The History of the CATESOL San Diego Chapter
by Erika Marie Rose, Chapter's First Coordinator
The CATESOL San Diego Chapter had its first social event on Friday, December 10, 2011. The holiday gathering was a great success thanks to the hard work of the social event planning committee. Longtime CATESOL member, Gretchen Bitterlin opened her beautifully decorated home to an enthusiastic group of ESL instructors representing a wide variety of levels.
Gatherings like this one are what CATESOL chapters are all about – connecting with fellow instructors on a local level. At the holiday event, it was a great pleasure to look around the room and see chapter members engrossed in discussion with one another about sundry issues relating to ESL.
The social gathering offered ample time for in-depth introductions, revealing an extraordinary mix of multi-cultural backgrounds. We are so grateful to be able to tap into our members’ diverse knowledge bank as a wonderful resource for future discussions and workshops.
A combination of events helped launch the 11th CATESOL Chapter this past November. It all started back in the spring of 2011 just after the Annual Conference in Long Beach. Christy Reese (Elementary Level Chair Elect) mentioned to Belinda Braunstein (Chapter Level Chair) that she was interested in starting a CATESOL chapter in San Diego. At the next Board of Directors meeting, Belinda made an announcement about possibly starting a new chapter.
I was living in Sacramento at the time but was scheduled to move to San Diego in late summer. I remember thinking to myself, as I was making my moving plans, that I would join the local CATESOL chapter when I got to San Diego. To my complete amazement, I soon realized that San Diego did not have a chapter. Tapping into my experience as Coordinator for the CATESOL Capital Area Chapter, I decided to get to work establishing a brand new chapter in California’s southernmost region. In late August, Christy Reese, Magdalena Kwiatkowski (Assistant Chapter Coordinator), and I put our heads together to create an action plan for establishing our chapter-to-be. At the San Diego Regional Conference in October of 2011, we had a table with a sign-up sheet for those interested in the new chapter. At the end of the afternoon, we had 58 signatures!
Establishing a new chapter has been an exhilarating process, with a great deal of support all along the way. The San Diego Chapter now includes more than 200 people, and the list of interested instructors is growing. We are currently busy planning our fall 2012 workshop, which is coming up on October 20 as a part of the San Diego Regional Conference at Southwestern College. The topic of our workshop is the same as it was in the spring -- “Teaching Middle-Eastern Students.” After tuning in to ESL instructors’ suggestions for hot topics, this continues to be a relevant one that instructors at various levels can relate to.
A big thank you to all supporters who have made this new chapter possible. We, at the CATESOL San Diego Chapter, look forward to continue serving the interests of ESL instructors on a local level.
Erika Marie Rose
CATESOL San Diego Chapter's First Coordinator
[email protected]
Gatherings like this one are what CATESOL chapters are all about – connecting with fellow instructors on a local level. At the holiday event, it was a great pleasure to look around the room and see chapter members engrossed in discussion with one another about sundry issues relating to ESL.
The social gathering offered ample time for in-depth introductions, revealing an extraordinary mix of multi-cultural backgrounds. We are so grateful to be able to tap into our members’ diverse knowledge bank as a wonderful resource for future discussions and workshops.
A combination of events helped launch the 11th CATESOL Chapter this past November. It all started back in the spring of 2011 just after the Annual Conference in Long Beach. Christy Reese (Elementary Level Chair Elect) mentioned to Belinda Braunstein (Chapter Level Chair) that she was interested in starting a CATESOL chapter in San Diego. At the next Board of Directors meeting, Belinda made an announcement about possibly starting a new chapter.
I was living in Sacramento at the time but was scheduled to move to San Diego in late summer. I remember thinking to myself, as I was making my moving plans, that I would join the local CATESOL chapter when I got to San Diego. To my complete amazement, I soon realized that San Diego did not have a chapter. Tapping into my experience as Coordinator for the CATESOL Capital Area Chapter, I decided to get to work establishing a brand new chapter in California’s southernmost region. In late August, Christy Reese, Magdalena Kwiatkowski (Assistant Chapter Coordinator), and I put our heads together to create an action plan for establishing our chapter-to-be. At the San Diego Regional Conference in October of 2011, we had a table with a sign-up sheet for those interested in the new chapter. At the end of the afternoon, we had 58 signatures!
Establishing a new chapter has been an exhilarating process, with a great deal of support all along the way. The San Diego Chapter now includes more than 200 people, and the list of interested instructors is growing. We are currently busy planning our fall 2012 workshop, which is coming up on October 20 as a part of the San Diego Regional Conference at Southwestern College. The topic of our workshop is the same as it was in the spring -- “Teaching Middle-Eastern Students.” After tuning in to ESL instructors’ suggestions for hot topics, this continues to be a relevant one that instructors at various levels can relate to.
A big thank you to all supporters who have made this new chapter possible. We, at the CATESOL San Diego Chapter, look forward to continue serving the interests of ESL instructors on a local level.
Erika Marie Rose
CATESOL San Diego Chapter's First Coordinator
[email protected]