Refugee Concerns Newsletter, March 2026
Letter from the Chair
Stacy Brown, Refugees Forward, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Letter from the Editor
Linda Molin-Karakoc, University College London, London, United Kingdom
When English Becomes a Bridge: A Teacher’s Story from the West Bank
Rawan Saqfalhett, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain and Palestinian territories
Can you imagine a teacher who lives between two worlds, virtual and real? Here’s the story of an English teacher in the West Bank who teaches under uncertainty, crossing checkpoints to reach her students while creating bridges to the wider world through language, hope, and determination.
Three Paths, One Community: Diverse Research Approaches and Shared Teaching Experiences with Refugee Women
Elif Varlik and Eda Yildirimer, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
Cem Varlik, Istanbul University–Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Türkiye
This reflective piece brings together the experiences of three language teachers — Elif, Eda, and Cem — who have taught adult literacy learners while engaging in research and teacher education related to this group. Across roles, the authors found themselves repeatedly moving between practice and exploration. Rather than producing clear answers, their experiences shaped how they understand teaching, learning, and their own positions in LESLLA education, as well as the humility, care, and ongoing work of language educators who learn and grow together.
Amina: The Girl in the Grammar Class
Abigail Ekangouo Awanga, English language teacher, Yaoundé, Centre, Cameroon
Read the story of a refugee girl, Amina, who enters a secondary English language classroom in Cameroon. Amina’s story, as retold by her teacher Abigail, reminds us of the importance of the classroom as a shared learning space, flexibility and good listening skills among teachers working with refugee students and fostering student solidarity and kindness to help our students when they face invisible struggles.
Supporting the Journey of English Learners After Trauma
Linda Molin-Karakoc, University College London, London, United Kingdom
This book review provides a critical appraisal of Judith O’Loughlin and Brenda Custodio’s (2021) book Supporting the journey of English learners after trauma. The review underlines the central themes and value-added contributions of O’Loughlin and Custodio’s work, stressing why its focus on trauma-informed pedagogy tailored specifically to immigrant-background students offers a particularly important read for TESOL professionals.