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serena - beginning/student teacher?
lottolearn - I am a student teacher. any others?
serena - I recently began teaching high school, just finished senior internship in december
lottolearn - where are you teaching?
serena - Florida--Daytona area
SuzyWozy123 - bonjour
serena - and you?
lottolearn - I am in southern Indiana
serena - bonjour, Suzy
SuzyWozy123 - au revoir
serena - ciao!
serena - what are you student teaching?
lottolearn - I am in first grade at a Title school
serena - I admire you, I'm not a big fan of little ones!
lottolearn - a Title school just means that they recieve more govt money because of the poverty level
serena - how is it going so far?
lottolearn - I love it. they are so honest
serena - fantastic--is this your full-time internship?
lottolearn - I am almost teaching the whole day. I have been in there for 5 weeks and have 10 more to go. Yes. it is my full-time
serena - john, what are you teaching?
lottolearn - he sharcassi
john joseph - esl
serena - congratulations, lotto! Will you have the opportunity to get a job there for next year?
serena - Oh john, I've made good friends with our ESL teacher. I have 3 Spanish-speakers and 4 Russians.
lottolearn - I hope so. The hiring is not too good here right now. They are going to pink slip all of the 1st year teachers and then they have to find places for them before they can hire anymore.
serena - Are you willing to move, lotto?
lottolearn - I admire anyone who speaks a second language.
serena - hello nieta!
lottolearn - No. I have a husband and three kids and we are stuck here. I love it here though. this is where I grew up.
john joseph - does anyone work withoput books....did anyone get instructions "don't worry about teaching them too much...you're just here to help us warehouse them until they quit...?
nieta - hi guys I teach ESL too
nieta - "until they quit"?! the students??
serena - oh no john, our school is very geared towards helping these students. I'm just finding it a gargantuan task for me!
lottolearn - do you mean that you don'
john joseph - yes ....like boxes
lottolearn - do you mean that you don't use books at all to teach.
john joseph - no books,
lottolearn - what do you use?
john joseph - we copy from one
serena - What do you do with your students?
lottolearn - can you use trade books?
john joseph - what we can
john joseph - yes
serena - whereabouts do you teach, john?
lottolearn - what languages do you have in your class
john joseph - mostly span,... russ,jap,korviet
nieta - I use a lot of copies too
nieta - it is hard to find good books for esl
john joseph - oh the books are there, but i know what you mean
serena - are you fluent in those?
lottolearn - that is awesome. I don't have esl but the classroom that I am in is the inclusion room for 1st grade.
nieta - my students speak Spanish, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic
john joseph - no..but i wish i did
nieta - Hola Michael
sharcassi - wow! that must be tough having all those languages represented in one room!
serena - how do you communicate?
john joseph - esl is fun...u don't need another lang.
serena - freetranslation.com has been my savior in a pinch
Michael - Hello
lottolearn - Does any/all of you use 4Blocks?
Michael - hi
john joseph - 1st per poss..."I have a pencil"
Michael - hola nieta
nieta - lots of pictures, acting things out, using simpler words
serena - My high school is on a 4-block schedule
Michael - That's good nieta
john joseph - yes..modeling
sharcassi - yes-it's a requirement in our district
nieta - we have a lot of fun!
john joseph - it can be that in the classroom
linda mci - Hi, I teach EL-GATE culster elementary
Michael - hola nieta
lottolearn - where is that?
john joseph - li you wrote me a response on the board
Michael - do you speak spanish nieta?
nieta - Michael what do you teach? Are you a student teacher?
nieta - Michael what do you teach? Are you a student teacher?
nieta - Si, hablo espanol
linda mci - California, high desert, main Spanish and Korean
serena - je parle le francais. That doesn't help my ESL students at all.
nieta - Serena - it DOES help them. You know how they feel!
