As I was reading this article, I began thinking about some of the students I teach and wondered how they feel about attending school as a minority group. The Noll articles addressed many issues facing minority students. Although I teach 8th grade language arts, I am also a K-12 certified ESL teacher. I see students struggle everyday trying to fit in just as Daniel and Zonnie. The social aspects of the issues are only part of their struggles. From my personal experience with these students, academic concerns arise, in the middle grades especially, due to so much content reading. Language barriers often prohibit comprehension of the text resulting in low test scores and a lowered self-image that they don’t measure up to their American/Caucasian peers. Having students with different abilities and nationalities in my classroom, the parents’ expectations and support vary dramatically as well.
Daniel’s parents put a lot of effort into teaching him to have pride in his culture, and they fostered a positive learning environment by reading to him when he was young. That should help him to feel confident in school. The support Daniel receives from his family should make his minority status in school insignificant to him. But constantly being put down by peers would pull even the strong among us down. Teaching middle school I see injustice towards the students who don’t meet the norm. Even though we have an anti-bullying policy, much of this harassment occurs just beyond the teacher’s scope.
Zonnie, like Daniel, grew up being read to. Even though her father was imprisoned, he fostered literacy by writing letters to her. She was descibed as a cooperative student, but her talents truly weren’t recognized. I am disappointed that Zonnie’s teachers didn’t notice the young lady’s aptitude for writing poetry and simply identified her as a “C” student. Her friends described her as shy in social situations, but not so with her friends. I wonder if her personality might have blossomed more prominately had she have been white?
Zonnie and Daniel both have pride in the hertitage and want to preserve it. I see this same pride in my ESL students, and my school allows these students to “share” their culture with all students during integrated cross-curricular days such as Asia Day, Immigration Day, and African Safari Day.
Karen Chester
Comments (3)
Karen,
I like how you pointed out the fact that the expectations and support of parents varies dramatically. I have had ESL children in my classroom, who were hard workers; their work ethic was instilled within. Their parents were also very supportive and involved, even if they had trouble speaking English. In contrast, I have also worked with ESL parents who did not seem to be as involved in their child's education.
When reading your post, I found it interesting that your school has different cross-curricular days. What kinds of activities are planned for students? How do you decide what type of day is held?
Posted by Katie Johnson | June 10, 2010 7:54 PM
Posted on June 10, 2010 19:54
As I was reading your response I was shaking my head in agreement with everything that you said, honestly. Having a sold home life should provide that confidence that others don't get, bullying is always going to happen right under our noses, and all parents of all nationalities views and level of involvement vary. It's not just one over the other either. Parents are the foundation of it all, and teachers are to supplement and enhance their education and dreams. I do think their teachers were in the wrong with the way they handled each student and the things said about them. I too wonder if Zonnie's personality would have developed differently if she was white. Thanks for the different perspective. I like the celebration days of different cultures, for our school doesn't make those days a big deal, and it should.
Posted by Abby Boughton | June 10, 2010 8:53 PM
Posted on June 10, 2010 20:53
How interesting! Likewise I have ESL students who seem to struggle to fit in. At first it was challenging to get them to feel comfortable saying anything in class. All the Hispanic students stick together; however, I have had a few awesome students who welcomed them and made them feel apart. I'm not sure that they dealt with bullying, but I was surprised at how much these students opened up by the end of the year as a result of peer support. I love the idea of culture days where students can share about their culture and feel welcomed as they are. I think that the support of the peers made a huge difference in the success of these ESL students. One student's involvement in soccer was significant to his success I believe as well. The more we as teachers and schools can invite various cultures into the school and appreciate those differences in the classroom, the more our students' confidence with soar.
Parental support is another key aspect that has huge impact on a child's success. I wish we could have a parent help session to get some parents more involved in supporting their students educational experiences and taking an interest. One student's efforts fluctuated with his mom's focus. I was saddened by how as the year moved on he lacked motivation. The patterns fit with what was going on at home. When craziness and lack of attention occurred, he sat there disengaged. All he wanted was his mom's attention and support. Granted the relationship was a struggle for him. He confessed to me that she told him she didn't really want him. My heart was crushed for him. While I made the effort offering one on one tutoring sessions and supporting him as much as possible at school. His parental support was essential and without it motivation and success was a battle. He just didn't care if they didn't. How do we as teacher's navigate those situations with parents when they just don't pull through for their child?
Posted by Amy Hardister | July 1, 2010 9:20 PM
Posted on July 1, 2010 21:20