20. Identifying and Supporting Gifted and Exceptional ELLs with Guest Shelley Feliú-Love

“There’s a slight bias towards the Asian population being more identified [as gifted]. It goes back to being open from the very start and saying, ‘Hey, all of my students could be these high achieving gifted students, but I need to look at all of them with that attitude and set the bar high so they can show me what they can do.’” -Shelley Feliú-Love

Today’s guest is one of the most incredible educators that I’ve ever met. I’ve had the opportunity to work with her, and I invited her to come on the show today to talk about how to identify and support the gifted and talented ELL students in your classroom, even if they’re not proficient in English.

Shelley grew up exploring the world with her family. By the time she finished her Elementary Education and Spanish Language degrees at Auburn University, she had traveled to six continents. Before arriving in Panama, she taught for five years in the state of Georgia where she got her Gifted teaching endorsement. She moved to Panama to challenge herself both personally and professionally, striving to continue to grow as an educator. She later went on to get a master's degree in international education administration through Endicott College, studying both online and in Switzerland during the summer.

Shelley aspires to challenge each student to reach his or her full potential. She realizes that each student has different strengths and abilities; therefore, she seeks to build upon those. She particularly enjoys inspiring her students to think creatively when they encounter challenges in school and in their lives.

While not occupied with work, she enjoys running, traveling, photography, exploring outdoors, spending time with friends and family, and reading. Her greatest joy and challenge along with her husband is raising a bilingual "Panagringa" who is almost a year old!

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To access all resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/gifted-and-exceptional-ells

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