Maryland Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

Beth Stiefel-Itoh

To remember and honor her time as a leader in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
by Jill Basye-Featherston

As I reflect on the richness that Beth brought to my life, it begins with time spent on the Board of Baltimore Area TESOL. Beth was president and contacted me about being part of the board. She struck me as such a kind and thoughtful person, mentioning that she knew that I was getting married and might not have a lot of extra time. Every time we spoke, she was so considerate and professional. Everyone loved Beth, in all aspects of her personal and professional life. She created that type of relationship with so many people around her. It was a pleasure to get to know her better in various capacities over the years. Her experience as a teacher of English on a kibbutz in Israel added such a rich flavor to discussions, in addition to her training in Arizona. Beth served on the BATESOL Executive Board for several years, planned conferences for both BATESOL and Maryland TESOL in addition to the serving on the planning committee for International TESOL here in Baltimore in 2003. Each year, when the former presidents got together for lunch, Beth was sure to make connections with everyone.

Her statewide influence was most recently evidenced in work with MSDE on State Voluntary Curriculum for English Language Learners and developments of assessments. She worked for the Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) for a total of 23 years. Many people have contacted us in the BCPSS ESOL program to express their sorrow at our loss. It was truly a hard blow, and it has been difficult to relive memories of all the time we spent working to keep ESOL program activities going in Baltimore City Public Schools. As a consummate educator, Beth brought her experience to work with new teachers, with other administrators, grant writers, publishers and others. She was taken from us too soon.

New teachers in the school system would look to Beth for advice, ideas and general good examples of teaching, classroom management and other professional practices. In Beth, we found someone who could convey knowledge in an understandable and inspiring manner. There are many teachers around the world who owe much of their growth and development as professionals to her. Many teachers have contacted us to remember how she nurtured new teachers.

Beth moved from full time teaching of ESOL students to working full time as an ESOL mentor teacher. From her lead ESOL position, Beth continued to inspire teachers and contribute to the betterment of the ESOL program. She saw teachers and students through periods of growth and times of challenges. She was a true leader, who does not simply tell others what she knows how to do, but motivates them to do what they know how to do.