In
early April, I received the all- too-familiar email letting me know that two more
students had enrolled at our quiet little elementary school—one from South Korea,
the other from China. As the lead English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
teacher, the screening, placement, and assessment of these new students would
fall to me. These students were the last of ten new enrollees since January who
qualified for ESOL services. They were the eighth and ninth “just-one-year”
students to enroll this academic year. These students are the children of highly
regarded visiting professors here for just one year, usually coming along more for
the language and life-experience than the academic offerings. Typically, these
students have basic English vocabulary, some rote phrases/sentences, and
listening comprehension ranging from single word recognition to basic
interpersonal communication. On rare occasion, the student arrives with
intermediate to advanced level language proficiency. The newest arrivals were
typical, entering with relatively low English language proficiency, having just
completed academic years in their respective countries, and here for the
experience. I teach in a well-regarded, academically competitive, and ethnically
diverse public school, with a relatively small but growing English Language
Learner (ELL) population, in which the niche “just-one-year” subgroup is
increasing most quickly.
With
just under seven weeks of school remaining, and only two weeks before the
annual, standardized state assessment, the panic set in quickly. Upon reading
the email, I’m reticent to admit that I was filled with an overwhelming sense
of dread and worry. It was so late in the year, we’d be out of school very soon,
and the bulk of instructional time had passed. Still, here they were, ready and
with any luck, eager to learn. The comments, questions, and concerns about
these students were familiar and came quickly, “They speak very little English and are here for just one year. Just do
what you can. Stick them somewhere in
your schedule. It’s the end of the year, no worries! When will you take them??
How long can you keep them?? Please,
give us something to do with them! What could we possibly do with them? They don’t understand anything,
how are we supposed to teach them
anything?” that’s what they said and,
frankly, I get it…this would be just-one-more-thing on an already full plate. What
would we do with these students?
Regardless,
when the comments, questions, and concerns came pouring in for my just-one-year
students, this is what I heard, “Start
over--again. Work miracles or do nothing—no worries, it doesn’t really matter. Please,
take them and teach them, it doesn’t
matter when or how…but keep them for as long as possible. Also, if you can,
send them back with seatwork, partner work, websites, flash cards, workbooks,
anything…just help us keep them busy. Tell us what to do…please, help! Thank
you for taking them out of our rooms, for keeping them busy.” Again, I was
filled with concern. What would we do
with these new students? What do we do with all
of the just-one-year students? They come for so little time and need of so
much of ours; the irony is lost on nobody.
Sometimes,
I think that I barely know what to do
with these students…and I am the expert in the building. Knowing that, it is
understandable that the classroom teachers feel as they do about the addition
of these students to their already-too-full rosters. Teaching is difficult
work, homeroom classes are too big (30+ in the upper grades) and the demands
and expectations placed on teachers are arguably the highest they have ever
been. Adding ELLs who are beginners AND here for just-one-year introduces an
entirely new dynamic that challenges teachers and presents ethical and
instructional dilemmas. Where does a teacher whose time and resources are
stretched-too-thin put his/her efforts? Is it ethically and instructionally
sound to devote one’s scant resources to students who a teacher knows is going to leave in one year to
return to his/her respective country? Is it ethically and instructionally sound
to even consider this fact when teaching
and planning? This is the conundrum that fills my mind when I think of my
just-one-year students. What do we do? More simply, where is the balance in
giving these students the time, attention, and respect that they deserve, while
being careful to not give them so much that we are neglecting the students
(ESOL and non-ESOL) who need support too and will remain in the school system for
their entire academic careers? This is where the dilemma lies.
To
be clear, I am not saying that I (or any teacher, for that matter) dislike
these students and don’t want them in our classrooms. Honestly, I love working
with beginners, which includes this subgroup. I love to see their growth, the
pride on their faces when they realize that they just said something for the
first time, the light bulb moment when they understand a new concept that
seemed out of reach. My favorite thing is seeing their personalities emerge and
expand, for better or worse, in a trajectory parallel to their language growth.
I love these kids and so do their classroom teachers. It is, as one of my
colleagues always says, an honor and a privilege to teach them--but it is not perfect
and it certainly is not simple. The just-one-year students are often incredibly
smart, teach us new and interesting things about their cultures, are sweet and
appreciative of our efforts, and bring richness to our school that wouldn’t
exist without them. Rather, I am saying that there are considerable challenges
in educating these students in a meaningful way; a challenge that, at times,
leaves me (and, I suspect, others) feeling conflicted.
The
just-one-year students come into our classrooms and we teach them, we help
them, we differentiate for them, we love them, but the question remains, what do
we do with these students when it’s just for one year? When it’s so much of our
time, but so little time overall? When they grow linguistically, academically,
and socially, but leave us too soon? When their knowledge is tested and
measured long before their language level allows them to comprehend what is
being asked? When our performance as educators is tied to and assessed by their
achievement on these tests? What do we do? How do we teach a child with
meaning, passion, and sincerity when it is for just-one-year?
Congratulations! You have brought up a topic that many ESL teachers worry about. I taught ESL for 28 years in a low-incidence ESL program similar to your own. We also had students who came to us after their school year ended in Korea or China in the late Spring. We worked hard to give these students are best. I sent seat-work back to the classrooms with my students. I made up kits for the classroom with materials for beginners. I help teachers find APPs for websites or students to use on the iPad.
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