Justin, Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I liked your points about preparing the kids for the future and I’m going to ‘steal’ some of your ideas for the classroom. Also, great questions, but, I’m not sure I’m going to answer any of them. My struggle with technology is that I use it as a tool to teach kids how to aquire more info- calculator math, cdplayer- books on tape, reading, microsoft word- writing, internet- research for Social Studies and Science. Basic. I know it’s not enough but I can’t reserve the computer lab every day, I only have two in my room, I’m taped out to by any equipment on my own, there are only 3 projectors in the school and so on. Come to think of it, I bet the second reason we all don’t use technology enough is financial (the first being we’re old and the kids already know more about it than we do. Teaching with it feels like succombing to the idea that digital hype and video games really are the only way to connect with modern day children. What ever happened to a good ole book?!)

I teach 5th grade in Denver, Colorado at a school with 100% free and reduced lunch. Most of my second language learners are from Mexico but they are not brand new to the country. I also find that many of my native English speakers are in need of direct language instruction just as much as my English Language Learners. Perhaps that is the poverty element as well. My teammate gets all of the ‘brand new’ English Language Learners because she has her masters in the area and that is her strenght (I will be passing this article on to her as well). She does a lot of visaul and tactile instruction. She often teaches with a projector so that when her students are introduced to new words they can actually see the image.
Because she gets students who are either in the silent stage or emerging stage, most of my students are intermediate. Recently we had a Professional Development where we looked over our ELL data (… of which I sometimes refer to as Don’t Ask Teachers Anymore… none the less I got good info). We focused on students who have been at our school for three years or more. I had six. All of my students were in the intermediate stage. But what struck me was that they had been at the Intermediate stage the year before. Their teacher from that year is an outstanding one and we share a lot of curriculum, the same PD’s and so on. I couldn’t easily dismiss it as someone else’s fault. My question was what are we missing that these kids aren’t moving past the intermediate stage? Granted, the average person takes 5-10 years to become fluent in another language, but in Colorado, our kids only have three before their scores are counted on the state accountability reports (yes, here, it does come down to testing).
So my point. Reading your article, Justin, made me think that perhaps I could be doing more work with technology to help get those kids out of the intermediate stage. But it’s not as easy (or it least it doesn’t feel like it is) to show a kid an image of a words that are abstract and often those words are the ones that take them from being Intermediate to Proficient or Advanced. An example— last week, I was trying to teach them the word ‘Imply.’ We talked about the definition, linked it to text, and did the Frayer model but they still didn’t get it. How do I show them an image of ‘imply?’ In the end, I probably implied to them to act like they understood the word so that we could move on.
I think of Technology as a modality for helping students research and see images of things they’re learning about. How does one extend that perception? What else is there out there?

Posted by Jules, 6:47PM 12/05/07

As I write this entry, technology is a tool that is literally changing the landscape of education. Used correctly, it has the ability to engage students at an unprecedented level, and yet it still has the power to strike fear in educators in schools all across the nation.

During the mid 1990’s schools around the country started to make large investments in technology infrastructure and equipment. Many educators who taught in those early adopter schools struggled to understand how to harness the power of technology. They viewed it as an add-on instead of a tool. We have to remember, that at that time, technology was a foreign entity for most veteran teachers. Few of them had ever received any formal training on how to integrate a tool that powerful into their curriculum. Superintendents, boards of education, and community members quickly became frustrated with the thought that incredible sums of money were being invested in outfitting their schools with state of the art equipment, and watch it sit in classrooms untouched by their staff members. The idea of buy it now and figure it out later did not work well. Finally, school district started investing in their staff members. Professional development activities were offered to help train teachers how to integrate technology into the curriculum. Over the course of the next ten years, incredible advancements in classroom instruction were taking place in schools all around America.

