News
Leslie Feliciano: The Language of Learning
"What better way to share the knowledge I have than to become an ESL teacher?"
A 2011 graduate of Touro’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Program, Leslie Feliciano became an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher because she wanted to give back to her community. As a young immigrant from Guatemala, she felt “uncomfortable speaking the language” and “very displaced” when going to school.
“I didn’t want people laughing at me when I said something wrong,” she remembers.
Now, she sees “a little bit of herself” in most of the 75 students she teaches per day at Far Rockaway High School. They come from Yemen, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and other countries.
“I definitely want my students to know that it doesn’t matter if one speaks with an accent, if one has an initial fear of speaking the language. I want them to take adWantage of what this country has to offer. With an education, they can achieve many, many things.”
Ms. Feliciano, herself, certainly knows that this is the case.
This is her story.
