Please read the article linked below from the New Times about Chicago schools lagging behind as the population of bilingual students grows, then post your response to the article on your blog. Remember, just as on blackboard discussions, the expectation is that your postings will not be a summary of the article but a reflection of your ideas and questions about the article. Please make sure you post your original response and peer responses on the comments section of my blog using only your first name and the first name of your classmate. Also, don't forget to respond to the blogs of at least 2 classmates. Happy blogging!!
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ReplyDeleteReading and Bilingual Students
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this article I was not really shocked by how many Latinos there were in Chicago. What did shock me was the fact that most of the Latino students were keeping up in American schools in their native language. I hear my teachers sometimes talk about receiving a Latino student, and there was no one to help them help the student learn. All states should have some type of program like this set up in public schools. Even if it is just one school within so many miles of each other, the school could bus the students back and forth for their education. As I kept reading I saw that some of the Latinos in some areas were passing American kids on the state test. It is amazing to see how far we can come if we have the right tools to help teach each student as they need to be taught. Hopefully this program will advance into other states, we could really use it.
I also think that the state needs to help teachers be able to reach these students. Their needs are just as important as everyone elses...I think that eventually..this will really have to become an issue that is dealt with.
DeleteIt also surprised me that there are so many Latinos in Illinois. I know I would be useless if I had a spanish speaking student in my class.
DeleteYeah there needs to be some kind of resource to help the teachers. My sister had a child that did not know one word of English last year in her class. She had to figure out how to teach him with no help from the school. She did receive support from other teachers though.
DeleteI agree. We need to be aware of how many Spanish speaking students are out there and coming to America. As teachers, we need to be prepared to teach them English and to learn their language as well. Reach to teach a kid... IN EVERY WAY
DeleteIt is sad to think that just because a student speaks another language, they are viewed as a hopeless case because their is no one in that particular school system to help them. These students deserve a chance to learn, and there needs to be some type of program to help them.
DeleteCathryn, that's why I think dual-language programs in each state would be great! The results stated from the article showed students who went to schools like these did very well having both languages.
DeleteI agree, as Elementary or Early Childhood Education majors, we do not get taught hardly anything about this. Perhaps this would be a good thing to start implementing before college students are allowed to graduate. While this extra course might postpone some people's graduation, it would better prepare us for the classroom.
DeleteI agree that we need programs in all states and all districts to help students learn regardless of language. We have to have programs to help students with learning disabilities, we meed to also have those programs available to to second language learners.
DeleteIt is really amazing that the Non-English speaking students were so successful in school. The human spirit is really amazing when faced with challenges. I think that this article shows that this is really becoming an issue in all schools. Teachers are not able to meet the needs of the Non-English students and I feel like this would have to be a problem. I would be so frustrated if there were students in my classroom that I could not completely communicate with.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it would be frustrating to not be able to communicate with a student. I knew that this was an issue, but I did not know how big of an issue it has become. I think more people would attempt to become qualified to teach in these programs if they knew how big of a need it is.
DeleteI also agree about getting frustrated. I would almost feel as if I was failing as a teacher if I couldn't addequetly communicate with a student.
DeleteI completely agree that it would be frustrating to not be able to communicate with a student. I would feel like I would be failing that student as a teacher if I wasn't able to communicate with him/her. Like Caitlyn said, I knew that this was an issue, but I wasn't aware of how big of an issue it had become.
DeleteI think having a student that you can't communicate would be one of the worst problems to have in my classroom. I would have to try my hardest to learn the basics of whatever language they were speaking in order to communicate. I predict that as time passes, education majors are going to have the added requirement of being bilingual.
DeleteI heard one of my professors say once that spanish will be the dominant language in America by the year 2050. There is a good chance that most of us will still be teaching by then. Now is the time to start implementing programs that will help us to provide the best education possible for English language learners. After reading that article, I kind of wish I would of at least minored in spanish.