It is important to remember, that society was literally watching a technological revolution unfold before its eyes. Change was moving at the speed of light. In some regards, the world was not ready for the personal computer. It was not ready for the speed of change that was ushered in when the first pcs hit the market. Today, consumers purchase new technology with the understanding that it is outdated as soon as it is put on the shelf. The megatons of new data that becomes available every day is growing exponentially. It is more important than ever before to equip our children with the skills that will help them find success in the 21st Century. As educators, we now have ways to connect the curriculum with the real world that we never had before. The development of the Internet to provide streaming media, animations, access to virtual worlds, and databases filled with information has given many educators an affordable and almost limitless resource. One of the biggest problems educators face is how to figure out which tools to use.

If the Internet wasn’t enough, peripheral devices offer additional resources. Ipods can be used for delivering information in a variety of different ways. As an example, it would be easy for advanced students in a primary class to narrate stories that are recorded onto an Ipod. Students who struggle with reading could use that same recording as a reinforcement tool. Students in history classrooms can use the device to record oral histories, and report on them back to the class. RSS feeds give students the ability to take detailed information with them from a class to use as a study aide.

Digital still and video cameras have created an amazing portal into the world of imagination. Editing equipment gets more affordable by the day. The opportunity for students to tell their stories is limitless. Students can spread their messages around the globe with a click of a button. You Tube, email, text messaging, and 2nd Life are just a few examples of technological advancements that have given students the opportunity to connect with the world. Students are already using these devices to make their voices heard, and are making a difference. As educators, one of the things we need to understand is the importance of helping children learn how to use the new power that has been given to them. It is important for them to question information that is placed before them. They should not take everything at face value. Like Spiderman, they should also be taught that with great power comes great responsibility. Unfortunately, little work is being done nation wide in the area of media literacy. Our children are exposed to media and technology countless hours a day. However, it doesn’t appear as a society that we are concerned about teaching them how to process and question the information that is put before them. I hope this is not a decision that we some day come to regret.

Educators who are willing to turn over the keys to the car (with guidance) to their students and let them drive are in for an exciting ride. As more tools become available, it is important for us as educators to learn how to help facilitate the learning process in our students. I co-teach a multimedia class at the secondary level. Each year, our students hold a film festival to showcase their work. The tickets sell out in a matter of hours. Our program is nationally recognized. The program is what it is because we have given our students the chance to help participate in its growth. They get to drive the car. The encounters are theirs. They gain confidence from their positive experiences. The students also learn from their mistakes. The program is theirs. Don’t misunderstand me, my co-teacher and I are definitely involved in the daily operation of the class. However, the students have taken ownership in their learning. I don’t stand in front of the class and lecture from bell to bell. We have created an environment where 30-40 different lessons are going on in our class at any given time. The students are engaged from bell to bell. They are held to incredibly high standards, and they respond willingly. We work hard to connect the curriculum to the real world. In our class, technology is looked upon as a tool, and like other tools in a toolbox it becomes a valuable asset to the builder. Our students use technology to construct their own learning. The class is tightly aligned to the state learning standards. Each year, the bar higher is set higher. Each year, the kids rise to the top. It is an amazing thing to see almost 2,000 people from around our area to show up to celebrate academic achievement. I am convinced that technology can be integrated successfully into virtually every grade level.

In my opinion, the world is still trying to understand how to harness the power of technology and to successfully integrate it into the curriculum. There are pockets of success, but there is still much work to be done. I believe this will change over time, when the baton is passed to the next generation of educators. They will have been exposed to technology and media since birth. To them, using technology is a natural part of life. Hopefully, as production costs get cheaper, technology resources will become more available to children living in destitution. It is extremely important for us to close the gap in the digital divide, as it exists currently. As a society, we need to ensure that all children are given the opportunity to see and touch the world.