linda mci - John I hope it was helpful
lottolearn - I envy all of you. I speak only English and even still get a little tongue tied
lottolearn - my daughter is in the 7th grade and is taking Spanish
john joseph - mais oui, c'est bien por la tete...cuando alguien viaje y habla un otra lengua esta bien!
serena - But I didn't HAVE to learn it to get by in school.
nieta - John Joseph you speak Spanish and French??
linda mci - I have a Korean, Gifted student who is so frustrated because he reads fifth grade level in korean and second grade level in Englis
nieta - that's true Serena
john joseph - ok thses kids don't get enough Ingles every day...every day their rights are violated, just in this alone...and so many stand by in silence
nieta - Linda that's very hard
john joseph - ok thses kids don't get enough Ingles every day...every day their rights are violated, just in this alone...and so many stand by in silence
nieta - I have some very gifted esl students
nieta - they get so frustrated sometimes
john joseph - yes, s and f
nieta - john joseph do you mean at school or at home?
linda mci - He is upset with "baby books" Has only been in country 6 mon
serena - what can I do to ease their frustration? They shouldn't be in my American History class in the first place. . .
john joseph - by law they have to have an interpreter
john joseph - their parents are the key
lottolearn - have to go
lottolearn - thanks
john joseph - but you have to keep your job
serena - maybe in your state. . . here they have one period of ESL where they get help with English and the other classes
serena - by lotto!
john joseph - no...federal law
nieta - I teach Am. history to esl students...
linda mci - What states are everyone from??
nieta - it's especially hard since even if they have a good education from their first country
john joseph - great stuff...be creative
nieta - they didn't study American history there
serena - I'm supposed to have ESL training--I don't yet b/c I just started in Jan. But their still in y classes
nieta - john joseph what is this federal law about an interpreter? for who?
john joseph - use time lines...to their country of origin's history
serena - Really federal? Wow, I've never seen one provided at any school I've visited in Florida
nieta - Linda I'm in California
john joseph - contact Office of Civil Rights, Dept. of Education and they will send you info...but keep your job and stay low profile in your inquiries
serena - Thanks John--good idea!
nieta - Where are you?
linda mci - We do not have interpreters.
serena - Is this a common violation across the country?
nieta - john joseph ocr requires esl students get extra help but
linda mci - Office of Civil Right was having deep problems last year
john joseph - of course you have no interpreters...hardly anyone can afford them
john joseph - yes very common
nieta - they do not require interpreters
linda mci - We do have phone service that does three way 4 parents interupt
nieta - except for communicating with parents
john joseph - parents are the key...they are the ones that have to go before the board and write ocr
nieta - john joseph you are talking about interpreters for communicating with parents? or with students??
serena - and of course schools probably don't make the parents aware of their children's rights. . .
john joseph - a student can not be in a class they can not understand
linda mci - I met w OCR rep last year/ fed changes is store
john joseph - both
linda mci - Nieta, I'm CA too, where are you NO or So?
john joseph - pres bush created new comm on hispanic ed by exec order last oct
serena - is he pro-bilingual ed?
nieta - northern california
linda mci - Rep said they had lost some of their investigative powers
john joseph - schools do not normally make these parents aware
john joseph - don't know his position
serena - hello christine!
christine - hello!
linda mci - Nieta, I'm So. we have great parent support at my site
christine - this is my first time here, just stopping by
john joseph - maybe, but lau vs nichols is still case law
serena - this has become an ESL forum--everyone else is the expert!
christine - are any of you bilingual educators?
serena - I'm Am. His. unwittingly enforcing sink or swim on 7 of my kids
linda mci - I teach SDAIE not bilingual too many languages
serena - maybe that's "unwillingly"
nieta - I am bilingual and I am an educator Does that count?
nieta - But I teach in English
john joseph - law says can't treat kids equally...it is not EQUITABLE
christine - just curious. i'm entering a alt. certification program and considering bilingual
nieta - Christine that's great! You are bilingual?