ReplyDeleteI know there are a lot of Spanish-speaking people in America, but there are still plenty of other people that speak their languages and English too. I just do not see how Spanish could become the dominant language. There are trends and projections of what could happen in the future but how can anybody really know what will, many things in the present can change and cause it to go in a different direction then they predicted.
DeleteI sure hope I'm teaching by 2050. I've read that somewhere too and it makes me wish I would have listened to Ms. Robbins more. I also think it is a good idea to incorporate learning a different language into a teacher's education. Learning a new language could only better yourself.
DeleteI don't see how the spanish language could become the dominant language either but I dont doubt that it could happen.
DeleteI actually looked into minoring in Spanish for this exact reason. Unfortunately I was told that as Education majors you cannot minor in Spanish. The only option was to double major. This was such a disappointment to me. Maybe the college could look into changing the policies to allow us to do so. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would not want to start a whole other major!
DeleteThe thought of spanish becoming the dominant language in America is kind of scary to me. I feel like the United States is losing a little bit of its identity when things like this are mentioned. As American's I think we should take as much pride in our culture as other countries do. As teachers i think we should accomodate the learning differences in our students such as the language barrier, but I don't think we should give up our english background in the process. I think our goal should be able to teach english as well as the other curriculum. I don't want to be so accomodating as to give up on our own heritage.
DeleteI think it is very important for people that speak another language to learn English, especially if they are going to be living here in America. They need to be able to read and write it too. I also think it should not be our government's responsibility to pay for that education. But alas it is here and we do because their test scores are counted with everyone elses and bring it down because they have trouble with the language. So we have to spend money teaching them in their languages or helping them learn English. Since we do spend money on it, it should be handed out according to the need for it. The schools that have the most should get more money. The dual-language program where they teach more in their native language in kindergarten and each year lower it looks like a really good program.
ReplyDeleteJanelle Birney original blog post
I agree. It is important for people to learn English if they are going to live here in America. And it is a really great program.
DeleteI also agree. I think that people to know how to speak and write in English if they are going to live here in America. I also this it's a great program.
DeleteAfter reading this article, I saw how important it truly is to be able to speak not only English, but other languages too (Spanish). For the longest time, I didn't agree that we had to learn a different language when they are coming to OUR country. And still, I don't think its really fair. But, as teachers we have to understand we must reach to EVERY child...Spanish or English ... It doesnt matter. It is important for us all to be flexible and able to reach and teach as many kids as we possibly can. I feel like I need to really brush up on my Spanish now....
ReplyDeleteI completely understand where you are coming from. I remember listening to Ms.Robbins in Spanish class always telling us we will have to know this one day, and I never believed her. I've watched the Hispanic population grow over the years, and I know it will effect me in my future teaching. After reading this article, I feel like I need to buy Rosetta Stone or something. haha.
DeleteI understand where you would have that mentality, because I too used to have it before I respected that culture and their want for a better life. America really is the greatest country in the world with great possibilities, so I turned my view around when I put myself in their shoes of wanting to better the lives of their children. In some way, it is flattering for them to think that we can be a small impact of the betterment of their lives and their children's lives. So yes, I too want to brush up on my Spanish (or any other language) as well.
DeleteI have been the same way, I have always thought that this is America and we should all speak English. But as Lindsey posted, America is the greatest country and we can not fault the families for coming here looking for a better life.
DeleteI too agree that they need to be reached at school. I believe that all we are doing in hindering them if we only educate them in Spanish. When they get out in the real world, no one will hire them. Or when they go to college their professors are not going to teach in English and Spanish. I have heard that the best time to learn a new language is early in life, why not spend our tax dollars on teaching these children English so they can one day succeed in life and become contributing citiznes.
DeleteI agree with you all that we should make ourselves more accomodating for those students who speak another language, but I also think that our goal should be to teach them english as well. I used to have the same view you all are talking about, and although I now see that we as teachers need to be the ones to make changes. I understand that we need to be able to reach the children through our speech in order to teach them. However, I think its unrealistic to expect ourselves to learn every language we might come in contact with. Yes, spanish is the most common language being accomodated for, but that is not to say that the only ELL we have are latino. For instance, the pre-school where i currently work has a Japanese student that speaks little to no english! I think we need to educate ourselves with enough information to teach the students, but i don't believe we should expect oursleves to learn a whole new language. I think we should aim to teach them like we teach any other student, and also teach them the english they will need in everyday life in the process.
