Commitment to learning a second language and helping non-native English speakers acquire the skills to voice it are the roots of a state-level English to Speakers of Other Languages, or ESOL, special recognition.

Recently, the Georgia Department of Education EL Language Programs announced its Spring 2020 Exemplary English Learner and Exemplary ESOL Teacher recipients. Thomas County Schools has two honorees.

Thomas County Central High School student Virginia Marian Rincon Medina is a Spring 2020 Exemplary English Learner. Receiving the award makes Rincon feel proud of herself and the people who both pushed and supported her.

“This honor means a big achievement in life,” she said. “This experience made a big impact on my life. I have grown as a woman and as a student. And the most important fact is that I have the opportunity to share this experience and gratitude with every person who pushed me to go farther and farther every time.”

Improving her English skills this year was not easy, specifically pronunciation, Rincon admits.

“The thing that I most struggled with is the pronunciation of many words,” she said. “My accent is pretty strong, but thankfully my ESOL teacher made more emphasis on the pronunciation this year, which made it easier.”

Rincon’s motivation was being around people who only speak English all day, every day.

“I was just listening to English; even watching movies and my favorites series in English improved my understanding even more,” she said. “Every day, I learn new words, but I am now able to speak fluently.”

Thomas County Schools ESOL District Coordinator Emily Ross earned a Spring 2020 Exemplary ESOL Teacher award. Ross was unaware of her nomination, so learning of the recognition was a big surprise.

“This is a huge honor, and I am very humbled by this award,” she said. “There is absolutely no way I could be an effective teacher without my ESOL team, wonderful classroom teachers, and all the fantastic people who make sure our entire population gets what they need to be successful.”

Wrapping her seventh school year working in ESOL, Ross has presented at various conferences and given the keynote address at a GADOE Title III conference. When Ross began with Thomas County Schools, she was the only ESOL instructor and served students at all seven schools. Now, she has two additional teachers and serves as the program coordinator.

“Our program has also gotten several local scholarships to support our students better; however, this is the first award I've received in this field,” Ross said. “It is a huge honor to me because ESOL is my passion.”

Being an ESOL instructor is the most rewarding job for Ross. In her position, she assists classroom teachers in understanding the local English learner population and gaining strategies to work with these students successfully, and she works with these learners’ parents. But the students are the component of her job that makes it truly shine, Ross adds.

“Our ESOL students are the hardest working kids I've ever met,” she said. “They inspire me daily to want to be a better teacher, a better leader; they make me push myself. They work so hard to learn English, all while studying to pass classes in which some native English speakers struggle. Talk about inspiration!”

Rincon thanks all the teachers who assisted her.

“All the teachers have helped me equally; all of them are a great example to follow,” she said. “Every teacher works very hard to let us know that they want us to be successful. All of them have transmitted the best energies, and thanks to them, I am now where I am.”

She especially thanks her ESOL teacher, Laura Parkerson.

“I have to emphasize that Mrs. Laura Parkerson has been the person who pushed me the most,” Rincon said. “Every time I fell, she gave me a hand to stand up and work harder. Every time I felt I wasn’t doing my best, she gave me the best motivation to try it again and do better. Every time I needed help, she gave me more than what I needed. Every time I achieved a goal, she was there to cheer with me. In my ups and downs, she was always there. And this recognition reflects her hard work as a teacher.”

School systems nominate senior students and ESOL teachers. To receive the honor nominees must meet specific criteria. For students, these include good character reflected through behavior and attendance records, GPA and extracurricular participation. For teachers, demonstration of a positive impact on the ESOL community and teaching experience in ESOL credited classes are essentials.

“The nomination process was all online,” TCCHS ESOL instructor Laura Parkerson, who nominated Rincon, said. “I had to list accomplishments for her, submit her GPA, and write a summary about Marian as a person and a student.”

As soon as Parkerson saw the state’s release about this award, she knew Rincon to be a worthy recipient.

“Marian Rincon is in a league of her own,” Parkerson said. “Marian sets goals for herself and does not stop until she reaches them. She is self-motivated and so determined to be her best, and that is why I nominated her. She has the drive to succeed no matter what obstacles are in her path.”

To see Rincon receive the recognition is the icing on a well-baked cake, Parkerson adds.

“I am so very proud of her,” she said. “She is an honor graduate and will receive a medal for having at least 50 hours of community service. She has only been in our school system for two years and did all of this while learning how to speak fluently in English. To be placed in a school in your junior year and not speak the language must have been an overwhelming experience. However, if you speak with Marian, you would never know it.  She is a little ray of sunshine and such a positive example of what our future holds.”

According to information released by the GADOE, due to school closures from the coronavirus, recognized students receive a certificate, and teachers will have the option to attend a virtual ceremony this fall.

Although Parkerson is sad to lose Rincon as a student, she doesn’t doubt the youth’s future success.

“She is planning to attend college in the fall and major in business and marketing,” Parkerson said. “I have absolutely no doubt that she will be extremely successful.”

Rincon, who strives to be an example for others, has a message for her ESOL classmates: don’t give up.

“English as a second language makes life a little harder, but every day is a new step we take,” she said. “The daily routine becomes a challenge, but that is what makes us braver than what we already are. Two years ago, I was in the same situation as many of my classmates are right now. I couldn’t understand a single word in English. I had to use all the resources that could help me, and that was hard, but I made it. If I made it, everybody can. In the same way many people believe in me, I believe in all of us.”