As I am
completing my observation hours, I feel that I must share with you an issue that has
gained my attention and, at the same time, has produced much concern on my
part. The issue to which I am
referring is the way in which teachers in my school treat Spanish speaking
students. There appears to be a
difference in the way that Spanish speaking and non-Spanish speaking students
are perceived by the teachers within this building. In my classroom in particular there are about eight Spanish speaking students, yet
only five of those students are classified as ESL students. When it comes to
the ESL students, I believe that they are being treated differently than are
the other students within the class.
By that I mean it is as if the teachers who come into the classroom do
not expect these students to learn the basic educational skills that they need
at their grade level. My question is
this: How does a teacher whose students
are struggling to learn English help those students to succeed in every subject?
Although the cooperating teacher speaks to them in English, and works
one-on-one with them, the ESL teacher is constantly reminding her of the fact
that she needs to speak to these students in Spanish. These students are
considered to be "slower" than the other students and in one way or
another, it would appear, less is expected of them. Do you think that it is fair to expect less
from a second grade ESL student than you expect from a general education second
grade student? Should we expect less from
ESL students in general? What standard
should we set for these students? Are
dual expectations fair? Why or why not?
Hi Diana,
ReplyDeleteI believe that teachers should not generally expect less from ESL students. I think teachers should challenge all of their students as much as they can. But, if there are ESL students that cannot do everything the rest of the students are doing, modifications should be made to expect the most out of them. I don't think the teacher should just set them aside and figure they don't need to do as much, because they are ESL. Standards should be set as high as they can go for both the ESL students and the general ed students. Different sets of expectations I believe are fair, because all students are different and they learn differently. If you taught all students the same exact way and expected the same from all students, you would not get the results you want.
Hi Diana,
ReplyDeleteI believe that teachers should not expect less from ESL student just because their first language is Spanish. I think it is not fair to those students just because they are ESL students does not mean that they are not able to do the work that is asked of them for their age and grade level. I agree with Nichole, different expectations from the ESL students is fair but it is not fair if they are treated differently just because they are ESL.
Hi Hazel, like Nicole and Donna said, modificatioions may be needed, and teachers have to patiently let the students learn more and more each day! As teachers, we need to offer visual aids or dicitionaries, and as much support as possible. ELL students should not be treated differently.
ReplyDeleteHi Diana,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what everyone said so far. Everyone in the classroom should be treated equally. Of course, there are going to students on all different levels, but that's when the teacher sets aside different activities based on their ability. ESL students shouldn't be looked differently because English isn't their first language.
I agree that there should be models and visuals around the classroom for students to use as well as dictionaries and picture dictionaries for those students. I also believe that the teacher shouldn't view the child any less and give them easier work, I think the teacher should try to challenge the students in a productive way and help those students excel.
ReplyDelete