In this episode, we delve into the world of English Language Learners (ELs) in the Johnston School District. We're joined by Luke Dillon, Principal of Johnston Middle School, and Adam Busch, Director of Student Services, to discuss the unique challenges and triumphs of supporting newcomer students. What successful strategies are in place to help EL…

The scene is a bright borderland between heaven and a drab city below. One of the blest, a cheery Scotsman named George, has come down from the regions of bliss to meet our narrator and to teach him the secrets of genuine joy and love, human and divine. They’re secrets, not because God hides them, but because we human beings, such as we are, have w…

The author of our Hymn of the Week, John Keble, was the sort of man it is hard to imagine outside of the nineteenth century, and that is to the credit of his age. His father was an Anglican minister, devout, intelligent, highly cultured, and satisfied with a modest vicarage in Gloucestershire, in the lovely surroundings of the Cotswolds. The elder …

Here at Sometimes a Song I’ve often commented that the great flowering of American popular music in the mid-twentieth century came about as a result of the convergence of talents and circumstances, and sometimes of hardship or happenstance. This week’s selection is an example of such a song. “It Was a Very Good Year” was far from the first song wri…

Here, ladies and gentlemen, is a poem that schoolchildren once loved, and that has given us the idea of the “albatross around the neck,” the punishment that attends to the Ancient Mariner in our ballad today, because without any motivation, he had so little regard for the beautiful creature of God that he shot it, for no reason but that he could. T…

We’ve had illness in our family for the past week, so the New Year, 2025, is off to a rocky start. I had in mind a lovely Grammy-winning song to share for Sometimes a Song, but — sort of the way Kurt Weill describes it in his beautiful “September Song” — time got away from me. So I will leave you with a mystery song to look for next week. Some of o…

Christmastide is still here, and so are our Christmas offers at Word & Song! Upgrade Now or Give a Gift The more we’ve seen of films made either in England or the United States during that Golden Age, from about 1935 to 1965, the more it strikes us that a lot of them were set at Christmastime, and of those, quite a few were not about getting presen…

Christmastide is still here, and so are our Christmas offers at Word & Song! Upgrade or Gift at Special Rate I’ve long heard that we have no idea at what time of year Jesus was born, but here is one argument — there are others, based in early Christian calendars — for making it wintertime. It’s a simple one. When the angel spoke to Zachariah, he wa…

Christmastide is here, and so are our Christmas offers at Word & Song! Please bear with us as we catch up on our posts, which were delayed by Substack’s “housecleaning.” Upgrade Now or Give a Gift I’ve written about a lot of great and renowned composers of popular music here at Sometimes a Song. And I’ve written about folk songs whose origin is rat…

Merry Christmas, everyone! We tried to scheduling this poem and today’s Film of the Week to be sent to everyone yesterday and today, but neither post appears to have gone out. There was some maintenance on Substack going on, so we are sending these again now. Please forgive any duplication. Some of you have seen today’s poem before, but it is worth…

Join us as we discuss the vital work of the Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa (RACI) and how they support refugee families in Johnston. Learn about the challenges faced by these families, the resources available to them, and how you can help. https://www.refugeeallianceofcentraliowa.org/ Want to stay in the loop? Sign up for the RACI newsletter at t…

Join us for a conversation with Kyla Burns and Thomas Griffin from JHS and Aaron Meyer from Summit as they share valuable insights on how to effectively communicate with ESOL families during parent-teacher conferences. Learn practical tips for building rapport, overcoming language barriers, and fostering meaningful partnerships to support student s…

Looking for a way to improve your teaching skills in the classroom when it comes to supporting our English Learners? Morgan Vana and Evan Hammons from Timber Ridge Elementary discuss some of the ways they have enhanced their practice. Guest(s) - Morgan Vana and Evan Hammans Thanks for listening!! If you are a Johnston Teacher and want more informat…

Chapters 17-19, Teaching english & Chapter 6, Unlocking

Let's begin from the very beginning. There are so many acronyms related to ESOL. You have probably heard such words as ESL, ESOL, ELL, EL, L1, L2, and LEP. What do they all mean?