A Closer Look at the School Life of the ESL Teacher

Now that the pilot study on ESL teachers is complete from the assignment standpoint, I will spend some time over the Christmas break reviewing my findings, while transcribing the fourth interview. Including appendices, the report should end up at 41 pages -- not a bad start for a potential dissertation topic. Still, there is a long way to go with this study as even noted in my implications (not included here). I'm looking for commentary, particularly from any educator who has done research on this topic. The next post will show on December 27th, so a big Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. Thank you for reading!!

In the Classroom

Interviews with all four of the teachers provided worthwhile information into the everyday existence of the ESL educator. Like many regular teachers, no day is the same as another. However, with ESL teachers, change is part of the normal equation.

The ESL teachers in this district had no set classroom, no set schedule, and worked with students of different comprehension abilities throughout the day. They also spent portions of the day pulling students from classes, pushing others into class, changing lesson plans on the fly. Their typical day is a juggling act, short on order, but full of surprises.

It is understood that the students are going through a major life change as a new student in America, so the teachers look to provide order and routine to their students who are living in a strange, chaotic world. Part of the attempt to provide order is to consistently draw up stable lesson units with strong lesson plans, attempting to bring predictability to the students who are developing their English speaking skills in an unfamiliar world.

Despite the attempt to provide structure, lesson plans are changed “on the fly.” Part of the adaptation process required of the teacher is being able to adjust lesson plans based on what methods are working to teach the students. Because of the uniqueness of the ESL students, it is not always obvious which method or technique will work in the classroom. The teachers have found that using references to pop culture are helpful. Students seem enamored by American television shows, commercials, celebrities and books. In several instances, teachers mentioned a popular commercial or book as a lesson tool, sometimes prompted by accident in the classroom.

This art of improvisation is also important to the ESL teacher. The ability to add or subtract an element to a lesson is a key to conveying the message of the lesson. The interests of the ESL student can be unpredictable. In one interview, a teacher mentioned having a lesson on New York City interrupted by a student who began to speak of a close relative who was killed in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The lesson suddenly changed from geography to history and other students shared personal stories of that day.

It is important to find common threads with the students because of their varying abilities of English comprehension. The level system is used as a quantitative measurement of linguistic ability and teaching students who are Level 1 (lower-level) the same lesson as a Level 3 (mid-level) student is commonplace. Just like in a regular classroom, lessons must be differentiated to accommodate students of all abilities. But with the added consideration of English as a second language to all of the students, this skill must be sharpened. The language barrier encompasses the teaching of every lesson and the teacher has to be aware of verbal and non-verbal cues from students to gauge the comprehension level. Two of the teacher subjects spoke of the coping skills of their ESL students, meaning that a teacher had to look for the student who could pretend to understand the lesson, but was truly having difficulty. This is probably a skill honed by the student in the outside world.

Lessons

Each teacher has a favorite lesson. There are similarities in the favorite lessons. References to pop culture, television commercials and celebrities were previously mentioned, but there are others. Regardless of the subject or method used, the important element is to reach the student at their level, making the lesson relevant and meaningful.

Part of this goal is achieved in the difficulty of the lesson. The 7^th grade teacher spoke of students who are embarrassed when they feel that a lesson is “too easy.” Even if they cannot comprehend the easy lesson, the student does not want to look “dumb” among classmates.

Making Connections

Teachers spoke about the importance of social language. This term deals with making the necessary connections with students and finding a common bond. The connection piece, just like with regular classroom teachers, is an important element to ESL teachers. However, one teacher spoke of the connection process. It can take a couple of weeks with one student and a whole school year with another. Another teacher spoke of “rolling over” with her students , in order to strengthen the bond with her students. By rolling over, the ESL moved up with her 3^rd grade students, allowing her to continue working with them as 4^th graders. While this may strengthen the bond, there is a potential drawback. Said the teacher, “I have to be aware to change up,” referring to her teaching style. “What I used last year may not work with them again, so I have to remember to use a different approach.”

Sensitivity to the students needs is important to the ESL teacher, but has a two-pronged approach. While showing empathy toward their own students, there appears to be an unwritten rule among the ESL teachers to make other, non-ESL teachers aware of the special needs of the students. A 7^th grade teacher talked of providing professional development to her colleagues, in the form of a lesson presented during a faculty meeting – a lesson which discussed the special needs of the ESL student. Addressing the issue of teaching the teachers, she remarked, “I understand that the normal teacher has five classes, over 100 students and may have so many things to deal with that they don’t have time to consider the needs of my students. But, it is important for me to reach out and make them aware.”

Another way that ESL teachers bond with their non-ESL colleagues comes in the form of co-teaching lessons. Because the ESL student has the eventual goal of becoming accommodated with their English speaking classmates, they are “pushed into” regular classes for most of the day. To help ease the burden, when possible, harmony is reached by including the ESL teacher as part of the lesson. This is a common job requirement of all four teachers.

Induction to ESL Teaching

None of the teachers interviewed started their career as an ESL teacher. One was a probation officer who enrolled in a career switcher program to gain teacher licensure, while the other three started as regular elementary teachers. Their induction into the program, and their new career could be due to the newness of the program in the school system. One teacher spoke of attending college in Florida and having to earn an ESL endorsement, by virtue of state requirements. Still, she started her career as a regular elementary teacher.

Two other teachers were asked by the school system to complete training to acquire the endorsement. This request was made by the building administrator because of the initial need for ESL teachers.

In spite of their unlikely paths into teaching ESL students, each teacher loves what she is doing and commented that she would not change into another teaching job, preferring to stay with the ESL program. Their love for the program and their students is infectious.

Working with Resources

Each teacher was resource challenged from the beginning. A cursory look at each work area noted resources - books, posters, boxes of miscellaneous items, to have been gathered from different places. In a reflective moment, the 7^th grade teacher noted, “If one of the teachers is throwing out an old science book, I might take a look and grab it because there might be a lesson, a picture, something that I can use later.”

Funding for the ESL program in this district appears to have been scant. However, with recent funding from the government in the forms of Title I and Title III grants, there are now more resources available for the ESL teachers.

However, old habits are hard to break and teachers will still scour through the building to find more teachable materials. However, to a person, each ESL teacher commented that their current funding and availability to resources is sufficient for them to do their job. There is some concern about how long these funds, which are renewable and not guaranteed, will be available.

Challenges

There are three notable challenges which emerged from the teacher interviews. The first, making other teachers aware of the special needs of the ESL student has been mentioned.

The second challenge emerges as result of the state and federal expectations of each student. The third grade teacher shared thoughts on standardized testing. “The kids, actually, the students in general are tested too much. It creates a drawback to the learning process.” Thinking of her own students, she added, “the problem is that one of my students might get a 40 on a standardized test and be upset with the score. In that case, I may have to sit down with the student and look at the progress. It might be a matter of saying, yes, you earned a 40… but look, the last time you took this exam, you scored a 20. I don’t think that any other students actually doubled their score.”

The other challenge is the expectation for the ESL student to keep up with their American classmates. Because of the constant testing, precious classroom time is lost, adding additional pressure to the teachers. While students are improving and becoming more acclimated to the regular classroom, the complaint from the teachers is that too much is expected of them too soon. Says one, “They are expected to earn the same scores as the students who have been here (in America) their whole life. It isn’t very fair.”