Although there are still many teachers who regret the fact that they have to teach the children of immigrants, I never thought I would have to face one, and think about how to respond to her comments.
I had one of these unpleasant encounters recently.A teacher came to me in the hallway and said some not very nice things about the children who did not speak English well. Remaining calm and hiding my surprise, I thought for a while ..and then said : “ It is our duty to teach ALL children” I didn’t want to get into an argument trying to convince her of how wrong she was to think that we should not spend time helping them improve their English.
Some mainstream teachers feel frustrated when assigned a LEP ( Limited English Proficient )student . They resent the fact that their average test scores will be affected by this particular group of students’ performance. It doesn't seem obvious to them that the child can sense the teacher's disapproval ,and act accordingly by either isolating himself or becoming disruptive and defiant. Consequently,these students fail academically day after day.
Those fortunate ESL students who are placed in a more friendly environment , show faster improvement. The anxiety caused by language barriers is lessen by a warm smile and personal care given by a well informed resourceful teacher who minds enough to spend time adapting and modifying his or her teaching so the ESL student’s affective filter is down, opening the door to motivation. These students are more willing to make an effort to understand what is going on in the classroom and more eager to break that language barrier.
Some mainstream teacher express their frustration for not knowing what else to do to increase the level of performance of their students with limited English proficiency. They have not had any formal training in TESL ( Teaching English as a Second Language) and find it overwhelming.
Other teachers’ efficacy is very high.. They believed they are very effective as teachers and speak with great enthusiasm about the progress their students are making. What is the difference?
These teachers are taking classes to learn Spanish, learning about second language acquisition and working with the ESOL teacher on a regular basis. They meet and discuss the best way to teach each individual case .They take their time to expose the students to comprehensible input facilitating the process by repeating instructions, using visual aids, checking for comprehension and offering positive and immediate feedback.
The students’ motivation is a reflection of the teachers dedication.The students whose teachers are enthusiastic and show respect for their cultural background, demonstrate a more rapid improvement in their academic learning.
I hope all of us teachers don’t let the daily demands of our jobs drive us away from one of the basic motivators that led us to choose our profession in the first place:
Make a difference in our students lives .
3 comments:
Why am I always amazed that there are still teachers out there that can't see the children? I want to know, why do they teach? What do test scores have to do with it? Frankly, my experience has been that these students have a much greater work ethic and make amazing progress in short amounts of time. I'm sure you do a great job with your students. Keep up the good work!
Wow! Thanks for sharing! Teachers are responsible for all students! And their individual need! Great Writing!
This breaks my heart. Our job is to meet the needs of our students where ever they are when they walk in our doors, regardless of their level of knowledge or language. I have often found that my ESOL students worked harder than some of my native English speakers in my English classes, and more often than not, had the highest grades in my class. I am mortified that there are people who call themselves teachers who would behave as you describe. They need a new profession.
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