DeleteThis article made me a little sad when I read it. I hate to think of a student struggling just because of a language barrier. As a future teacher, I need to know the Hispanic language. I realize that’s not an easy task, but with the majority of the population becoming Hispanic learners, it is probably a good idea. I want to make myself a better teacher and be able to help those students who are English Learners. I think it would be a good idea if learning a second language was mandatory for teachers. I know a lot of people may disagree, but in my opinion it would only benefit both the educator and the student. Times are different now, and the majority of student’s at most schools are not English speaking natives. I know learning a different language will be hard, but this article has really inspired me to expand and refresh my knowledge of the Hispanic language. While, there are a lot of different languages our there that are putting a gap between students and learning, I think Spanish is the most prominent one. If I want to become the best teacher I can be, I need to remember that it is my job to continue my own education so I can help my students the best that I can.
ReplyDeleteKaty, I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, while reading your response, I could have sworn I was reading my own. This article made me sad as well. Those poor children shouldn't be punished for knowing a different language. I'm sure if they had their choice, they would go to a school that could successfully meet their needs in a second. This article also inspired me to refresh my memory on Spanish, since that is the language I took in high school and am most familiar with. I too want to be the best teacher I can be, and if that means expanding my education, then so be it.
Delete-Lindsey Elliott
It is very sad to think a student is struggling just because they do not understand the language. Teachers should have an enthusiasm to best help their students in any way they can, and understanding another language may be one of the best ways to help particular students.
DeleteI too thought the article was sad. I can't image being in a class where I couldn't understand what is going on. This article also made me want to expand my knowledge of the Spanish language that I learned in class. I think it is also a good idea to have future teachers take classes in a different language in order to better help their students.
DeleteWhile reading this particular article, I was well aware of the bilingual issue in our school systems, however I didn't realize the bilingual gap on state mandated tests had gotten so large. Also, I didn't notice the percentage increase of English-language learners in our schools was steadily increasing so much as well. This is why I feel that learning a foreign language in high school should be required, but even through college as well. Even though I took three years of spanish in high school, I have forgotten the majority of what I learned due to the lack of practice. While I think all majors should be held accountable for taking more foreign language classes in college, I also think it should especially be a rule for education majors. Although many may not agree with me, this issue needs to be dealt with one way or another, so why not starting with more tools to be added in our tool box to be used in the classroom?
ReplyDeleteI too have forgotten the two years of spanish I took in high school. I just always thought I wouldn't need to know it. I also think that education majors should take more foreign classes.
DeleteI took two years of Spanish in High School and remember some of it. But textbook spanish is so much different than "real spanish." I DO think it is important for us to know another language but I don't feel that it is our responsibility to learn the other language. I think instead of spending our tax dollars on teaching these children in Spanish, I think we should teach these children English in order for them to become contributing citizens one day.
DeleteI agree with you, I think more Spanish should be a requirement for future teachers. I know we already have a lot of courses that we have to take but I know that I am going to have to probably learn it in the near future so why not take it in a class.
DeleteI think that learning Spanish would greatly improve all the barriers that teachers are facing when trying to teach a student with another native language than English. Having classes in college offered to help us out with that would be great on one hand because if we don't take them in college, then more than likely we will try to while we are already faced with the issue and try and keep up to help the student while learning Spanish ourselves. It is something to definately think about.
DeleteWhile reading this article, I knew of the billingual gap that we have in our schools, I just did not realize how bad it is. I think that this article will really open people's minds about what is really going on in some schools. In the article it says that there were "Compliance problems included bilingual courses taught by teachers who lacked required language or subject-matter certification, classes with substandard content, and failure to make yearly assessments of how well students are learning English." I think that this is a major problem. We need more teachers certified in order to teach the students properly.
