25 & 26 November 2025 · Frisco, Texas
The day before Friendsgiving, students gathered at Lori’s home to prepare a traditional American feast together. They cooked from scratch — the kind of cooking that takes all day and fills the house with smells that are hard to describe and impossible to forget. (Unfortunately, Ann was not able to join the fun because she was hosting guests from out of town.)
Lori’s kitchen, a Thanksgiving feast in progress.
Preparing the table decorations. Every detail, handmade.
The next day, they celebrated. Tables were set. Food was shared. The room held people who had come from far away — from Brazil, Turkey, Ukraine, Peru, Mexico, Israel, Argentina, Korea, Iran, Russia — and who were, on this particular Wednesday in November, giving thanks together in Texas.
Flavia the Fearless
On the evening of the celebration, Lori, one of the most reserved people you’ll ever meet, asked Flavia, one of the most vivacious people you’ll ever meet, to welcome everyone. To Lori’s surprise, Flavia accepted the assignment without reservation. It wasn’t long before Lori learned why.
When Flavia stood up, the room was abuzz with laughter and small talk, but when she started speaking, it went quiet . . . except for the sound of tears falling freely from Lori’s eyes.
Must to Lori’s surprise, Flavia had come prepared for this moment. Flanked by her ESL friends, she eloquently delivered a tribute to the ESL program. She described what it means to learn a language not just in a classroom but in a community. She had written her speech with the care and precision of someone who understands the worth of words. She spoke about gratitude, about belonging, about what it means to find a place where you are seen as an individual and not just as a student.
When she finished, she passed the microphone. One by one, each person in the room said “thank you” in her own language. Portuguese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Spanish, Farsi, Russian. The same two words, offered several different ways.
Flavia’s words are worth reading in full, but as you do so, please focus on her facility with words, not on the person to whom her words were directed.
“Thanksgiving is a special time to pause and give thanks for all the blessings that we have received through all the year. It’s a time to reflect on what you have appreciated, the small joys of life, and showing compassion to those in need.
Today, Lori, we want to begin by saying ‘thank you so much for everything you do for us.’ We thank God for your life and for the life of your family. We all want to say thank you to your husband and your children for supporting you and allowing us to have you not only as our teacher but also as our friend.
We are deeply grateful to have you in our lives and for the opportunity God has given us to learn with you. This privilege is for few, and we are truly grateful to have you in our lives.
Lori, it is hard to express how grateful we are for your time and your dedication, both inside and outside the classroom. Thank you for thinking about every detail, for preparing each activity with such care, and for always asking yourself what more can be done to help us learn better. Thank you for looking at each one of us individually, for seeing our challenges and finding ways to help us.
Thank you for believing that one day we will be fluent, because many times you believe in us more than we believe in ourselves. Thank you for celebrating every accomplishment with us. Thank you for creating a healthy environment, without judgement and without prejudice, where we can share our cultural differences and our different levels of English. It is in this environment that we have formed this special family, our ESL family.
Thank you for giving us moments like that, moments that warm our hearts while we are far from our families and from our regions.
May God continue to bless your life and your family. May he also bless all the families here today and the families of our friends who couldn’t be here. And may he return to you in double everything you do for us.
With our love and gratitude, thank you for everything. We love you. Thank you, Lori!”
— Flavia, Brazil
Flavia wrote that in English. It is worth pausing on that. In a language she is still learning, she spoke like a gifted orator. It’s moments like this that remind Lori and Ann how blessed they are to call these special women their ESL family.
Happy Thanksgiving from the ESL 360 family. We are grateful for every one of you.