PAS Teacher of the Year: DeeDee Ade

Poway Adult School is proud to announce that our ESL/Citizenship teacher, DeeDee Ade is being recognized as a Teacher of the Year 2025 at Poway Unified School District. DeeDee is an exceptionally skilled US Citizenship and English as a Second Language Teacher. She has helped hundreds of local Poway adult students to become naturalized US citizens over the last 23 years. She works one-on-one and in small groups to personalize instruction to each student’s needs, bringing them to the point of preparation needed for the rigorous USCIS naturalization interview. DeeDee holds a MA in TESOL and a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. The following is an interview with DeeDee by Executive Director, Kathleen Porter on behalf of PUSD. 

What is it like to be a student in your class? 
As a student in the ESL Citizenship class, one is uniquely motivated towards the common goal of obtaining U.S. Citizenship status. Engagement rises significantly as each lesson and activity provides practical application towards understanding and skills enhancement. Each student possesses autonomy over their learning by selecting when they learn and how to utilize the course materials. Significant benefits are felt as the student engages in real-world practices such as using small talk and answering interview questions appropriately. 

Can you  relate an inspirational experience that illustrates the importance of education in your class?
To illustrate the importance of fostering student engagement and retention, I relate a recent event involving a student who struggled with meeting the demands of work, home, and studies. This student shared her frustration with not finding time to study the 100 government/ history questions for the naturalization interview. Her schedule was impacted significantly with the workload she carried each week. Each time she came to class to practice answering the government/ history questions, she was only able to answer one or two questions correctly out of ten. We talked after class about possible options. and she was able to use her problem-solving skills to find an effective way to listen to an audio version while she cleaned houses. This approach to learning was a powerful catalyst to her success. 

Please paint a clear picture of what a typical day in your class looks like.
During a typical class session, students choose to begin their lesson either in-person or on our ZOOM web conferencing platform. I open ZOOM and greet the students both in-person and online. Students in-person can see and interact with the students online throughout the class session. We talk about any changes in status and practice small talk. The students stand and raise their right hand as they practice the swearing in oath. We begin with a review of the topic from the last session. This entails either a game or an informal assessment. Next, students practice both the reading and writing assessment and the government/ history quiz. The new topic is introduced which targets specific student needs and encourages timely engagement and application to the interview process. Resources such as videos, vocabulary application, and interview tips are utilized at this time. Students are then placed in small groups both online and in-person as they conduct a practice naturalization interview with their classmates. We follow up afterwards with any questions or concerns. Students are then given their weekly assignment and encouraged to set aside time each day to study or watch the class videos. 

Can you tell us about an ideal real day of how you turned a challenging moment into a teachable moment? 
A real day in class includes meeting students where they are in their learning journey and utilizing teachable moments as they arise. Many times, questions will arise about a student's immigration status or past experiences that may affect their eligibility to naturalize. For instance, one day we were reviewing questions from the N-400 Naturalization Application. A question about entering the United States illegally brought up a conversation where a student expressed concerns about her experience entering the U.S. As more information was gathered, I strongly encouraged her to connect with one of the Immigrant Support Services listed in her workbook. After following up with a legal counselor, she was able to get assistance with presenting her case to USCIS. This situation led to personal realizations that helped other students in our class. 

Please describe specific ways you connect your students with the community. 
There are many ways in which I deliberately connect my students with the community. One such way is referring each student to local immigrant service providers for assistance in filling out their application and filing this and all supporting documents on the USCIS website, or receiving legal advice about their legal status or background events which might affect the success of the naturalization process. Since there may be sensitive issues that come up, I encourage students to always make an appointment with these organizations to get legal assistance or guidance in the current laws. I cultivate a meaningful environment in which all students feel safe and heard. The success rate in my class is significant. For those students that have lower fluency in the English language, I encourage them to attend an English class at Poway Adult School to assist in language acquisition. One critical component of the naturalization interview is answering questions posed by a USCIS officer. Through dual enrollment in the Citizenship class and ESL, students are better able to increase their English proficiency. As a learning community, we are better able to cultivate student success.

How do you engage students of all backgrounds, abilities, and readiness to learn? 
My classes have students from a variety of languages and educational backgrounds. I model equity and inclusion in my classroom and create a safe environment for students to speak openly about their background and culture. Lessons include scaffolding to ensure that all students are supporting in their understanding and learning. Classroom materials and assignments are aligned with student goals and designed for a self-paced approach. Students can access this information whenever and wherever they want. They create their own schedule whereby they have the flexibility of coming once or twice a week to practice their skills. It is through creating an atmosphere of genuine care and confidence that my students are encouraged to excel in their learning. This approach has fostered student engagement and retention. 

​Please describe a project you have been involved with that contributed to the improvement of our school culture.
Most recently, I and three of my ESL colleagues presented a workshop at the California Council for Adult Education's Southern Section Conference in Palm Springs titled Nurturing Student Engagement and Retention. The presentation focused on the essential art of knowing students' needs and abilities, designing environments that foster creativity and self-efficacy, and fostering external and internal motivators. Through this presentation adult teachers and administrators gained a better understanding of the complex challenges students face which create barriers to learning and retention. With this information, better practices have been initiated within the school culture as a whole which foster a learning environment for student success.