Katie Brown’s
background to be an ELL Specialist, let alone teach, is quite impressive. The experiences she has around poverty,
playing soccer with kids in Costa Rica, and listening to Alaskan tribal elders
teach, is not something most of us do every day. We always hear about the state of teaching
throughout America but to actually immerse yourself into a different culture
completely, will tell the real state of education. Shuksan Middle School in Bellingham, where
Ms. Brown is teaching, was once the kind of school that parents tried to keep
their kids from going to. Now, there is
a waiting list to get in and kids cry on the last day of school because they
don’t want to leave. This is a very
inspiring story for those of us who want to teach, to hear. It only takes a handful of people to make a
difference and in this case, a new superintendent with a vision.
This new leader has the vision and
lends support for the teachers when it comes to the Common Core standards. Teachers are given time to implement these
standards as well as get use to them.
Another element to the success of this program, according to Brown, is
the collaborative nature of the teachers in the English Department. From my perspective, I see ongoing
collaboration as a major component to the success of any ELL program. We don’t want any student to ever give up,
especially one that is new to the country.
It looks like the parents are able to learn English right along with the
children at ELL family nights. A
terrific idea that can only bring success and community support to the program,
and all the parental support for the child.
I hope that Ms. Brown will go in
depth into English Language Learners. I
would really like to know how I can become involved and be ready to work with
these new students. Some questions I have
for Katie:
- Is English Language Learners training available through professional development?
- Do the children know some English before entering the class room?
- What books do you recommend, not just to the kids in school, but to their parents as well?
- What is the time frame for the average new student to become proficient in English, and to catch up to their American counterparts?
o Is English Language Learners training available through professional development?
ReplyDeleteo Do the children know some English before entering the class room?
o What books do you recommend, not just to the kids in school, but to their parents as well?
o What is the time frame for the average new student to become proficient in English, and to catch up to their American counterparts?