant relationship” (Dr. James Corner). For this reason, I am excited to begin this relationship with you!
All of my best!
Kelly
(Mr. Kelly “Kellito” Forbes, M.Ed.)
Email: siempre_latino21@yahoo.com
Location: Tulsa, OK, United States
Facebook: facebook.com/kellito
President-Elect, Mr. Julio Contreras
Cara Lovell, OABE Secretary
Cara now teaches ELD at Tulsa's Will Rogers College Junior High. She also spends several hours a day co-teaching core classes for 7th and 8th grade. The best part of her day is helping students master their assignments. She also enjoys learning Spanish language and culture from her students.
A Spotlight in a Teacher's Classroom: Mr. Victor Gonzalez, ELL Teacher at Stillwater Public Schools
Mr. Gonzalez’s Stillwater High School ESL class celebrating student’s cultures through food prior to the Holiday break. In the week leading up to winter break I have each student create a presentation about their countries holiday traditions. I also encourage them to bring culturally relevant cuisine from their country so that other students can experience them. This helps create a great sense of community with my classes.
If you have a teacher, or you are a teacher, and would like to spotlight great work in the classroom, please send some pictures and an article to our OABE E-Mail (bilingual@gmail.com). We would LOVE to spotlight teachers in the classroom in our OABE Newsletter.
(click the button above)
Multicultural Institute
Friday, Mar 4, 2016, 05:30 PM
University of Central Oklahoma, North University Drive, Edmond, OK, United States
National Association for Bilingual Education Conference (NABE)
This website provides additional information about the NABE Conference.
Wednesday, Mar 2, 2016, 08:00 AM
720 Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, United States
TESOL 2016
Tuesday, Apr 5, 2016, 08:00 AM
Baltimore, MD, United States
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About OABE
Oklahoma Association for Bilingual Education, also known as OABE, is a professional, nonprofit association that promotes the value of all languages as assets to Oklahoma and the US, advocates for programs of excellence for linguistically and culturally diverse children, youth, and adults and provides high quality professional development to educators in the areas of culturally and linguistically appropriate curriculum and instruction.
Email: bilingualok@gmail.com
Website: www.oabe.weebly.com
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Phone: 918-402-7587
Facebook: facebook.com/Oklahoma-Association-for-Bilingual-Education