When I first read about the ESL Academy, I was intrigued because I had never attended professional development that addressed the needs of ELL students. I applied to the academy because there were no teachers in my district with ESL training or approval and because I saw it as an opportunity for both professional growth and professional advancement. Even though I work in a district where there are very few ELL students, most of the surrounding districts have a statistically significant percentage of ELL students. I hoped that by attending the ESL academy I would have a head start on receiving training that would soon be essential for teachers in my district. Because of my previous training in how to meet the educational needs of struggling students and students experiencing poverty, I expected the ESL academy to offer more information in this regard. On the first day of the ESL academy, I realized the inadequacy of my knowledge regarding the needs of ELL students and how woefully lacking my education had been for former students whose first language was not English. Participate...