ReplyDeleteThe bilingual gap we have in school is horrible, I agree. I have never really been in a school with bilingual students, but I have heard my teachers in college talk about it.
DeleteI agree that we definitely need more teachers certified in these areas to teach the students properly.
DeleteThis article is good for teachers to read because they need to be aware of the growing number of students who do not have English as their primary language. It would be beneficial for both teachers and students if more schools could implement a dual-language program like Jose Torres started. This way, students would be exposed to both langauges, and be able to start out strong in their primary language while improving thier second language. SO often these students get left behind, all because of a language barrier. If people could read this article and see the importance of having programs and support for bilingual students, maybe more would get done to help them and give them an early chance for success.
ReplyDeleteI also agree we need more programs out there for bilingual students. Not every school should have them, since some schools do not need a program like this at all, but some do.
DeleteI also think it is an eye-opening article for teachers. It's obviously a growing problem in the U.S. for English-learning students to not have curriculum to succeed. I also think the dual-language programs would be very beneficial to have in each state.
DeleteBefore this article I didn't realize it was beoming such an issue. It would be beneficial for schools to have a dual-language program. From reading the article it seems they are working hard to find a solution.
DeleteSuburban Chicago Schools Lag as Bilingual Needs Grow-
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts are that if a spanish speaking family comes to America, they need to learn English. If my family moved to Mexico, their education would be presented in Spanish which is practical because that is their primary language. I would teach my child Spanish in order for them to get the education they need. If a spanish child is put in a classroom and taught only in Spanish, their chance of a job in America is slim because they cannot speak English. I think first they should learn the English Language and then be able to attend our schools and get a quality education. If I had a Spanish speaking child in my classroom I would do my best to reach them but at the same time I would teach them as much English as I could in order for them to succeed in the future. That is our whole point of teaching is to prepare these young children for life after school in the real world. Well if the only language a child can speak is Spanish, their future does not look too great in America because most businesses are not going to hire that person becaue they cannot speak English.
I think that teaching a child a second language in school is probably the most efficient way to go. By doing this students are able to learn the new language in context. I also think that it is narrow minded to believe that everyone should speak English. In every other country students are fluent in multiple languages, this is not out of necessity, this is because it helps them to be more well rounded. In the early 1900's when scores of immigrants were filling the Chicago's factories and sweat shops hardly any of them spoke a word of English. They learned quickly how to assimilate to the community they moved too. Young children will do the same too. My friend moved here from Mexico at age 4, spoke no English and spent two years in Kindergarten. With nothing but a GED this girl has had a couple of great jobs making more than I will as a teacher and all because she is fluent in English and Spanish. I think that instead of us trying to find a way around this topic we should maybe broaden our horizons, step outside the box, and learn a second or third language.
DeleteI am not against learning a second language at all, I think it is important to do so. I'm simply saying that we should not take away from our other students who speak English in our classroom, it's not fair. Like I said before I would do everything I could to help these children but I think they can help themselves by learning our language to get the most out of their education.
DeleteI think that it is unrealistic for you to say that children should learn English before entering public school. Generally if a student comes to school not knowing english it is because they do not speak it at home. How do you think a child's parents are going to teach their child english if they do not speak it? Children are resilient and will pick up a second language very quick. Spending a couple extra minutes explaining something to a ESL student is no different than spending a couple minutes with a student on an IEP. Mrs. Bedford who spent many years in a border town of Texas has expressed many times how quickly these students catch on to the language. It is such a waste of their life to think they should sit at home and hope their parent learns English well enough to teach it to their child.
DeleteAt the end of the article the principal says in her school that if it's Spanish time, it's Spanish time and all students are speaking Spanish. My brother's-in law brother went to Spain for two years and taught the Spaniard students English. I think going to Spain and actually being in an environment that required him to speak in a second language made him able to learn Spanish easier. In schools with a big percentage of students who are English learners, this way of teaching seems like it would be most effective to me- to have a specific time where they can only speak English. I think this is where the dual-language programs are a great idea. I mean, it obviously is working according to Illinois state reading tests. These not only build onto student's native language, but also teach them English. Learning these hand-in-hand will give the students something to build on. They have both languages, but have different curriculums where they have to speak both. This way students would have to think about how to use both languages without taking the easy way out. When I took sign-language, my teacher was deaf, so I had to speak using signs. I feel I learned it a lot faster and easier because of it. I think we should incorporate dual-language programs throughout the U.S.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think that the struggling schools across the US should incorporate more dual-language programs! I think this would definitely increase the students grades.
