College
Troi Ferguson
The College Interest Section hosts 1-2 events each spring and holds a meeting during the annual conference.
Troi Ferguson spent 10 years teaching in the Intensive English Program at Rice University in her hometown of Houston before moving from Texas to the Twin Cities, where she now teaches in the Minnesota English Language Program at UMN. Troi has served as MinneTESOL College Interest Section Co-chair since 2023. The College Interest Section hosts 1-2 events each spring and holds a meeting during the annual conference.
David Atterberry
David Atterberry currently serves as academic coordinator in the Minnesota English Language Program at UMN. He has taught previously at community and technical colleges in the Twin Cities and at universities in China and Russia. David is also currently a PhD student in Comparative and International Development Education at the U. of M.
Elementary
Katie Cordes
Erica Solorio
As an experienced ELD educator and a current doctoral candidate in education at Hamline University, I am deeply committed to the pursuit of knowledge and the advancement of educational practices. My lifelong dedication to learning fuels my mission to make a profound and purposeful impact as an educator, striving to enrich the lives of students.
Teacher Education
Leaders
Karla Stone, [email protected]
Allison Spenader, [email protected]
A Position Statement from MinneTESOL Teacher Educators Regarding the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Exam, September 2012
Minnesota Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (MinneTESOL) is a professional organization that supports English Language teaching professionals and that partners with organizations that support World Language teachers for the common goal of developing multilingualism in Minnesota. In light of this goal, we are concerned about the problems that surround the new MTLE licensure tests, particularly the Basic Skills tests, and especially about accessibility of licensure in all subject areas for teacher candidates who are not native speakers of English. While we recognize the need for highly qualified teachers, we ask that the Minnesota Department of Education consider how this test can be re-examined to remove barriers to developing a culturally and linguistically diverse teaching force. Some areas for consideration are: potential cultural bias of reading passages focused on U.S.-specific topics, the need for more testing time even beyond the current non-native speaker accommodations given the length of the tests, limited and expensive pre-test preparation, and the lack of feedback on any of the tests for those who do not pass. We encourage less reliance on a multiple choice standardized assessment and more attention given to comprehensive, classroom based performance assessments such as the Teacher Performance Assessment. We view non-native speakers of English as having the potential to contribute greatly to the goal of developing multilingual and culturally competent Minnesotans through their teaching of languages as well as other subjects in our schools, and we urge the Minnesota Department of Education and the Board of Teaching to give urgent attention to the problems of the current tests.
Retired Educators
Retiring from an ESL job doesn’t mean saying good bye to the field – and to long-time colleagues. We have retired from careers in ESL and we enjoy socializing, cultural activities, and maintaining connections. If you are retired – or retirement-curious – come join us!