Wednesday, October 20, 2004
English Language Learner Time
Did you know that teachers across California are required to stop teaching their "English Only" students each day for a half an hour so that they can give special attention to students who are struggling to learn English? You may say, "Yeah, but these kids need extra help." But I ask, must it be at the expense of the rest of the class? As a teacher I am forced to expect twenty-two students to work on a daily journal for a half hour while I sit at a table with six Enlish Language Leaners.
This may not sound so unreasonable until you realize that most of these English Language Learners were born in the United States and have gone to school in the California system since Kindergarten, they are simply the students who did not pass the English test to be considered fluent. There are many reasons why they did not pass the test.
1. The test is actually difficult. Many "English Only" kids wouldn't be able to pass it.
2. Some of the kids are shy, and fail the verbal part of the test because they are forced to talk to a person that they don't know. No, the teachers do not typically administer these tests.
3. Some kids are lazy, and there is no consequence for not passing the test, so why try?
You should also know that it is virtually impossible to flunk an English Language Learner in a California Public School. They can't be failed for not passing tests. They can't be failed for not turning in work. They can't be failed for being absent too much. They can only be failed if the parents think it is the best solution for their child. In fact in most cases the parents have to actually demand that their child be held back. Districts don't want to be called racist, and besides it costs a lot of money to educate these kids for an extra year.
Gee, I wonder why the schools are failing us.
"So, how does a kid get labeled as an English Language Learner?" Well, If the parent admits that they speak more than one language at home, their kids are automatically tested, and will continue taking those tests each year until they pass. While they are labeled, they get an extra half hour of the teachers attention each day. That adds up to about eighty hours by the end of one year! Hey, that is more than two weeks of classroom time that is used for English Language Learners rather than the rest of the class. If you are a parent, or a taxpayer you should be disgusted.
This may not sound so unreasonable until you realize that most of these English Language Learners were born in the United States and have gone to school in the California system since Kindergarten, they are simply the students who did not pass the English test to be considered fluent. There are many reasons why they did not pass the test.
1. The test is actually difficult. Many "English Only" kids wouldn't be able to pass it.
2. Some of the kids are shy, and fail the verbal part of the test because they are forced to talk to a person that they don't know. No, the teachers do not typically administer these tests.
3. Some kids are lazy, and there is no consequence for not passing the test, so why try?
You should also know that it is virtually impossible to flunk an English Language Learner in a California Public School. They can't be failed for not passing tests. They can't be failed for not turning in work. They can't be failed for being absent too much. They can only be failed if the parents think it is the best solution for their child. In fact in most cases the parents have to actually demand that their child be held back. Districts don't want to be called racist, and besides it costs a lot of money to educate these kids for an extra year.
Gee, I wonder why the schools are failing us.
"So, how does a kid get labeled as an English Language Learner?" Well, If the parent admits that they speak more than one language at home, their kids are automatically tested, and will continue taking those tests each year until they pass. While they are labeled, they get an extra half hour of the teachers attention each day. That adds up to about eighty hours by the end of one year! Hey, that is more than two weeks of classroom time that is used for English Language Learners rather than the rest of the class. If you are a parent, or a taxpayer you should be disgusted.
