Sally A. Wellman
Please scroll to the bottom of the page to find out how to nominate a deserving ESOL professional for this honor.
The Award Committee Co-Chairs Are: Yilin Sun and Elena Smith
The deadline for the Sally Wellman Award nominations is September 24th, 2009.
Excerpts from the Keynote speech at the Spokane Area ESL Conference
October, 1991
English language teaching changes a person, affecting self-concept and altering egos forever. By moving the self from center stage, raising awareness of other people's value systems, challenging the self to learning a non-judgmental way of life and leading a person into a way of living that causes constant introspection and learning, we all have the opportunity for change.
Yes, English language teaching is a life decision. Remember what Albert Einstein said as he was dying, “It would have been so nice to have been a plumber.” He was expressing a simple desire for a life uncluttered by professional responsibilities. I think we all wish for the simple life - at one moment or another. Yet, once we're in this very person-oriented field, we become addicted to the highs we get from intense human interactions as we work with our own cognitive system and expand those of our students to include the possibilities of understanding the world and the human condition through the English Language, the rhetorical patterns, the thought processes and the understanding available therein.
English language teachers learn to be like ballet dancers, always stretching and reaching, always turning and trying to be grace and gentility personified - always on our toes. Spinning as we do, I suppose it's harder to be heels; we get to see a bit of human nature. And what we see, we learn to value because we recognize it as the human story.
English language teaching is a commitment - like a religion, like a way of life: to stay free, to be a link to a different world, to be different, to be a champion for others, to serve as advocate, to be the one who represents all the positives and negatives of the English speaking culture, to be an outcast at times because of the xenophobic nature of society, to be humble, ever recognizing that there is so much to learn from those we teach. This is the persona of the TEACHER, the basis for the building of respect for other people so that the world can become a set of interdependent communities, a world of peaceful existence.
Yes, we're talking about taking responsibility for a lot, including the wise use of power. English language teaching is more than a job. It is a life decision and a commitment. As I explore the dimensions of the profession, I explore also, the potential for human development, starting with me. I concur with Mae West when she said, “Too much of a good thing … is wonderful.”
About the Wellman Award
The recipient of this award will receive a one-year WAESOL membership. Deadline for nominations is September 15.
What are the nomination criteria?
The nominee must be a WAESOL member in good standing on the day of nomination (Please advise the teacher to make arrangements to join WAESOL before the nomination letter is sent to WAESOL if she or he is not already a member.) The teacher need not be a member of TESOL, however.
The nominee must have at least five years of experience and be currently teaching in the field of ESOL (ESL, EFL, or ELL) at any level, K-12 through university. Half-time is acceptable.
Who may nominate and what information must they provide?
- Anyone from the institution or community may nominate a teacher for the award. This would normally include students, parents, colleagues, paraprofessionals working with the teacher, volunteers, and administrators. The person nominating the teacher need not be a WAESOL member.
- The person nominating must be familiar with the teacher’s work over a period of time and be in a good position to write a detailed letter of nomination from two to five pages in length. A teacher may be nominated by more than one person who must also write a letter of nomination from two to five pages in length.
- The nominee must demonstrate a passion for ESL, devotion to students, and a positive presence in the community, as Sally demonstrated in all her work. Please address these qualifications in your letter of recommendation.
Elena Smith, Ph.D.
Washington State University
Intensive American Language Center
McAllister 130
Pullman, WA 99164-3251