MIDTESOL Matters
Spring 2004
A Publication of Mid-America Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

MISSOURI

"Making do with fewer resources" was the theme of the recent Missouri ESL

Educators' Conference, held at Southwest Missouri State University in March.

One hundred educators participated in Friday night's poster sessions and

Saturday's 20 concurrent sessions and were brought up to date by a diverse panel of lunchtime guest speakers: Dr. Cheryl Eason, CMSU MATESL program; Ramona George, Ozarks Technical College Adult Education and

Literacy Director; and Sandra Anderson and Karen Johnson, Migrant-English Language Learning specialists. Jane Robison, conference chair, gave opening remarks and served as moderator.

Jane Robison, MIDTESOL First Vice President, and chair of the annual fall MIDTESOL conference, has announced that the conference will be held October 22 and 23 in Independence, MO at the Hilton Garden Inn. (See details elsewhere in this newsletter.)

Dr. Cheryl Eason of CMSU reports that forty-one students are taking TESL courses this semester at Central. Eighteen are international students from

Japan, Kenya, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, and Thailand. Five students are enrolled in Central's new Master's of Arts in Teaching (MAT), with an eye to teaching ESL in the public schools. ESOL certification in

Missouri is an add-on to an existing teaching certificate.

Missouri's Migrant-English Language Learner program is concentrating on migrant students. Improved counting has led to increased funds. Two new programs supported by migrant funds are of interest: Crowder College is supporting people in agriculture jobs who want to get a college education by providing college costs for first year students. Also available is a high school equivalency program (HEP). Contact your MELL representative for details.

Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) is facing funding cuts at the same time the Bantus are beginning to arrive from Somalia. Also, Ramona George reports that Bosnians have arrived in Columbia (there is already a sizable and thriving Bosnian community in St. Louis) and that the West Plains area has become home to a significant number of Russians.

Sheila Monk

Consultant

ESL Advisory Services

sheilamonk@hotmail.com