-Joe

P.S.
The first major project that my students used technology with was in 1998. We were asked to create an animated storybook that could be used by Shona speaking children in Zimbabwe to help them learn English. Neither my students nor myself knew how to speak Shona or create an animated storybook. However, through the power of discovery, they were able to create a piece that was used in 17 different schools in Zimbabwe, was used by kindergarten teachers in my district as an instructional tool, and became the pilot project for what is my program today. By the way, we only had two archaic computers to use. There are a lot of ways to create a $3 million classroom on a $3 budget, but I will save that for another day:)

Posted by Joe, 9:43PM 12/05/07

Jules, you raise several great points.

“Teaching with technology feels like succumbing to the idea that digital hype and video games really are the only way to connect with modern day children.”

I completely agree with you that kids are often hungry for “old school” methods—building an Iroquois lodge with mud and straw, doing a food chain game outside in the sunlight, or curling up on a beanbag with a good book.

I’m worried, though, when I think of the contrast between how much time our students spend in front of screens—TV, video games, movies, computers—and how little time we spend preparing them to deal critically with those digital images bombarding them. Teaching media literacy—telling the difference between a news program giving facts and a commercial trying to manipulate you into buying a new video game, for example—is just as important to my students as learning that the capitol of Arkansas is Little Rock.

I was teaching in New York on September 11th, and the kindergartners in our school thought that hundreds of planes had crashed into hundreds of buildings, because of the image being replayed so many times. Older students expressed fear of turbaned, dark-skinned men on the subway because of the images of the hijackers flashing up on the TV screen again and again. Teaching students to understand and process those many chaotic images became a necessity that year.

“We’re old and the kids already know more about technology than we do.”

Joe echoed this point in his comment, and I think you’re both right on. This is the first time in history when the younger generation is more adept than the older generation at the technology that gives you power in society. To me, that means that we need to become comfortable with students taking the lead and teaching each other (and us).

I did a computer project in West Africa where the biggest challenge was convincing teachers schooled in 18th century French methods of lecture that the best way for their students to learn how to use a computer was to just sit down and explore with it. This may be especially true for English Learners, since they can engage new tools without the frustrating filter of the teacher lecturing in a foreign language, and some students may express themselves better by creating a series of images in PowerPoint than in spoken or written English.

“What are we missing that these kids aren’t moving past the intermediate stage?”

We found the exact same disturbing trend in our own district last year, and I’m working on a project this year specifically geared toward moving those students past the intermediate stage. We found that the answer is student-to-student interaction—frequent opportunities to use expressive language around academic content.

Most students spend too much time listening to teachers talk. The simplest thing every teacher of English Learners could do to change that trend is to build Think-Pair-Shares into the day: write each student’s name on a popsicle stick, and maybe 100 times a day ask the students to turn and talk to a partner about a question you ask, then pull a name at random to share.

Lynda Franco, an ESL specialist who has done quite a bit of work in your state, worked with our district on other solutions as well, like picking 5 vocabulary words as a grade and giving them to the P.E. teachers, music teachers, lunch staff, and custodians. If a word in a story you’re reading that week is “varmint,” and the students not only hear that word in your class but hear the P.E. teacher say, “Look at these holes in the soccer field. Some varmints must have been digging up the dirt,” and then the lunch lady says, “Hope no varmints snuck in here today to steal the tator tots,” they’ll get it.

Thanks for the great thoughts and questions.

-Justin

Posted by Justin, 10:41AM 12/06/07

Joe, thanks for a brilliant overview and analysis of how we’ve come to where we are today.

It struck me as I was reading your comment that part of the problem may be that we saw technology simply as a new content area, like Earth Science or Health, not as a new approach to all content areas or a new lens for viewing the world.

I wonder if school boards and district administrators should have a number of students serve as consultants who could guide them on the technology (and professional development on that technology) the district may want to purchase. The School of the Future in Philadelphia became a 21st century school not by buying a bunch of tech stuff, but by creating a thoughtful, participatory process that led to a vision first, then a school built to fit that vision.

I had the great pleasure of watching some of your students’ films, and I was absolutely blown away. You clearly provided them with tools, training, and a class community that encouraged risk-taking and creativity, but you also trusted that their brilliance would emerge if they were free to choose their own vision for their short films and then make it happen.

