My entire professional and personal world was turned upside down the year I began teaching ESL. It all began in the fall of 2001. I was pregnant with my first child who was due in October. The district had already hired someone to take my place as I had planned to be out for the year. They were giving me various duties to do to fill my time.
Being bilingual I was frequently asked to interpret for our growing population of Spanish speaking students. At that time we did not have an official ESL program in our building. I asked my district if I could spend the next two months visiting other ESL programs in other districts and then to create a program for our school. They agreed.
Returning in the fall of 2005 after the birth of our second child and an educational sabbatical to get my ESL Program Specialist certification, I began working on and in our district's new ESL program. I traveled between our high school and our Freshman center to work with our 14 ESL students. They were from 8 different countries and less than half spoke Spanish. We created our own language that everyone could understand.
For the next 6 years I would open my heart, my family, and my classroom to our limited English students. At all times of the day, someone would show up that needed help. Many times it had nothing to do with the content they were trying to understand in their courses.
I quickly determined that ESL really didn't stand for English as a second language, but rather emotional support learning. Working with them was so much more than simply teaching them English. It was my responsibility to teach them about American life, suburban teenagers, American food, football games and school dances. Their families needed just as much help navigating their way through our society. No one else in my district really offered to help them. Very few students made the effort to get to know them. My room was safe and welcoming. I respected them and they knew that.
While reading through Gardner's chapter on the respectful mind, I was touched by the following paragraph: "I prefer the concept of respect. Rather than ignoring differences, being inflamed by them, or seeking to annihilate them through love or hate, I call on human beings to accept the differences, learn to live with them, and value those who belong to other cohorts" (Gardner 107). The respectful mind must be developed through watching the actions of others. Teachers, parents, and peers model on a daily basis the good (and bad) qualities of working with others. Gardner states, "It is crucial to search for common ground" (Gardner 125). With the advent of digital media, our world has shrunk. Our students' future professions will have them communicating with others from around the globe. They will need to understand the differences and find the connections that will become the foundations of a positive relationship.
While thinking about the requirements for this blog post, I first looked at it from the perspective of a Spanish teacher. There are so many great projects using digital media that I should do in which I connect my students with other students in Spanish speaking countries. I love the idea of having on-line pen pals. This is one area I will be developing prior to returning to the classroom in the fall. Julene Reed's article lists a variety of sources and ideas for online collaboration and project-based activities. This list and the adjoining site suggestions are exactly what I have been looking for! Reed goes on to state, "Knowledge of other cultures around the world leads students to understanding and compassion. That, in turn, creates students who take action to make a difference in resolving problems and changing the world to be a better place" (Reed, 2007).
That last line made me think of my ESL students. For my digital media project, I would like to team up our international students with a "local" partner to do a study and share of cultures. The idea of creating a digital storybook really meets the goals of the project. Together, students would create a multimedia "story" comparing the daily life, school, food, sports, and other interesting activities of the two cultures from the perspective of a young adult. First, this project would appeal to the "local" student as he/she learns about the lifestyle of an international student first hand. Second, the project would appeal to the international student as he/she learns about this new culture first hand. When completed, these storybooks would then be shared with others. Together they will find that common ground that Gardner describes which would then lead to Reed's understanding and compassion of others. The respectful mind would then break down those barriers of ignorance and judgment and value those who come from different backgrounds.
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