On Oct. 8, nine Chilean ESL (English as a Second Language) educators got the chance to observe their American counterparts in action at a trio of Hays CISD campuses. The group's visit is part of the Texas State University College of Education’s “Migration, Inclusion and Diversity in Texan and Chilean K-12 schools” program, which is being conducted in partnership with the Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Santiago, Chile. The nine teach English in Santiago, Chile and are part of UAH’s English Pedagogy Program. The group is studying abroad for a two-week period. During their visit, the group members met with Johnson High ESL educator Gail Durrett who explained strategies she employs to help ESL students improve their English speaking abilities. The group then talked with ESL teacher Steven Schmitz about the campus helping incoming ESL students learn the language, as well as with several students at Simon Middle School, before chatting with Lehman High ESL teacher Eric McCune. Along with touring area schools, the nine Chilean educators will also attend classes alongside College of Education students at Texas State.