English Learners are sometimes seen as “blank slates,” and I think we forget sometimes that even if a 17-year old student from Afghanistan expresses herself in the oral English of a 9-year old, she still has the intelligence, maturity, and life experiences of a 17-year old. Images are a powerful, universal language, and I wish every student had the opportunity your students have to create dynamic, professional films that express their view of the world.

We need to realize, as you have, the truth of the saying “A child is a candle to be lit, not a cup to be filled.” If we’re going to merge traditional content with technology, we need to realize that we’ll have to learn from the students along with teaching them. I saw a great lesson by Darby Wallace, a high school teacher in Newport, Arkansas, in which the students wrote a text-message conversation between three of America’s past presidents and the three most recent presidents. She blended a fun, familiar world to them by asking them for slang they use while text-messaging (like “LOL”) and she added a list of History content in text-message short-hand (like “LP” for “the Louisiana Purchase.”)

I think we also need to discriminate between what is timeless and what is nostalgic—which teaching practices of our generation are still essential and valid (like having students read and discuss books) and which may need to go the way of the vinyl LP, the old Atari, and the 8-track.

-Justin

Posted by Justin, 11:04AM 12/06/07

At the Junior High level, my students have left the protective umbrella of the New Arrival classes (1-2 year limit) and the ESL program in general. They may still have a sheltered English class, but they are scattered among my “regular” physical science classes. Here’s the paradox. I believe in the power of thinking in complete thoughts, so I require that the students learn to express concepts in physics and chemistry in sentences. I know they need time to learn the standard forms and phrases, and it takes a quarter or so before they are science-fluent.

My ESL students are stumbling, not because they can’t “speak” English after 4-8 years in the country, but because they don’t foresee the standard English language formats - avoiding using it, they, because, or but as the opening of a sentence, for example. I forgive and model and give good examples, but the pace of a “regular level” class forces us to move on as soon as possible.

My bottom line fear is that those who have given up by the 9th grade and beg to just have multiple choice questions and word banks for everything, no matter how familiar or modified, feel that the look and content of anything they do will never match the papers of the “A” students. That personal sense of persistent failure chips away the confidence that all students need to take new risks and make those leaps of accomplishment that fuel tomorrow’s successes.

When I consider the joy of learning that I have witnessed in elementary classes that will feed into my 9th grade room, I feel sad that I can only trigger that joy here and there and there….over the bodies of those I can’t reach because the slendor of learning has been lost.

Kate Lacy

Posted by Kate Lacy, 12:25PM 12/07/07

This past summer I had the opportunity to attend Space Camp with the other Teachers of the Year from the class of 2007. In addition to the Teachers of the Year, several other teachers from around the world were invited to attend the week’s activities. All of them were brilliant. For me, it was an incredible opportunity to dialog and learn from some of the world’s top educators.

During the course of the week, I became friends with several of the teachers from other countries. I also became frustrated. Zednek from the Czech Republic and Victor from Siberia were in my group. We quickly became good friends. I also became very frustrated. All three of us wanted to talk to, listen, and learn from one another. However, that was almost impossible. For that short period of time, the language barrier was impassible. There was no magic Oregon Trail for us to follow. Instead, we spent the week looking at each other making signs, grunting, and talking slow and loud (like that ever works) to one another trying to find a way to build a communication bridge that would allow us to connect. I was lucky. I had 55 of my other English-speaking classmates with me. I could go talk with someone else, any time I grew weary of our frustrated attempts to communicate. Zdnek and Victor were not so fortunate. I know that both of them hungered to talk with the rest of our group. They wanted to belong, and share their stories. That never happened. Don’t get me wrong. I had a great time, and I believe they did as well. I just wish there could have been more. My story played out in each of the other groups at camp that week. They experienced the same issue; great teachers from around the world unable to communicate with one another because of a language barrier.

