Blog Post #8 - Becoming Something Different (Quotes)

          "Becoming Something Different" by Fairbanks, Crooks, and Ariail was a very insightful piece. Researchers follow Esmé from the sixth grade until the eleventh grade and note how she reacts to different components of school. "Corson (1991) has argued that ELLs have been systematically marginalized in school because of language domination, a process by which the dominant culture not only fails to recognize the value of linguistic diversity but also circumscribes the use of students’ first languages." I picked this quote because it shows how difficult school can be for students that speak a different language. They not only have to learn English, they have to be taught in a second language, read books in a second language, and write in a second language. Many teachers are unaware of this difficulty meaning that many children are discouraged from learning and school in general. This is a terrible fact and I enjoy that this reading brings this point forward.

          "At the end of seventh grade, she thought she had become a little bit stronger student. I think it’s because I’m getting a little bit more help ’cause they changed my schedule, right? And so they gave me a reading class, a lower, a reading class [at] my level." This was good to see, the school was working with Esmé in order for her to understand her work. I was glad that the school understood that she was having difficulty and placed her in a remedial class in order for her to gain the skills she needed to continue with school. I'm sure this helped her self-esteem as well.

           "Esmé’s struggle with writing and grammar usage was a reminder of her status as an English language learner and her ongoing acquisition of academic English." This quote stuck out to me personally because I wish to become a high school English teacher one day. I want to treat all my students as equals and will hopefully realize when a certain student is having trouble with certain skills. I don't want any student leaving my class discouraged because English is not their first language.

This video shows an interesting immersion program in which students learn both English and Spanish as one at a young age.