From the Eyes of an English Language Learner

Learning the English language is challenging enough for children born in the United States.  English is one of the most difficult languages to acquire because there are so many spelling and grammar rules, silent letters and vowel combinations, and a host of phonetic challenges that prove quite difficult to keep up with.  Then there are contexual challenges to deal with.  Words that sound the same, yet have different meanings, words that are spelled the same yet have different meanings, opposites, "i" before "e" except after "c"...the list goes on and on, and it's enough to make the most prolific scholar's head spin!

The English language is an infusion of many other languages and can be quite confusing students in schools across the United States.  It is exceptionally challenging for children from other countries where English is not spoken regularly.  Even if the language is spoken, the family speaks in their native tongue.   Imagine how a child feels trying to learn and understand the English language while holding on to their cultural identity and maintaining their heritage, and still be a child.

It can be quite overwhelming for an English Language Learner to successfully obtain English language acquisition in our public schools.  The stuggles to keep up with the classroom expectations with limited English language proficiency and minimal resources to truly support the student begs to question if our current educational system is designed to help all students succeed.  Yet there are educators that are committed to call of duty in the public school system to serve ALL students, one child at a time.

As an educator, I see the challenges for all students daily.  I see third graders struggle to understand grammar concepts and can't help but wonder about the child from Nigeria that knows no English outside of what his peers speak.  I see middle school students struggle with writing and can't help but think about the student from Honduras that struggled in school in her country, and now she sits in our classrooms with even more challenges.

Being bilingual is a benefit to organizations around the world, but the road to proficiency is one that many don't consider...and it starts in the classroom. 



Copyright Lennis Dionne Sample. Creative Commons License Allowed with permission.