By Emily Francis, ELL/ESL teacher
I had the incredible honor of serving as both a keynote speaker and breakout session presenter at the annual CarolinaTESOL Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.
I’ve had the privilege of presenting professional development sessions to educators all over the country, but this experience was—without question—the most unforgettable one of my career. Why? Because this time, my former and current high school multilingual students presented with me.
A Classroom Resource That Became a Bridge to Confidence
As a multilingual language teacher who has taught at both the elementary and secondary levels, I’ve incorporated WriteReader into my lessons for years. This platform has helped me encourage reading, writing, and storytelling by inviting students to:
- retell stories we’ve studied
- share about their culture, their home country, and their lived experiences
- publish their writing and share it with peers, families, and the world
While I often highlight WriteReader in professional development sessions, this was the first time my students stood beside me—facilitating the learning with educators. Watching them step into their power as storytellers and presenters was something I will never forget.
Empowering Student Voices Through Story
Our breakout session, Empowering Student Voices Through Story, centered on one core belief:
Stories are where healing begins.
We wanted educators not just to hear about this truth—but to experience it. Our session was interactive, reflective, and deeply personal as we explored how storytelling builds confidence, belonging, and hope. We shared how writing can help students transform their wounds into words—and their words into strength.
Books That Opened the Door to Our Stories
We began by sharing the books that shaped our classroom community and nurtured a sense of belonging. A few of these included:
- Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
- Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson
- I’m New Here by Sibley O’Brien
- Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson
- My Shoes and I by René Colato Laínez
- My Name Is Jorge by Jane Medina
Each text sparked rich discussions, meaningful writing, and powerful connections. Students explained how using WriteReader helped them turn their reflections into books—books that told their stories, in their voices.
Representation Matters—More Than We Realize
We also talked about the reality that the percentage of children’s books representing diverse multilingual backgrounds remains very small. This lack of representation sends a harmful message to students that who they are—and what they’ve experienced—is not worth writing about or sharing.
WriteReader helped change that message.
Seeing their writing transform into published books that could be shared with teachers, peers, families, and even the broader community elevated their confidence and strengthened their sense of belonging.
Activities That Led to Powerful Published Stories
We walked attendees through several classroom activities that supported reading, writing, and identity exploration. Each activity eventually became a published WriteReader book:
Book
Activity
WriteReader Product
Book
Activity
WriteReader Product
Book
Activity
WriteReader Product
Book
Activity
WriteReader Product
Students identified the main ideas in Emmanuel’s Dream and explored what shaped Emmanuel’s identity.
Link to book
Book
Activity
WriteReader Product
Students wrote about their shoes’ journey—what their shoes “experienced” on their way to the U.S.
Link to book
Book
Activity
WriteReader Product
We also brought printed books to share with educators. Many told us that holding these student-created books—books reflecting identity, resilience, and individuality—was the most inspiring part of their day.
The Impact Was Clear
There is no doubt that educators left our session with practical strategies to cultivate safe, story-centered spaces where every voice matters.
Throughout the session, educators asked thoughtful questions, and my students responded with confidence—sharing openly about their experiences learning, writing, and finding their voices in our ESL classroom.
Watching my students speak their truth and empower others reminded me why I do this work.
When we honor student stories, we honor student humanity.
And when we give students tools to publish, share, and celebrate their voices, we show them that their stories not only matter—they deserve to be heard.
