Letter From the Editors

Melissa Mendelson, University of Utah, Utah, USA

Rebecca Turk, Montana State University, Montana, USA

Welcome to the TEIS Newsletter for June 2026. We are very excited to offer you our first issue as Co-Editors!

This edition comes on the heels of a very robust and exciting International TESOL Convention held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA at the end of March. This year’s convention was filled with presentations, seminars, workshops, and teaching tips on a range of topics with generative AI getting a lot of attention. The world of teaching and learning is changing and TESOL members and the field of TESOL continue to be at the forefront of these seismic shifts in education. Within that context, we wanted this issue to address another component of teaching and learning that is getting more traction in classrooms: empathy in education. 

In this issue we have two articles that highlight how teachers and teachers in training can be better supported to learn and use empathetic approaches in their language classrooms. As we learn in these articles, empathy is a critical component in making connections in classrooms while also fostering engagement and motivation among both teachers and learners.

This issue also highlights some TEIS news, highlights from the convention, and introduces our new committee members. Take time to read, consider, and enjoy our selection of materials and follow us on Facebook to comment and engage further. 

Leading With Empathy: How TESOL Teachers Can Support a Caring Classroom Environment

Julie Roberts (Salt Lake Community College and University of Utah, USA)

Many teachers find that using empathy to connect with their students is an effective and important practice. However, educators in the TESOL field may encounter obstacles in expressing their natural empathetic reactions due to language barriers and cultural concerns, which can be addressed with thoughtful but simple strategies. 

Teaching Empathy by Naming Emotion Labor

Robert C. Cunningham, Jr. (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Honolulu, USA)

This article argues that teacher empathy is difficult to sustain when teachers are not prepared to understand their own emotion labor. Drawing on research with six teachers in Cambodia and examples from an undergraduate teacher-preparation course, it shows how naming emotion labor can help teacher education become a more honest, reflective, and caring space. 

We sincerely hope you appreciate and find value in this issue’s selections. Thank you for reading.

Melissa & Rebecca 

Co-Editors, TEIS Newsletter

Melissa Mendelson is a Lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Utah as well as the Director of Faculty and Curriculum for Utah Global

Dr. Rebecca Turk is the Director of the Center for Bilingual and Multicultural Education at Montana State University.