ESL Program

Doris Ratenski

Doris Ratenski is the ESL specialist for grades 2-5. She received her Bachelors of Arts from Mount Mary College with a major in Art Education K-12. In 1993 she received her Masters of Education degree from the University of North Texas, specializing in Elementary Education and English as a Second Language. "The United States is indeed a unique country where mostly everyone came from someplace else, trying to make their home here. In the past, people whose native language was not English, were placed in the regular classroom and were expected to ‘sink or swim’ on their own. As with many other advancements in our schools, such non-English speakers are now offered a helping hand to bridge the gap to English fluency and self-sufficiency in the classroom. I will facilitate this interim learning, as the children are acquainted with our language and culture. They will blossom as their English develops and they participate with the regular classroom activities.”

E-mail her at doris.ratenski@pisd.edu

Laura Hartronft

Laura Hartronft is the ESL specialist for kindergarten and first grade at Gulledge. Laura earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas majoring in Clinical Psychology. After working many years in community mental health in Missouri and Oklahoma, she moved to Texas and completed the Region 10 Alternative Certification Program. She is certified in English as a Second Language, Early Education, and Special Education. Laura began teaching in 1996 and has been at Gulledge since August, 2000. “My job is so rewarding. It is such a joy to watch a little one go from being fearful and not knowing how to communicate even basic needs, to joyfully chatting away with their friends and being successful in the classroom.”

E-mail her at laura.hartronft@pisd.edu