Blog Entry 3
Hello everyone and welcome to my Blog Entry #3! I got the
privilege to interview Ms. Reyes, a fellow 4th grade bilingual
teacher. Ms. Reyes is a first year teacher at Dogan Elementary and taught 1st
grade the first half of the year. Dogan decided that putting their 4th
ELL students in a general classroom was not a good idea and their grades
reflected it. Ms. Reyes is now a 4th bilingual teacher with 14
students in a self-contained classroom where she teaches them all subjects. This
has always been meant for her, because she was also an ELL student herself. Ms.Reyes
believes that ELL students should be put into a classroom where they are
exposed to both English and Spanish equally. Most of her students sadly came
from a public school system where the students did not have the ESL support or
resources. When ESL
and content instruction in English pressure students to replace or demote the
home language, subtractive bilingualism may occur” (pg. 22) Ms. Reyes would tell her students that
knowing two languages was a “super power”. One thing she does that helps her she
would provide her students with books and visuals that were both in English and
Spanish. In her classroom, she would mainly communicate to them in English but
her instructions would be in Spanish. Majority of her students comprehend
English but struggle with reading and writing. She also has two students that just
moved from Mexico three months ago and a method she uses it to pair them up
with a proficient ELL student! “Learners need opportunities to interact with other speakers to
reach mutual comprehension” (pg. 53). Ms. Reyes also mentioned that if they do
not get exposed to English at school then they’re not going to really be
exposed at all since most of their parents do not know English at home. Her
advice to future ELL teachers is to have empathy because their students home
life is different than those that were native to America. She also encourages
to have a Growth Mindset and she also mention to her students that their brain
is like a muscle and it will just keep growing and get stronger while they are
learning two languages at the same time. I’ve learned a lot through
interviewing Ms. Reyes and she gave me an insight on her highs and lows for
being a bilingual teacher and I hope you guys enjoy this Blog. Thanks for watching!
Hello Taylor!
ReplyDeleteThank you for you and Ms. Reyes wonderful interview! I completely agree with Ms. Reyes when she would rather have ELLs be exposed to both English and Spanish equally. I was a previous ELL and I had the opportunity to be able to be exposed in both English and Tagalog (native language of the Philippines) both in school and at home. I had classmates who were Filipino and at home my parents would speak to me in Tagalog and English. I never really viewed English as means to replace my native language, rather than a way for me to just communicate with others. My past ELL teachers never pressured me in learning English, and I was very blessed to have a good ESL experience growing up. I was also surrounded with a very supportive school staff and resources. Plus on top of it, I was never shamed or asked not to talk in my native language. I was always encouraged to do both. As Wright (2015) stated, "Encouraging ELLs to maintain and develop their home languages while they develop proficiency in English benefits the individual ELL and his or her family and community, as well as the nation overall" (p. 23).
So as future educators we must encourage our students that it is great being bilingual and it is important for them to keep their home languages.
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: research, theory, policy, and practice (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.
Hello Kohleen! I am so happy that you were able to grow up with good ESL experiences when some students are not able to have the same smooth journey. I strongly believe that all students should have some sort of ESL programs that support ELL students, so these students do not feel alone in their process of learning English. Hopefully students realize that knowing multiple languages is a SUPER POWER. Thank you for your comment!
DeleteHello Taylor,
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a great interview with Ms. Reyes. I agree in some aspects that she mentioned throughout the video. By fourth grade, many of the ESL students are expected to go on to an all English class by the time Elementary school ends. Unfortunately, it is devastating that some students do not receive the help at home nor at school. I had one close friend of mine that went through that same situation that Ms. Reyes fourth grade class went through and the importance of interacting with other English speakers was the only way that my friend learned to speak English. Which Ms. Reyes mentioned that she also suggests that the students speak English in her class even though, she wants to respond to them in Spanish she self-contains herself to an all English class. I think that is a great technique because the more exposure you have in a language the more you will be speaking. Ms. Reyes understands the exposure of being an ESL student she understands the best way that the students are able to learn “ Understanding students talk essential to teachers' the ability to analyze what students know, how they understand and what teaching methods would be most useful” ( Wright, 2015, pg.29). Ms. Reyes seems to want to bring the students to their full potential because she personally has been through the same route. As an educator, it is important to understand and have great communication with the parent to be able to keep helping as a team to bring the student’s success higher.
Great interview Taylor!
Wright, W. E. (2015). Foundations for teaching English language learners: research, theory, policy, and practice (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Caslon.
Hello Luz! It gets complicated when we talk about certain exposure to the kids. Research shows that the more English the ELL students are exposed to the more likely they are able to speak it because students learn best through communication. But we also do not want the students to forget their native language as well. So I believe with a proper ESL programs that can inhabit both of those techniques. I do think it takes a lot of patience and determination to be a passionate ESL teacher because not only are you teaching them a language but you have to teach them content as well! It is also important for us to raise our students to be accepting so it allows the ELL students to be more confident in their learning! Thanks for the comment Luz!
DeleteHi Taylor!
ReplyDeleteI loved watching your interview. Ms. Reyes makes a huge point - students who are not serviced appropriately have a harder time transitioning out of bilingual classes. However, it seems that she really does want her students to succeed and Wright says, "Teachers who understand second language development and who engage in effective instructional and authentic assessment practices speak to their students..." (Wright, p. 4, 2015). She relates directly to her students, not just because she speaks Spanish, but because she herself was an ELL. This makes her more relatable and helps to make what goes on in the classroom more authentic and learning more meaningful to her students.
Hello Madeline!
DeleteI agree with you! I’m glad that I was able to interview Ms. Reyes because she was also an ELL student herself so she was able to give me her very own personal insight of her process of learning the English Language. She was able to connect with her students through the prior knowledge and understanding and instruct her lesson in a way where it relates to her students. Thank you for your comment Madeline!
Taylor, thank you for sharing your interview with Ms. Reyes. It is such a shame to hear that her students came from a school that did not have an ESL program. I honestly think that all schools should have an ESL program or some kind of support for ELL students. It is wonderful to know that they are now in Ms. Reyes classroom. Her background as a former ELL will only make her a better teacher and more empathic of their situation.
ReplyDeleteHello Thanh!
DeleteIt’s sad to say that I am currently student teaching at a Title One school where ESL programs are very limited. Ms. Reyes had to go from a regular 1st grade teacher to now a self-contained ESL classroom of all 4th graders! Honestly, most students that do come from a lower income household do come to the school with no zero to know English. My school doesn’t have enough resources to reach all the student’s needs because of this. It pretty much goes around into a big circle! I’m sure that once proper ESL programs are enforced then the ELL students will have the right support they will need to succeed! Not only that, the students are also able to help those around them as well! Thank you for your comment Thanh!