Blog 5

It has been ten weeks and although the course may be ending, being an advocate for teaching English as a second language to young students is something I will continue to do throughout my career.  Writing and gathering the resource material for my research paper was difficult, but I am proud of the work I have put into this course and that I have been able to share the experience with each of my classmates.  The insights I have gained from reading each our your discussions and blog posts were instrumental with helping me to get through the challenges of this course.  I would like to give special thanks to each of you that took the time to post feedback to my blog and my discussions.  Working with each of you has been one of my greatest pleasures of my professional career.  I would also like to thank Professor Sisie Puntil-Wilcek for all her support throughout this class.  I do not think I could have gotten through this course if it was not for her help.  Finally, I would like to say thank you to all my colleagues at my school for their continued encouragement and for always being there for me.  Their daily support gives me the strength to be the best I can be for my students and their families.  I hope that each of you continue to grow in your careers and carry on the advocacy efforts you have gained from this class.

Eva Speaks 

Blog 4 - Observing and Interacting with Families

My observation took place within a classroom of 3 – 5 year old students.  I have the pleasure of observing Ms. N. who is a bilingual teacher.  Each morning begins with her greeting the families by name.  Her soft spoken demeanor helps to create a personable atmosphere.  I asked Ms. N. if she is comfortable speaking with the parents and does she feel she is has done a good job with establishing their trust?  Ms. N. told me that gaining the family’s trust takes time.  To help her gain the family’s trust she welcomes the parents to volunteer within the classroom to give them the opportunity to see firsthand their kids are in a safe environment.  Also, Ms. N. feels that parent conferences are an excellent way to spend individual time discussing child development and voicing concerns.  She said it is challenging for her to be able to accommodate all the family’s needs.  I asked her what she felt is the best method of communication with working parents.  She told me that you have to be flexible and be able to offer different forms of keeping in touch.  For instance, emails, phone calls and handouts are just a few strategies that she uses.

I also spoke with a few parents.  I asked them if they felt comfortable speaking with their child’s teacher.  The parents told me that they are very content with the lines of communication.  They stated that one reason the parents are able to share ideas and concerns is because they can express themselves in their native language.  In addition, there was Headstart Program scheduled meeting with the parents.  I spoke to one parent that said she liked attending these meetings because they keep her well informed. 

Finally, I was able to speak to the Director of the site.  She explained how their program honors the families by having a parent recognition luncheon.  The Director also shared how parents are selected to delegate information from the administrators to the families. This encourages parent to parent partnerships. The setting I have observed throughout this module has been a very good experience in learning how to interact with families and building strong professional relationships.

Eva Speaks

Blog 3 - English As A Second Language (ESL), Addressing Advocacy and Getting Involved

My position as a teacher within the Headstart Program has put me in a setting that allows me to be able to address advocacy issues with various professionals.  For instance, I interact almost daily with parents that support advocates as well as English as second language (ESL) teachers, Social Workers and my school’s enrollment team.  Each group plays an important part and each share responsibility toward the ESL program’s success. First, I would like to share with you how I address certain advocacy issues with the parents.  It is important to remember that seventy-percent of the parents of my students speak Spanish as their primary language.  Also, most of these parents are working professionals.  In order for me to begin teaching English to my young students I must first include the parents as part of the student assessment process.  This allows me to gain insight on the family unit.  How the parents and their children communicate with one another in their home is essential.  Once I have gathered the family’s background, I collaborate with the family and other ESL teachers through one-on-ones or within focus groups to find the best methods for English integration.  Making a learning plan and identifying testing strategies that are customized for that individual family system are ways I advocate English as a second language.  The Social workers and I review family backgrounds and serve as mediators to enlist other school professionals (if needed). Together we set up meetings, conferences and provide much needed resources to families.

I am fortunate to have so many supportive groups within my program.  As a result, they have been able to give valuable viewpoints relating to ways I can be more involved with advocacy groups in both my school and the community. For example, I can join other advocacy networks or even create my own monthly electronic newsletter.  This newsletter could be modified to solicit feedback from the recipients through surveys that would address family needs from parents and give professionals’ strategies that would help streamline language acquisition. Lastly, do not forget to tell your friends about evaabreu1967.blogspot.com for important articles that help promote English as a second language.

I realize that learning another language helps children sharpen cognitive skills, but this can only be done by assessing the students’ understanding of their primary language.  Teachers feel confident when their students have a strong grasp of their primary language.  In addition, it is an important part of our American culture to have some basic knowledge of the English language.  Teachers have to involve parents as well as their students to assist with the family’s language development by getting everyone engage.  This is where I would like make a difference within my community and field.  I want to be successful with getting all professionals more actively involved in the English acquisition curriculum. There should be more collaboration between teachers and the professionals so their strategies and techniques can be implemented in the everyday lesson plan to encourage the children’s development for English as a second language.  This is going to be challenging, but as an advocate I know we can get there!

