Reflection 10: No Hablo Espanol
I am alarmed by the growing popularity of the English only movement in this country. The chapter about teaching second language learners in “But Will it Work with Real Students?”: Scenarios for Teaching English Language Arts by Janet Alsup and Jonathan Bush made me think about why I need to be more of an advocate for second language learners. I agree with the authors that “Language conflicts often have their root in fear and insecurity over economic and nationalistic issues, and consequently they can elicit high emotion, defensiveness, and anger” (2003, p.111). While I understand the root of the conflict, I do not understand why we can’t move beyond the conflict. I wish that I could speak more than one language; I think we should nurture this skill in our ESL students. Understanding more than one language broadens their thinking and better prepares them for the global society.
I have worked in schools with different ESL programs, and, yes, some work better than others, but what I have found to be the most detrimental to ESL students are teacher attitudes. I have heard teachers complain about their ESL students and/or their parents, and it seems to me that this is what causes students to fail. In a way, I understand the teachers’ frustrations. I have had ESL students in my classes before that spoke minimal, if any, Englsih, and it was frustrating because I wanted to help them but, often, didn’t know how. I was trained in ESL when I worked in Florida (county to remain anonymous), so I used some of the methods that I had been taught (CLOZE, visuals, collaborative learning, etc.). But, ultimately, it was extremely difficult to overcome the language barrier. I can remember feeling useless, and I still feel like I failed those students. My point is that while I think the structure of ESL programs are important, I think teacher training and ongoing support for teachers is crucial. I mentioned that I was trained, but, looking back, I do not feel like my training was adequate. I remember that we showed up on the first night of class, received a notebook full of articles and activities, and returned six weeks later to turn in a packet of work. I did this for five different classes! There was no discussion, no support, and no real analysis of the issues…it was seen as just another county mandate—just another hoop to jump through in order to get a renewable certificate. No wonder I let my students down!
I don’t think our ESL students should be seen as a county mandate. I think we need more teacher training programs that promote effective second language pedagogies like those suggested in the Alsup and Bush text (e.g. inclusive language policies and thematic instruction). Finally, I think we (everybody, but here I am specifically talking about English teachers) should all work to learn different languages…the more languages the better! If we love words in English, why wouldn’t we love them in other languages, too?
April 14th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I like the points you make here, Sandy. I love it when students add a little of their native language into their personal writing—it spices up the writing and really makes the student’s voice stand out (as I said in my blog entry). Students should be encouraged to communicate in their own language as well as in English, and if the opportunity presented itself, I would encourage speakers of other languages to enrich our class readings with their language and experiences. Reading something like “The House on Mango Street” or “Dreaming in Cuban” with a Cuban or Hispanic student in the class could offer many opportunities for both student and teacher learning.