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DeleteI am shocked that Chicago does not have a better set up for Spanish speaking students. When I was in elementary school there was a classroom for ESL students. The teacher was bilingual and was able to make the transition easier for the students. I think that all schools should have resources for ESL students. This is not just for the students while they're in the classroom but also for the teachers. When a teacher has a comment for the parent it is often hard to find someone to translate notes or conversation. This breakdown in communication can be detrimental for the parent/teacher relationship. I think it is neat that the Principal sent some teachers to Spain in order to recruit teachers, but it was also a waste. Why didn't the Principal use the money and send the teachers back to school? The money spent recruiting would have been better used sending the teachers to Spain to reinforce their own Spanish instead of trying to find teachers who were willing to uproot their lives. I also think that teachers would be more willing to pursue learning a second language if their pay was adjusted to reflect their new wealth of knowledge. Many other jobs will increase salary if they hire someone who is bilingual, but I have not heard this being the case in elementary school. This is an ever growing problem that does not have an easy solution. On the one hand there is hardly any money for education and on the other administrators needs teachers to do more than ever before.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the language barrier is detrimental to the parent/teacher relationship. I am minoring in Spanish because I know I am called to teach in a Spanish speaking community and I know a parent-teacher relationship is important to a student's education. It is pretty cool that the principal sent someone to Spain to recruit teachers, but I also agree it was a waste. There are plenty of teachers here in America that are able to teach in Spanish as well as English.
DeleteI understand the issue of bi-lingual teaching, but I believe it is very cost prohibitive. The first question is what languages must we teach bilingually in, as it would be prejudicial not to teach in all foreign languages. We receive immigrants from all over the world, coming to the country speaking hundreds of languages, do we need to provide bilingual teachers of all languages. This is why I believe it to be unrealistic. Schools need to meet the needs of their community, and bilingual classes make sense when there is a large population of non native speaking students. This being said, not all schools have the specific need, and hiring a bilingual Spanish teacher will not help you if your population speaks Korean.
ReplyDeleteI do not want students to fail, and programs that work need to be lauded, but the funding needs to go to the schools that have the greatest need. I don’t believe there is any one right answer, but the goal should be to have our students speaking, reading and writing English so they can be productive and successful in the future.
I don't think that having a bi-lingual program will make or break a budget. In Chicago they were looking for Spanish speaking teachers because that is what their population called for. I heard on NPR that there are dual language schools popping up all over the country. These are public schools and parents can choose the second language they want their child to learn. The lessons are presented in both languages and students become fluent with the terminology in both languages. The studies have shown that the students are learning the subjects and thriving. The chatter on the playground is not just in English, it is all the different languages because the students are truly fluent.
DeleteIt is by NO MEANS unrealistic!! The schools need to meet the needs of the community. Teaching a child only in English is hindering their overall education. There will always be at least one student who does not speak English. I think it is ignorant for anyone to think that all people living in America to speak solely English. To have two or three languages spoken in a classroom is beneficial not only to the students who are not native English speakers, but native speakers as well. Giving the native English speakers a chance to learn a new language is awesome because they are more able to learn a new language the younger they are. Dual-language schools need to be popping up all of the states... I love the fact that they are. We need to help our students succeed no matter what we have to do.
DeleteGreat point of view! It makes the best sense for a school to meet the needs of the surrounding community. I agree that funding should go to the schools that express the most need in this area. Also, concentrating on the basics of reading and writing for the ELL student would prove the most beneficial for their future success.
