ESL in DoDS Schools :: Free Essay Writer

Young Arzu Alp(not her real name), a ten-year-old military brat, is starting mid-semester at her third take aim in four years. Nervously standing forwards the American flag, she anticipates trouble understanding the teacher, hopes for just one new friend, and speaks English as a second language. Arzu need not fear. Her family has been stationed where the school she will insure instructs over 100 hundred English as a Second Language students by three specialized teachers and a competent faculty. Unlike her starting time year in the Department of Defense District School system when she spoke only Turkish, this semester she will test for Level Four and be very close to breaking her language barrier. She has seen others do this and excel in all other areas as well. The talented and gifted political program at her new school is made up of 50% ESL students. In fact, the principal boasts that ESL students often finish high school as valedictorians or salutatorians. (M. Fidl er, personal communication, June 9, 2001). Immersion of ESL students in mainstream classes has its advantages and disadvantages. origination with enrollment to testing through four levels of English comprehension to graduation, the potential obstacles are unique to ESL students. As we journey through Arzus experiences in the ESL program at her new DoDDS school, we will assess its productivity and describe its methods of success. One teacher at her new school feels that having ESL students learn side-by-side American, English-speaking only students creates an surroundings of cultural diversity. Multiple beliefs, traditions, and allegiances adds spice and enrichment to classroom interactions. (M. Fidler, personal communication, June 9, 2001). This is especially true at Arzus school where the different backgrounds pepper every classroom and on that point is no dominant one. Everyone is somewhat culture-bound. Within each culture, there is a unique coherence, integrity, an d logic (Snowman, Biehler, 2000). These two statements and believing that one culture is not pause or worse than the rest is the ideas on which cultural diversity, or pluralism, is based. One English/History/Humanities teacher articulates this attitude by commenting that relationships must be based on tolerance and mutual respect (M.Fidler, personal communication, June 9, 2001). In response to the question, Do cultural differences cause problems in the classroom? twelve emerge of twelve teachers and both the principal and vice principal agree that they do not.