From the Editors
Meredith Bricker, meredith.bricker@gmail.com, and Michael Lessard-Clouston, michael.lessard-clouston@biola.edu
Welcome to the June 2007 issue of the CETC Newsletter! We are pleased to bring you another issue of the newsletter and hope you will find it interesting and informative. We would like to take this opportunity to introduce the various features of this issue and also keep you informed about some changes that were recently announced by TESOL.
At the 2007 TESOL Convention in Seattle we had the privilege of attending a newsletter editors' meeting, where we learned about various other newsletters produced by interest sections and caucuses. We would like to highlight a change that relates to your online access to caucus/interest section newsletters and e-lists. Until now, access to interest section and caucus newsletters and e-lists has been limited to the members of that particular interest section or caucus; those TESOL members who were not also members of the Christian Educators in TESOL Caucus, for example, were unable to receive the CETC Newsletter. However, on June 1, TESOL implemented a new "open access" policy regarding caucus and interest section newsletters. Among other things, this means that you now have access to all caucus and interest section newsletters via the TESOL Web site, at no additional cost. For those of you who contribute to the CETC Newsletter, one impact of this decision is that your work will have a larger audience than the roughly 1,000 CETC members. Because TESOL members who are not members of CETC will now be able to read our newsletters and e-list, we look forward to sharing your contributions with a wider audience and range of perspectives. We nonetheless hope that all CETCers will maintain their membership in the caucus when they renew their TESOL membership and continue to support CETC.
In This Issue
This newsletter offers an opportunity to become more acquainted with the CETC leaders for the 2007-08 year. In her "Letter From the Chair," Gena Bennett presents a special call for the members of CETC to become involved, while Michael Pasquale, incoming chair, describes some of the "tides of change" he has encountered in TESOL and CETC. To help you stay connected with the latest caucus information, we also present several announcements in the "News From CETC."
The articles in this issue present a diverse selection of reflections, research topics, and practical teaching suggestions. Priya Honeyman Livengood describes her impressions and experiences at Seattle Pacific University during the 2007 CELT Conference in March, and John Liang develops his philosophy of the spiritual dimensions of learner development. Eleanor Pease presents the results of her research regarding university expectations of ESL students, and Janice Penner, Iris Devadason, and Cheri Pierson share their pedagogical experience and ideas in the classroom from their perspectives as Christian ESL teachers.
You'll also notice a new feature in this issue of the CETC Newsletter: "Spotlight on CETC Members." We asked several CETC members five simple questions in order to help others in the wider CETC community learn about the experiences and perspectives of others in the caucus. Through these short interviews, we hope you enjoy learning more about some of our colleagues in this diverse group of educators united by our commitment to Jesus Christ.
As always, we'd love to hear from you! If you have an article you would like us to consider publishing, a willingness to be "spotlighted" in a future issue, some news you would like to share with your caucus members, or a suggestion or comment about this issue of the newsletter, please contact us. The deadline for us to receive drafts for possible publication in our next issue (hopefully in November) is September 14.
Blessings,
Meredith and Michael