DeleteAfter reading the title of this blog, I thought about what I had heard in my classes about the learning gap for bilingual students. I found many things in this article interesting. The statistic of how large the gap is getting I found really sad. I also found that while the state was requiring so much from students and from teachers and then they cut the funding for the English learning programs. As a future teacher I want to be able to help all my students learn. This article makes me want to continue working on learning Spanish. I think that in the future education programs should require students to take more classes in Spanish.
ReplyDeleteI agree that in the future eduacation programs should require students to take more spanish classes or even other foreign language classes.
DeleteI agree that all students should be reached, but learning a second language is not easy for every teacher. So do teachers not get hired if they struggle with this?
DeleteAfter reading this article and everyone's responses, I think the biggest reason a lot of us have never really thought about this issue is because most of us are probably from small towns in Oklahoma where we really don't have this problem. I did go to school with a lot of spanish speaking students and most of them are actually from Elgin, where this article talks about a dual-language program being put into place. These students havent had problems with school as far as I know. They were actually ranked pretty high in my graduating class.
ReplyDeleteThis is true about a lot of students not realizing the arising problem is because of being from small towns in OK. I am also from a small town, but I too went to school with a lot of ELL. I couldn't even hold conversations with a lot of my classmates because of this language barrier. And to be honest, neither could our teachers. We had one translator at this school, and they worked with all of the elementary ELL.
DeleteIt is unfortunate that some students struggle due to a language barrier. I am from the very diverse city of Houston and I have experienced some of the problems of language barriers. It can be incredibly frustrating. When I attended schools in Houston I came across incentives to become fluent in Spanish. Some employers would offer a large bonus to those who were hired as bilingual. From these experiences I believe it is very important to learn a second language especially one that is prevalent. I chose to learn French because of my family heritage. Unfortunately, French is not prevalent so I have yet to find five people I can talk with in French. Sadly, I have forgotten most of the French I learned. I believe one way to encourage students to learn two languages is to start teaching other languages in the earlier grades. I believe for the present problem schools could offer to teach their teachers Spanish through some of the great language programs offered today.
ReplyDeleteThis article opened my eyes and made me see that some people are actually trying to help the students who have no background of English. I grew up in a school where students spoke primarily Spanish and it was harder for them to comprehend the things we were learning in class. It makes me happy to see that schools are not only helping the English-learners but also allowing the non-Spanish speakers the time to learn some Spanish. This will help both sets of students in the long run. When it talked about going to Spain to find teachers for their schools it made me think about how I am going to minor in Spanish and how much it can help the students. I have always wanted to go overseas and teach with my Spanish background and now I see that there is a need for it right here in America. It is crazy to think there is such a difference in English speakers performance and Spanish speakers performance. I know it takes longer to process the information but I never fully understood the impact it has on their overall performance.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article and other's thoughts about it I found myself really questioning how the situation should be handled. I think as teachers our main task is to help our students succeed. I feel that if a Spanish speaking student came to my classroom I would need to become more comfortable with that language so I could help the student. It seems like some think that the children should be taught English by their parents before entering the school system, but I do not see it that way. It is not the student's fault that they are being thrown into a "new" world. So why would we want to make the situation worse by ignoring the problem because someone should have taught them English before coming to school. I think it is important that in the school districts talked about in this article that they continue to increase the amount of programs that start out with more Spanish and end with very little. It seems like a really good way to help students become more familiar with English and will definitely improve their grades as they get older.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. It is our task to help our students succeed. It is not their fault that they do not know English but it is becoming a big problem. I like the idea of starting out with more Spanish and end with very little.
DeleteAfter reading this article, I wonder if other states would start making it a requirement to be certified in Spanish education too. While this would be yet another thing that college graduates would have to worry about, it would be greatly beneficial to all the students that enter the classroom. I have wanted to become fluent in Spanish for many years now, yet it would take up a vast amount of time to learn everything and practice. However, knowing what the future more than likely will bring, I should start looking into this now.
ReplyDeleteI agree, being certified in Spanish would be greatly beneficial to both school districts and students. It would require more than the 3 to 13 hours required from universities in OK.