Eva Speaks

Why Bilinguals Are Smarter - NY Times Article

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?_r=0

Blog 2

I have been a teacher in the Headstart Program for 15 years.   Within only the past few years, our curriculum has integrated the English acquisition.  What I found immediately was the need for this objective to be included for young students.  I firmly support the English as a second language program because, frankly, it has shown results.  To start, seventy percent of my students are primarily Spanish speakers and these spectacular children have learned to grasp a new language with interest. I have seen progress develop since they came through my classroom door.   From August 2011 through today, one of my primary focuses within my classroom is to ensure my students have a firm understanding of their native language.  Once I have determined these kids are equipped to understand their own language/vocabulary, phonics awareness/rhymes, and the importance of letter to word association it is a natural process for these young students to be able make a smooth transition to a second language.

For instance, I observed one of my students modeling a teacher's role with her peers. During my observation, she instructed two classmates to sing "Itsy, Bitsy, Spider" in English.  They all sang along while acting out out the song. It was so cute to see and witness their progress.  This was an opportunity for me to be able to present open ended questions to them such as, "What color was the Itsy, Bitsy, Spider?" "Was it black?" This encourages conversation between students.

The classroom material for my students has also shown to be useful when learning English for the first time. For example, flashcards, printed labels, and picture/word relationships in both languages (Spanish/English) are a regular part of our daily routine.

I have had special learning experiences, insights, challenges as a teacher throughout my educational career.  One in particular that comes to mind is the fact that parents are becoming interested in learning English as adults.  They also understand the importance English has in their everyday life. Kids also seem to be more confident, involved and socially connected.  Parents see it is important for them to show interest in their children's activities and want be apart of their learning process.When parents were given a survey within our community they have expressed an interest in learning the English language. Our program is a result of listening to parent's needs and providing them with free English sessions with teachers twice per week. I am very proud of my students and their families for their support and interest.

Eva Speaks

Blog 1 Interviews

I had the pleasure of interviewing two ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers on Tuesday, April 23rd.  I originally anticipated that I would be an advocate of children diagnosed with Autism, but found that the this subject was not only too broad, but also can be a sensitive matter to both parents and children.  Therefore, I chose to focus my research on the area of teaching English as a second language to young children (ages 3 to 5).  This is an area of a child's education that I am truly passionate about, but I will get into that in a moment.

The first ESL teacher I interviewed teaches English as a second language to young adults (15 - 18 years of age).  She believes that it is imperative that the parents of these kids become more involved with the lessons provided in the classrooms.  It is obvious to most that young adults that have parents that use English as a second language will have an upper hand when compared to young adults trying to learn English as a second language for the first time.  However, parent involvement with their child's studies in either case has shown to expedite their child's grasp for English comprehension.  It was this teacher's contention that a lack of school programs within Illinois to help students learn English as a second language would definitely limit job opportunities and in some cases create resentment between family members.  In other words, young adults learning English as a second language feel empowered and more confident on the road to success.  This teacher feels that the lack of ESL programs within schools should be addressed through comprehensive Immigration Reform.

The second ESL teacher I interviewed teaches English as a second language to young kids (3 - 5 years of age). She believes in what she calls "Family Literacy".  She essentially is echoing the first teacher interviewed by stating both the parents and the child form a pact to help each other learn English as a second language.  She claims that when working with young children and parents it is important to create a lesson plan that resonates within them and is oriented around the family's interests.  Like the ESL teacher for young adults, she too believes that advocacy efforts for ESL programs within schools begins with Immigration Reform. 

I absolutely believe there needs to be greater awareness of ESL programs within schools, but it can be difficult to bring the sometimes heated discussion of Immigration Reform into the classroom especially for young kids.  Being a part of a child's language development and to be able to nurture a student's ability to comprehend a second language can be such a rewarding experience.  This is why I have chosen to be an advocate for teaching English as a second language to kindergartners and not to promote government change.  I feel very fortunate to get the feedback I did from the professionals I had interviewed.  Their passion for teaching and shaping young minds was felt through and through.  Their responses helped me to narrow down my focus for ESL teaching programs in school to language/vocabulary, phonics (sounding off), and literacy (writing/reading). 

I would be very interested in hearing everyone's feedback whether or not my research paper should include, at least to some extent, the topic of Immigration Reform and the relationship to ESL school programs.  More to the point, should I include information related to Immigration Reform within my research paper if I my main focus is teaching English as a second language to young kids?

One way to help Autistic Children