Soo Jin Choi
Buena Park School District EL TOSA
Buena Park, CA
I am currently an ELD Instructional Coach at the Buena Park School District. A teacher and learner at heart, and feel passionate about removing systematic barriers for all our students through fostering meaningful interactions, student-centered learning, and cultivating a culture of dialogue. As part of this effort, we have been working on building the capacity of teacher leaders in our district, and developing professional development models that are reflective and collaborative. In addition, we created the BPSD Language Learner Toolkit for staff embedded in our district website, as well as created an annual EL Support Team Gathering to engage stakeholders in build our joint vision and community around our students who are English Learners. I believe that meaningful teacher learning is just as critical as student learning, and teacher leadership and capacity building is essential for meaningful growth. Building on my experience in teaching balanced literacy model and Lucy Calkins Reader's & Writer's Workshop together, I am constantly learning on how to better bring socio-emotional learning & language to the forefront, to better scaffold language learners along the continuum of language development. Prior to this role, I taught in Los Angeles for 8 years, most of my career in the Korean Dual Language Program at UCLA Community School in Koreatown. I have received my M.Ed. at University of California Los Angeles, and my Bachelors degree at University of California, Riverside. Instagram: @languagelearnerforlife