This story is analogous to environment our E.L.L. students face each day. They too are absolutely brilliant. They want to communicate. They want to showcase their talents. More importantly, they want to belong. However, after years of frustration, many of them give up. They become ashamed of whom they are. Instead of seeking to participate in classroom discussion, many of them hide. I understand your frustrations Kate. I hope that sometime in the near future we are able to address this situation. We are a country that has built its foundation upon the backs of immigrants. We owe them everything. Including our respect. I do hope we find a way to build a bridge across a chasm that is currently impassable but for a select few. I do believe that new technologies, that have yet to be developed, may provide part of the solution. However, I think that little will be accomplished until we as a society make this issue a priority. Once we recognize that all children are significant and play a vital role in the development of our nation, we will also realize how important it is for us to find a way to resolve this problem. At that time, the Zdnecks and Victors of the world will be invited become part of our family. Just like they should have been all along.

-Joe

Posted by Joe, 3:26PM 12/08/07

After reading Joe’s comment about his time in space camp, I have to say that I’ve had a very similar experience. Now, I’m not a teacher (yet), and I don’t know much about integrating technology in a classroom, but I can say that I’ve been in a classroom where technology has been used as one of the greatest tools we could ever come to utilize. Well, I’m one of Joe’s old students, so that explains that.

But this last summer I had the opportunity to go to Chicago for five weeks at a workshop for story telling and script writing. There were close to 25 students in all, from 8 different countries. I was placed in a script writing group with a girl from Palestine, a girl from India, and a boy from East St. Louis. Needless to say, it was not only an enlightening experience, but also endlessly frustrating. When the script writing process had slowed down, my perception of what Arabic words were angry and what were happy was being sharpened. When the words aren’t there, there’s nothing you can do. None of us were very advanced charades players either, so we were completely at a loss.

The most frustrating thing about it wasn’t the fact that we had trouble understanding each other though. What bothered me more than anything else was how one of the girls in my group struggled to make her input. Dara from Palestine, who was also one of my roommates, was probably one of the most insightful people that had come to Chicago for that summer. She had a brilliant mind, and was definitely at a creative level to make most of us jealous, but few knew it. I only found this out by spending long nights struggling through conversations with her in the dorm.

When my group would hit a creative rut, her input would always be something like, “Yes, but you see… It is… Um… Oh, never mind.” And that would be the end of that. There was so much going on in her mind, so many thoughts that needed to be discovered by others, but because of that language barrier, they couldn’t be found. There would be the occasional outburst in frustrated Arabic, or she’d go hunt down her Palestinian friend and try to find the word in English she was missing, but her ability to share in the creative experience was limited because of this issue.

Throughout my entire high school experience I’ve been familiar with this problem. Two of my best friends had moved to my hometown from Japan, and for the first year, the hand-held translator and expressive hand motions where what held our friendship together. To be in a place where your words can’t be understood, is to be completely lost.

I’m interested to see what kind of progress comes from trying to solve this issue. From first-hand experience I know what kind of frustration this builds, and what precious minds are being kept out of the picture because of it.

-Jessica

Posted by Jessica, 4:33PM 12/08/07

Jessica, Kate, and Joe,

As I read all three of your eloquent comments, I saw the same troubling and sad point: we are losing so much potential brilliance because of the language gap.

This is a bigger issue than English Learners, I think. When we talk about how important it is to provide solid health care, pre-K, public and higher education for all children, including those living in the inner city, one obvious motivation is the simple moral obligation. But there’s another reason that has to do with our national self-interest.

Right now, there is a Mexican-American girl living in poverty who may cure cancer, or may end up cleaning hotel rooms. There is an African-American baby boy just born in L.A. who may develop the technology for cars that don’t require gasoline, or may end up in prison.

We know that California uses 4th grade reading scores in its calculus to predict how many prison cells to build. So our responsibility to tap into every child’s potential brilliance isn’t just a responsibility to those individual children, but to our society as a whole.