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ReplyDeleteI understand that there is a need for more teachers to be fluent in Spanish, or any language, to help ELL, but I also see this problem as an increase in population. The number increased tremendously of ELL in those suburb districts, which is what created the problem of failing to provide curriculum for those students. Yes schools need to be prepared, and equiped, but sometimes it takes time to find teachers qualified to teach ELL. This seems to be an arising problem in America, and being fluent in Spanish, or another language may not be a bad idea for teachers.
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ReplyDeleteI think it is a good idea to prepare teachers to be fluent in Spanish. The problem I have seen in bigger cities is that there are many other languages prevalent in today's sociey.
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DeleteOriginal Response: This article shows how the language barrier can keep Latino and other immigrant students from succeeding in the classroom. Of course students who have English as a second language and parents at home who only speak Spanish struggle more than white students in the area of reading. The article mentions a school called Plainfield that started a bilingual program which greatly benefited one student. This would be ideal for all school districts, but I do not know if it would ever happen. The thing that really stuck with me while I was reading the article is how important it is for teachers, if at all possible, to learn Spanish. Illinois is not the only state with many English Language Learner students. Texas and Oklahoma are also faced with the same issues. Having teachers who are bilingual would be extremely beneficial to the students, school districts, and parents. After reading how much having Spanish as a second language could benefit students, it makes me consider learning the language.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you how it is important for teachers to learn Spanish. After reading this article, I also have considered and probably will try to learn Spanish since this issue is everywhere not just Illinois.
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Delete@Phydelca Thomas: I agree, I too was surprised when I learned that English was not the official language of the United States. I wish that I would have learned Spanish beginning in elementary school rather than starting my sophomore year in high school. I also agree that it's not a bad idea for teachers to minor in Spanish or be required to take Spanish. It would be for our own benefit.
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Delete@ Rachel Skimbo: I agree with you that we should not punish the child because he or she did not learn English at home. As elementary teachers, we want to prepare our students for success, and there is no way for a child to succeed if he or she does not know the language in which the content is being taught! I also agree that more programs that start instruction in Spanish and then gradually move into more English would be beneficial. I also think that students who only know English should learn some Spanish early on.
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this article I did not realize how much the problems with English-language learners and the need for more bilingual teachers and programs were around the Illinois area. Some of the statistics for how much of an increase there was in English-language learners in just six years shocked me. The need for better programs and more bilingual teachers is very evident just from reading about the academic gaps from that area. I was a little shocked but glad that the principle sought out and tried to bring bilingual teachers all the way over from Spain to help out our students in need. But the fact that we are jumping over oceans to help our students here at home shows great effort but on the other hand I am sad that we are having to resort to that because we can not help our students ourselves. I also liked reading about how Filiberta Sachanski’s first-grade class has spanish words incorporated all over the classroom to help out. This definately shows that this teacher is trying and hopefully it pays off!
ReplyDeleteI was shocked at the gaps between the students. I knew there were a lot of English-language learners but this really brought it to life. I didn't realize it was becoming such an issue. It was nice to see what all the schools were trying to do to help the situation. With such an increase I can see how it would be hard to find bilingul teachers to help fix the problem. It looks like they are working hard at trying to find a solution.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I had no idea how big the numbers were and the issue it was becoming.I think it is great that the school systems are trying to help this issue in such a big way.
DeleteReading this article has caused me to rethink my previous views on english-language learners in regards to the public school teacher. As an adult,I have noticed the accomodations being made throughout everyday life for people who speak foreign languages. It seems obvious that accomodations would also need to be made for students in a classroom. I can only imagine how intimidating it must be for a non-english speaking student to enter a classroom and be expected to function and learn along with the other students.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am concerned that we may focus to much of our bilingual attention on spanish speaking students. Perhaps the article just meant that they "mainly" deal with latino students and therefore that is the what they focused their attention on talking about. I think sometimes children who need special attention can fall through the cracks because there may only be one or two students that require that attention, and we deem their needs less important becasue there are only a few kids struggling. I hope that the same accomodations being made for spanish speaking students will be made for all english-language learners regardless of the number of them in a classroom, school district, or state.
