Looking Back to Move Forward
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On March 14, 2023, the SC ML Educator Network hosted a live virtual event featuring four of our Featured Educators sharing reflections about their school year, best practices, favorite resources, and more. Adanays Aranda served as host, and Carla Janosky of Greenville, Tanya Gray of Horry County, Anna Newcomer of Anderson School District One, and Maria Gurovich of Charleston County completed the panel. With questions such as, "What are some of your celebrations from the year so far?" and "How do you prepare your students for the ACCESS test?" this event provided valuable insight and productive conversation for new and veteran ML educators alike. See below for resources shared at the event. We look forward to continuing to host timely, collaborative experiences for ML educators in South Carolina.
One of our educator panelists typed her responses and agreed to share them with us. Thank you, Maria!
About me
My name is Maria Gurovich. I am a Multilingual Learner Instructor at Morningside Middle School in North Charleston. I started as an ML from Poland in Charleston County. This is my 5th year with the Charleston County School District. Prior to teaching with CCSD, I had worked at a Lowcountry non-profit and oversaw, among other things, an adult ESL program. I also used to work as an adjunct instructor for English for Life Academy TESOL Program, which allowed me to train teachers in Charleston, Greenville, SC and Quito, Ecuador.
What did you wish you knew before you became an ML teacher?
What I wish I knew before becoming an ML teacher is how to teach reading. Every year, our school gets several students who cannot read in their first language usually due to the lack of prior schooling, limited or interrupted education. The curriculum we use does not have a robust literacy component. I am currently going through the LETRS training in hopes of becoming better equipped to serve the illiterate or semi-literate population.
What would you say is your favorite go-to strategy in the classroom?
My favorite go-to strategy is pair and group work: peer interviews, class surveys, jigsaw readings, and information gap activities. I love using group activities because they are student-centered, they can be used with any level, and they help students practice their language skills in all four domains.
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