What was it like to be an ESL teacher in 2020? Reflections from the prek-12 community

Abstract

Suddenly, with the advent of COVID-19, our familiar teaching tools disappeared. How, in a two-dimensional world, were teachers to connect with students? This is a question we have all been asking ourselves since last spring — and when we began to discuss this forum, it was the question we posed to our community. We asked student teachers, cooperating teachers, and student-teacher supervisors to reflect on a single moment from this past year. We hoped to document — and to share — a few moments from the actual experience being an ESL teacher during the 2020 school year.