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	Please take a few minutes to read our most recent bulletin. PRTESOL-Gram Spring 2009
	Miguel Camacho PRTESOL President Message from the President: The Winds of Change I am delighted and honored to serve as the 2009 President. Our 2009 convention theme is: Winds of Change: Teaching for Tomorrow. As we are all anticipating change on a national, economical and educational level, we are excited about the changes that our organization is experiencing at this very moment. One of these changes is having the support of Dr. Juan Rodríguez, the Undersecretary, and Dr. Evelyn Veguillas, the English Program Director, both of the Puerto Rico Department of Education. The only thing constant about the future is that it will continue to change. If there is one thing that we cannot and should not do, it is to stay the same. We are moving towards a competitive, complex, and diverse world. In the "Winds of Change," we cannot always direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails and make changes in our course. How to improve and assess teaching performance is an issue of great importance to all educators. The 21st century will demand a new kind of teaching and learning. We must choose the right road and move forward. We must take some bold new steps to make fundamental changes in our teaching to guarantee the academic achievement of our students. I encourage you to join our voyage, full of winds of change, to teach for tomorrow. Miguel Camacho PRTESOL President camachoprtesol@gmail.com
	36^th Annual Convention and Exhibit Friday and Saturday, November 20-21, 2009 Winds of Change: Teaching for Tomorrow The 36th Annual Convention and Exhibit of Puerto Rico Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (PRTESOL) will be held at the elegant Ponce Hilton in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Registration and hotel accommodations information is now available. This year’s convention promises to be a huge event packed full with presentations, speeches, workshops, exhibits, networking, good food and entertainment. The convention will begin on Friday, November 20, and end on Saturday, November 21. All PRTESOL members and non members must register for the convention to participate in or attend meetings, visit the exhibit hall, or reserve hotel rooms at special PRTESOL rate. At this time, PRTESOL invites its members and the general public to submit proposals for our convention. The scheduled deadline for proposals is May 29, 2009. Proposals which focus on this year’s theme will receive first consideration; however, all proposals in the area of English language teaching will be appreciated and considered. Exhibitors please reserve your booth(s) by June 26, 2009. Few spaces are left! List of Convention forms: Registration Form Presenters' Proposal Form Presenters' Registration Form Hotel Registration Form Exhibitor Guidelines and Contract Click here for hotel reservation form. Click here for online hotel reservations.
	Keynote Speakers Dr. Deborah J. Short Deborah J. Short, Ph. D., directs Academic Language Research & Training, a professional consulting company, and works with schools, districts, and states, providing professional development on sheltered instruction and academic literacy to teachers around the U.S. and abroad. She is also a senior research associate at the Center for Applied Linguistics where she co-developed the SIOP Model and has directed research on English language learners for the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Education, among others. She is currently studying newcomer programs and the SIOP Model in middle school science classrooms. She chaired an expert panel on adolescent ELL literacy and co-authored the policy report, Double the Work. Publications include research articles in professional journals, such as TESOL Quarterly, Journal of Educational Research, Educational Leadership, Education and Urban Society and Journal of Research in Education; books on the SIOP Model; and four ESL series for K-12 students. Previously, she taught ESL and EFL in New York, California, Virginia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sponsored by CESE, INC. National Geographic & Hampton Brown School Publishers
	Esmeralda Santiago Esmeralda Santiago was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She came to the United States at thirteen, the eldest in a family that would eventually include eleven children. Ms. Santiago attended New York City’s Performing Arts High School, where she majored in drama and dance. After eight years of part-time study at community colleges, she transferred to Harvard University with a full scholarship. She graduated magna cum laude in 1976. In 1977, she and her husband, Frank Cantor, founded CANTOMEDIA, a film and media production company, which has won numerous awards for excellence in documentary filmmaking. Ms. Santiago has earned a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and Honorary Doctor of Letters from Trinity University, from Pace University, from Metropolitan College and from Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Mayagüez. The mother of two adult children, she lives in Westchester County, New York, with her husband, filmmaker Frank Cantor. She’s currently at work on a novel, Conquistadora. For more information, log on to: http://www.esmeraldasantiago.com
	Vanessa D. Austin EFL/ESL, English Coordinator, and Curriculum Consultant Universidad Adventista de las Antillas Mayaguez, Puerto Rico In response to an interest section meeting that I attended in Denver at the recent TESOL conference, I am writing to inquire about interest in a group which would be a part of both PRTESOL and TESOL called NNEST (non-native English speaking teachers). As we all know, English on our island is both a crown and an albatross. On the one hand, it enables us and our students to have access to the international scene for both intellectual and professional growth. On the other hand, it is a cultural invasion given the history of the island, yet it is now the lingua franca of the world. How would you feel about having a group on the island that would focus on the issues which are only our own? What do you see as the main issues? Sharing resources & finding like-minded individuals – What is your inclination about non-native English speaking teachers? Do you see yourself as balanced bilingual? English as a second language? English as a foreign language? What do you see as the main NNEST issues? Do you have any PowerPoint presentations, research-based articles, conceptual articles, position statements, bibliographies on this topic that you would like to share? If we could meet once a month on-line for professional development credit, would you be inclined to participate? Please send me an e-mail and let me know what is on your mind. Specify the level at which you teach (primary, intermediate, secondary or university level. Would you be willing to contribute your ideas at least once a month? Vanessa D. Austin, vaustin@uaa.edu 787-834-9595 ext. 2727 or ext. 2252
	PRTESOL is an affiliate of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.
	For more information email us at: tesol@puertoricotesol.org For membership information: prtesolmembership@gmail.com Report dead links to the Webmaster PRTESOL Privacy Policy We invite you to visit or attend any of our events held throughout the island. Also, our Board of Directors is more than happy to answer any questions about the organization and how you can join. Send email to tesol@puertoricotesol.org with questions or comments about this web site.

Keynote Speakers