NAME:
Rita Bartlett
SCHOOL:
Menands Union Free School District
CLASS:
Kindergarten - 8th grade
SCHOOL PHONE:
518-465-4561 Ext. 115
Ms. Bartlett has been the ESL teacher at Menands School since September
2007. Having learned English as a "second" language herself, she enjoys
assisting students as they gain confidence in their language skills. Before
her training to teach English to speakers of other languages, Ms. Bartlett
worked in a law firm, at a children's hospital and had experience in museum
education.
Ms. Bartlett's favorite places to visit in the United States include
Treasure Island (on the west coast of Florida), Boise, Idaho and the city of
St. Paul, Minnesota. Other places she is eager to visit again include
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Russia,
Sovakia, Switzerland and the Ukraine.
Ms. Bartlett enjoys learning about the countries and cultures of her
students, including favorite foods, songs and dances. She gets taken on
a "trip around the world" every day.
New circumstances bring new opportunities. Although she doesn't speak all the
languages of her students, Ms. Bartlett welcomes the diversity each student
brings to the classroom.
Proficiency in academic English paves the way for success in the 21st
century.
A special message for speakers of languages other than English:
Retaining and building on one's heritage language helps maintain cultural
connections and prevents generational barriers. Learning a new language
changes us in positive ways. Our minds are expanded, other cultures are
better understood and we can better understand our place in a global society.
Let us all keep learning!