What do we lose as a nation when we fail to provide decent prenatal care to mothers in the inner city? When we fail to address the achievement gap by building strong pre-K programs in every school district in America? Or when we allow Gizelle, Magid, or Pema to remain silent because of their frustrations with English?

As the chef said in the Pixar film Ratatouille, “Not everyone can become great, but greatness can from anywhere.” Maybe the first step is simply getting teachers and student to realize what the three of you are painfully aware of: English Learners have some brilliant ideas locked in their minds and tongues, and it’s our job to help them unlock it.

Posted by Justin, 11:06AM 12/09/07

Kate,

You raised a balance that I think every teacher struggles with:

“I believe in the power of thinking in complete thoughts, so I require that the students learn to express concepts in physics and chemistry in sentences.”

I think it’s incredibly important to move students toward fuller and more precise oral language, which has a direct connection to their thinking and their writing. At the same time, one of the most useful things I’ve learned about teaching English Learners is that it’s critical to accept levels of participation, depending on their level and confidence in English, along a spectrum:

*Pointing at an object in a book in response to a question like, “What animals do you see?” My co-teacher and I sometimes hand out “magic wands”—chopsticks—that kids can use to point to certain objects in the book during an interactive read-aloud.

*Answering “yes”, “no,” or with one-word answers, in response to questions like, “Is this a lion?” or “What is this animal?”

*Using short phrases, like “A yellow lion.”

*Using complete sentences, like, “The animal is a yellow lion.”

Our goal, of course, is to get kids using those complete sentences, but accepting a different level of participation depending on the student is the difference, to me, between showing the kids a staircase that leads to a mountain summit, and standing on top of that summit shouting, “Just jump up here! You can do it!”

To me, it comes down to the connection between high expectations and differentiation. We need to expect a lot of our students, but we also need to realize that because every child is different, the type of participation we expect from them as they progress in oral English needs to be differentiated.

Thoughts?

Posted by Justin, 11:18AM 12/09/07

TPR (total physical response) is one short, fun way to keep my students engaged. (first grade)

2 short examples:
The P.E. teacher told me that the newly installed climbing wall was magnetic and came with a packet of words. We put words all over the wall and divide the class into teams. They race to climb and find a word they know and call it out. We remove that word and the team with the most words—-wins!

The playground has a large U.S. map painted on it. We learn two new states each day—the capital,north or south of another state, etc. Then we have races to see which team member can run and stand on the state that is called out. The kids beg to go play “states”

These certainly keep learning and oral language at a peak and are a needed break from the books!!!

Posted by Julie, 9:43PM 12/09/07

It has been predicted that within the next ten years, China will become the largest English-speaking nation in the world. English has become the trade language of the 21st Century, just like Latin was during the Roman era. More and more countries realize how important it is for their citizens to have the ability to communicate with the West. It is thought that a common language will allow for better trade and help all countries yield greater economic prosperity. I think that is great. However, I hope that as the world continues to change that we take time to help our students understand and appreciate their own cultures. Helping our students develop a sense of pride in self is an important part of the maturation process. It gives them the confidence to take on the challenges that lie ahead down the road of life.

-Joe

Posted by Joe, 11:32PM 12/09/07

Justin,

My body still goes numb when I think about the fact that on the average 7,000 children per day drop out of high school. Statistics show that approximately 70% of them will see time behind bars. Newsweek broke a story in the mid-1990’s stating that Indiana was using 2nd grade reading scores to predict its future prison population. Studies have been conducted that show high school dropouts earn at least $300,000 less over the course of their lifetimes than those who stay in school. Most high school dropouts are forced to accept entry-level jobs that pay little more than minimum wage, and are doomed to a life of poverty. E.L.L. students who struggle to learn the language get farther and farther behind each day. Some can’t take it any longer, and join the ranks of the thousands who are dropping out of our public schools on a daily basis.

