Meet CRLP Teacher Leader, Kristin Watts

Learn, change and improve are three words that define me as an educator of language development. I work in the San Diego Unified School District and for my first sixteen years, I gave students the skills, tools, strategies and practice to acquire English as a second language.

Through the years, I have learned to push my boundaries even when I was afraid. Consequently, I took on the role of a peer coach/site based staff developer, then as a literacy resource teacher. As I propelled forward in my role as literacy specialist, so did my capacity to support multilingual learners. Over the course of time, I became really passionate about being a voice for the capacity of California’s multilingual learners.

Currently, I am an instructional coach at the secondary level in the

multilingual education department in the central office. This was a change for me that I was also afraid of, but it turned out to be a very good change. It opened doors and helped me improve my learning as a professional.

I first heard of the CRLP six years ago when I became an instructional partner with Carisa Barnes, a CRLP teacher leader and GEAR UP coach. Carisa and I found that our respective roles were interconnected. Subsequently, I was curious about how I could participate in the CRLP.  Be careful what you ask for, right?

 Sarah Peterson, the CRLP at the University of California San Diego Regional Director, invited me to participate in Learning How English Works (LHEW), Trainer of Teachers institute. That training had a huge impact on my practice. On three different occasions, single subject educators came and had conversations that seemed to bob and weave, yet came to a unanimous finish. Focus on student language acquisition. I’m certain that LANGUAGE really is the hidden curriculum.

I‘m just so appreciative to have the CRLP as a network of like minded educators who are equity driven, want to take a learner stance, and who are people who want to learn, change and improve.

LHEW and my understanding of the ELD standards Part II work in tandem and elevate how I facilitate professional learning communities. The Student Work Analysis Protocol (SWAP) is such a powerful tool for me as a coach and for my own learning. 

 I have never partnered with the University for the research aspect of literacy. I am so glad that I did.

Thank you to the CRLP for being a community that allows me to learn, change and improve my practice as a secondary multilingual educator.