Beyond the Classroom and Into the Streets
November 9, 2008 by ehaveman05
Although as a future ELL teacher, I will mostly encounter students who need to learn English. They have an origin, and for many of them that origin does not speak English either. Most ELL’s come from families who migrated to the U.S. mere days before entering the classroom. That being said, their studies aren’t the only thing in chaos. Their parents are busy trying to find jobs and struggling to find the cough medicine isle at the grocery store because they don’t speak the predominant language: English.
This story was very true about Lewiston, Maine. They were predominantly Catholic town with 95% white population. However, in the last five years they have become a town of 10% Somalis, sent in by the government. Needless to say, they have gone from 1 ELL teacher, to 22 full-time teachers and 8 assistants to 753 ELL students. The students are mainstreamed for most subjects; however, they are pulled out for math and reading.
“The kids are doing good at school, Better than us. They have adapted” Farah, a Somalia parent.
But, their parents don’t have the luxury of strapping on their back packs and attending grade school again.
The Adult Education Center offers a GED program as well as an ELL program for adults; however, few adults have the time or money to attend. The government has helped out with lower costs, but not low enough to give the Somalis an equal opportunity for an American education. This is effecting their jobs, their children’s well being, their health and their every day lives. Some Somalis attend a brief course to help with,
“survival English: how to go shopping, what to say to the doctor, how to talk to your child’s teacher.” Anne Kemper, Center coordinator.
There are few parents who are able to attend enough classes to achieve their GED though, which is preventing them from work and has fueled the unemployment rate of Somalians to 50%. One disappointed factory parent attributes it to the lack of factory and unskilled jobs of today.
“In the 21st century economy, most jobs–even the most menial–require English proficiency”
What does this mean for me as an ELL teacher? Well, more complications. My students might not be in class everyday because they have to help their parents pay the bills. They will surely have different emotional needs than my mainstream students because of the language barrier at home and will struggle much more with their homework outside of the classroom where their are teachers to explain things to them in English. Their parents will also have concerns about their child’s advancement and how they can help, or get help for themselves with English.
ELL’s aren’t just in the classroom, they are roaming the streets, unemployed, confused and waiting for chance to succeed for their family. It is going to take a whole community to help bring ELL’s and their families up to snuff with English and the American way.
Sources: “The Common Thread” By: Kathleen Vail
American School Board Journel, September 2008
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Leave a Reply
I think you have done a great job showcasing the many ways in which ELL students struggle. For my College of Education volunteer hours, I have been working in the ESL classroom in a West Michigan High School. I was so shocked how far behind most of the students are. I have mentioned this in other blog comments before, but after the first day of seeing the students struggle to make up work for classes that won’t wait for them, I asked the teacher how the teachers can honestly expect these students to keep up under the extra stress of trying to learn in a language that is foreign to them. He said, “Some of them hold them to the same expectations as the other students, and they fail. Even worse, some teachers just pass them to get them out of the way, keep them going, even though they aren’t really learning.” I found this answer to be disturbing. It made me really think about this and what I would do in my English classroom. I don’t want to pass the kids because they don’t understand anyway just to keep them moving, and I don’t want to hold them to the same expectations as the other students who have spoken English since they were infants. In fact, last week one of the ESL students in the class quit school. He was an 18 year old at a sophomore level. He may have needed to help out at home, like with the complications you mentioned, or he may have been tired of the struggle. It seems like there has to be a better way to help these students.