Those are some of the problems that currently plague public education. The question is, “What do we do about it?” According to a recent Gallup poll, education ranks seventh on the priority list of important issues for Americans. To be fair, there are thousand of communities across the United States that are home to outstanding schools. Unfortunately, the converse can be said as well. It is those communities for which I am most concerned. I believe in the power of one, and that as individuals we do have the ability to make change on a grand scale. As educators, some times the change has to begin with us. It has to come from within. As a teacher, are you constantly searching for new innovative ideas that will help inspire a child to learn? Are you a life-long learner, and do you pass on your love of learning to your students? Famed educator, Harry Wong, was correct when he said, “The most important moment in the school year is the first second, of the first minute, of the first hour, of the first day of school.” I believe the next most important moment is every second thereafter. Education is a 24-7 job. We have to bring our “A” games to work every day. Teachers need to be inspirational. We have to be motivators. You may be the only positive in a child’s life. Most students rise to the challenge when they know they have support. That doesn’t mean there won’t be obstacles along the way. However, it is so much easier to navigate around them as a team instead of an individual. This past year, I had the opportunity to travel to a multitude of different schools around the nation. I was appalled by the conditions some students and teachers were forced to endure on a daily basis. I discussed the situation with my students and colleagues. Within a month, my community had collected over 50,000 items consisting of toiletries, clothing, books, and personal hygiene products. Some of my community members donated trucks so that we could deliver the goods. Others took off a day of work so they could accompany me on one of several trips to help unload the supplies. It was that event, and several others like it, that gave me the hope that we as a collective society can make a difference. Currently, the community in which I live is in the process of developing an incredible mentoring program. People are going out of their way to help. May be we should spend more time as a nation focusing on what we can do, instead of what we can’t. I am constantly amazed by the number of people who are shocked with the needs schools have. I have been equally amazed by their willingness to help once they were asked. Could it be that simple? Maybe all we have to do is ask.

-Joe

Posted by Joe, 11:00PM 12/10/07

I have worked with and adopted Marshallese children and the native language is Marshallese. The article summary on PBS suggests you teach Spanish speaking children from Mexico and the Marshall Islands. This is not your fault, but should be noted. When my children first arrived in the US, the local (SC) school system kept offering to test them in Spanish since they didn’t speak English. The ESL teacher spoke to them in Spanish a lot. I find the ignorance born out of an attitude of disrespect (Who cares what the children speak; we say their Spanish and to heck with it!) runs rampant in our schools and our entire society. Thank you for making a difference.

Posted by Sarah, 10:32AM 12/14/07

Sarah, I’m sorry about the typo or confusing wording on the summary, and we will make sure to correct it as soon as possible.

You raise a great point about the need for us as Americans to become more knowledgeable about other countries and cultures. We sometimes have a bad habit of categorizing students by their appearance rather than taking the time to find out about their cultural background.

Even my Spanish-speaking students come from a great diversity of cultures and regions, ranging from island nations like the Dominican Republic, to countries in South America like Peru, to regions of Mexico where Spanish is the second rather than first language. Within a certain cultural group, we sometimes assume that culture is homogeneous in a way we would never assume about our own culture. You or I would have a hard time answering a question like, “What do Americans wear?”, “Are Americans rich or poor?”, or “What kind of music do Americans listen to?”, because of the diversity within our nation. That same diversity exists in other nations, and it definitely exists within linguistic groups.

You bring up a second point as well; I am always struck by how much better equipped my school is to teach Spanish-speaking students than our Marshallese-speaking students. It is relatively easy to find books in Spanish, tutors in Spanish, and a copy of almost any document our school produces in Spanish. We have a much harder time finding bilingual resources in Marshallese or translators who are fluent in both English and Marshallese.