I work at a school that has a system for English Language Learners and I can see how it helps the students. That being said my daughter is in class with a little girl that speaks no English and there is another 5 year old girl in the class that translates everything for her. I just don't see where the little girl that translates really has an opportunity to learn. She is too busy translating for the other little girl to really comprehend what the teacher is saying or doing. I think it can be a great asset to have these opportunities for children, but I also think that we need to provide those same opportunities for other children as well.
ReplyDeleteReading and Bilingual Students Original Post
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me that with so many Spanish speaking students, that the districts have trouble finding bilingual teachers. One would think these districts would somehow coerce teachers from areas such as Los Angeles and other bilingual areas to the Chicago suburbs. I think the district that sent scouts to Spain were on the right track, just the wrong direction. I believe that there are plenty of bilingual teachers throughout our states that border with Mexico. Why not start there prior to wasting money and going abroad? This also opens up a new question: Are we as future teachers needing to become bilingual in order hold a job? Also, what kind of pay increase, if any should we expect if we venture into becoming bilingual?
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DeleteRachel Skimbo: I agree. I don't think that we should in any way punish a child for not having the capability to speak English. This is not something that they can help and it will take time to learn.
ReplyDeleteReading and Bilingual Students in Response to Shawna:
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is amazing that these students are persevering with little or no knowledge of English as a first language. It’s easy to see how lack of communication could hinder the student teacher relationship. I hope to have abilities I need to communicate with the students in the area which I decide to teach.
Reading and Bilingual Students in Response to Caitlyn James:
ReplyDeleteThis one is hard to agree with completely. I don’t know how many of us will still be teaching by then, but the years leading up to this will be a rough road. Also, I don’t see English becoming a second language in the US. I can see that Spanish will be spoken by many more people than today though.
Before I read the article I already knew there was bilingual issue in our school systems, however I didn't realize large the bilingual gap on state mandated tests had gotten.What did suprise me was the fact that Non-English speaking students were so successful in school. I knew there were a quite a few of English-language learners but this really brought it to my attention. I think learning a foreign language in high school shoud be require, but especially through colleges also. Future eduacation programs should require students to take more spanish classes or even other foreign language classes. As teacher it is our job to help every child succeed and how can we do that if we cannot communicate with them.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article from the NY Times by Rebecca Harris, I have to say that I am not surprised by what I read. The article gives an overview of the Chicago area schools' programs for English Language Learners. The article points out that the Chicago area's ELL population is growing and therefore the need for bilingual support is growing. However, the reaction to the growth has left some things to be desired. Many students are struggling to get by because of the language barrier. Sadly, I don't see this situation as being unique to that area. It seems as though the number of English Language Learners in public schools is increasing all over. Although that in itself is in no way a problem, the inability to meet those needs is a problem. I believe that our educational system should place a priority on training teachers and administrators to meet those needs. I wonder what the result would be if pre-service teachers were required to become fluent in at least two languages.
ReplyDelete@Misty
ReplyDeleteI agree that if a child is responsible for translating for another child all the time they are not getting the chance to experience everything in the classroom as they should. We can't let that responsibility fall on our students.
@Ashtin
ReplyDeleteYou brought up something that made me start to think. In the article, we hear so much about Spanish speaking students. I have to wonder about non-English, non-Spanish speaking students. If there is so much focus on Spanish speakers, should there be a greater focus on other ELL students. When I was in Jr. High, a girl joined my class in the middle of the semester. She spoke Chinese and no English. The school was in no way equipped to help her and we all knew it. Sadly, when she was old enough, she dropped out. This is something that we have to avoid.
This subject is so hard to comment on with out offending someone. It should be a priority to make sure that these children are being reached, but do I feel that teachers should have to speak a second language fluently? I feel that maybe school districts should bring in bilingual teachers that work with students everyday, kind of like when children go to reading tutors. I dont want the children to be left behind,but feel it should be the districts responsibility to provide language tutors.
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