As teachers, we know that we need to be constantly learning; there is no teacher preparation program in the world that can teach you everything you will ever need to know to succeed in your classroom. That learning involves more than our subjects (like a new way of teaching division); it also means learning about our students. If I have a student in my class from a country I can’t find on a map, like Tajikstan or Andorra, I need to take the time to find out what I can about that child’s country, language, and culture, by either going online, heading to the library, or asking that child and her family to help me learn more.

One of my Marshallese students writes rhythmic poetry in her maternal language and reads it during Author’s Chair in Writers’ Workshop; even though most of the students don’t understand her language, they listen respectfully as she reads, and then she tells them what the poem means in English. One of the most wonderful friendships in my class happened between a Mexican-American boy named Fernando and a Marshallese student named Fritz, who started teaching each other about their language and culture. Each day the students give me a high-5 or hug on their way out the door, and mid-year, Fernando started telling me goodbye in Marshallese, while Fritz started telling me goodbye in Spanish! What a great thing it would be if every child had the chance to begin becoming trilingual because of the friends she made in school.

Fritz had been quiet for the first few months of 2nd grade, and when we did a unit on The Marshall Islands, he came out of his shell to start telling stories about his dad climbing coconut trees, describing the ocean around the island where he lived, and bringing in shell jewelry his grandmother had made. I was reminded that one of the best ways for a child to learn is for him to teach, and Fritz made great leaps in his oral English that year by asking the many questions the students and I had about his country of birth.

As a parent of Marshallese children, could you give us a list of a few things you would like every teacher to do when working with your child?

Posted by Justin, 5:03PM 12/14/07

Thought you might be interested in this article.
Rhonda

Posted by Andrea, 12:11PM 12/15/07

As an ESOL certified teacher Florida, I, too, recognize the need to integrate technology into ESOL, ESL and EFL classrooms. Consequently, I made a site to help teachers do just that. You may enjoy using it in your classroom with your students:

Inspiration Lane -
http://www.inspirationlane.blogspot.com

Posted by Susan, 1:37PM 12/26/07

Dear teachers,

We’re five days away from the end of this blog, and I wanted to thank everyone who has logged on in the past few weeks, with special thanks to Julie, Susan, Sarah, Joe, Kate, Jules, and Jessica for their insights.

It became clear to me when I was named our state’s Teacher of the Year that we live in a society that often sees teaching as a step in a career ladder. Many people said to me, “Well, now that you got this teaching award, you’ll probably be a principal soon, and maybe someday a superintendent!” They meant their words as a compliment, but I always reminded them that I see teaching as a life-long craft. The eloquence, compassion, and dedication of the people who have been a part of the conversation on this blog remind me how proud and grateful I am to be in this profession.

The last day before Winter Break, my school performed the Nutcracker. I spent that hour sitting between a 3rd grade ballerina named Daisy and one of my favorite colleagues, watching kids I’ve known since kindergarten clash plastic swords, stride across the stage dressed as toy soldiers and candy canes, and dance with a grace way beyond their years. I saw my former students’ faces light up when I walked into the auditorium, stayed to laugh and catch up with their parents—one of the dads was cradling a newborn baby—and hugged teachers who have gotten married or had their first child this year. That night reminded me that a school is a family, one of the last places in our society where babies and grown-ups and the elderly share a world.

We don’t get paid what we should, and we sometimes have to battle with the media, lawmakers, and administrators for the most basic of rights and dignity. But we also get to spend our days in the company of a second family, in a profession where we see love reflected in a thousand one-on-one moments each day.

Thank you all for everything you do each day for the kids, parents, and colleagues who make up the world of your school. Enjoy these much-deserved days of vacation, and I’ll be looking forward to any insights, questions, or experiences you’d like to post between now and the end of the year.

Posted by Justin, 11:39AM 12/28/07

Thank you to all of you who contributed to December’s conversation. We hope you will join us in January when Carla Beard blogs about using media and technology to help students connect with Jane Austen’s novels and characters.

Sincerely,

Jenny Bradbury
PBS Teachers

Posted by Jenny Bradbury, 10:39AM 01/02/08