john joseph - esl is a bidg issue now and getting bigger...NABE natl assoc for biling educats is meeting in phily next month
serena - What state are you in christinge
christine - yes. i studied spanish in college and studied in spain my sr. year
serena - sorry christine
christine - i'm in texas
nieta - John Joseph what state are you in?
linda mci - I was at CABE last year it was GREAT!!
nieta - Christine go for the bilingual certification! It can't hurt!
john joseph - i want to keep my job this time around....go fish
john joseph - yes go for the extra cert
serena - how long have you been teaching, john?
john joseph - 4 years, not in the same (illegal) place
linda mci - Yes go for bilingual always needed
serena - this is my sixth week!
linda mci - Serena how are you doing?
john joseph - u'll be fine, get your rest and stay one day ahead
serena - Fantastic--I love it--just very concerned how I can help my esl students who stare at me blankly for 90 min. each day.
john joseph - total physical response is good for breaking the ice....(simon says..sort of)
john joseph - use the internet....lesson plans by the thousands
nieta - keep them involved with the rest of the class
john joseph - yes, pair them with your better students
nieta - use a lot of hands-on activities
john joseph - agreed
nieta - remember it is just the *language* they don't understand
serena - 2 of my Spanish girls are in the same class--is it really bad to let them work together?
nieta - if you can make the concepts understandable despite the language barrier, they will catch on fast
serena - that's what our esl teacher said to me
john joseph - if they stay "in spanish" too much ...maybe
nieta - No I don't think it's bad to pair them together
nieta - especially at first
nieta - when they are trying to learn English, it can be bad for them to be together all the time
john joseph - but maybe one could interpret for the other
nieta - but, they need to learn all the other subjects too and they can help each other with that
john joseph - you can ask for service learning seniors to help as volunteers
serena - that's what's happening, john. one girl sort of understands me who then instructs the other
john joseph - ok
nieta - I teach history and math to esl students, sometimes I ask them to help each other
john joseph - ok...for comprehension..but eventually they both have to practice english to master it
serena - thank you for the tips--any favorite esl sites b4 i go?
john joseph - just type in....ESL.....i find new stuff(some interactive) all the time
serena - (my 3-year old English-speaker keeps getting out of bed)
john joseph - good luck
serena - thanks again, bye!
john joseph - bye
nieta - bye serena Good luck!!
nieta - What do you teach Angel?
Angel - third grade...I just popped on to see what ya'll are chatting about...=)
linda mcin - I'm third too
Angel - what part of the country are you all from?
linda mcin - CA? anyone else have GATE cluster classes at their site?
john joseph - east , no clusters
Angel - I'm in MO...=)~
nieta - I'm in California
linda mcin - I really struggling with GATE EL
nieta - no GATE clusters
john joseph - what is ti?
linda mcin - I have 10 Gifted kids and 10 EL kids (5 are both) total 20 students
john joseph - ok ...detail the struggle
linda mcin - I am susposed to provide differeniated insturction at their level
john joseph - can't you let the gifted ones help...intergenerational learning is all the rage now at university
linda mcin - their ability level is far above their lang level
linda mcin - collaboration helps, but there is a desire for individual acheivment
john joseph - it reinforces what is learned for one diff level and "teaches" at the lower one
nieta - i have had gifted el kids get so frustrated (some of my worst behavior problems) It must be so frustrating!!
john joseph - that is noted in studies
linda mcin - my third grade math is mostly algebric
nieta - also there is a lot of conflict between the EL kids with a good educational background and those with no prior schooling. Do you have that problem too?
john joseph - but i do not have solution except time and practice
john joseph - yes that is normal and happens all over the country
linda mcin - although many parents are illiterate they are high pro education
nieta - I have kids who have never been to school a day in their life until now, and others above grade level in the same class because their spoken English is about the same level
john joseph - math would be hard without some extra help...ask for volunteers ..from everywhere
nieta - The ones with more education make fun of the others - trying to prove they know more
linda mcin - lots of parental push, lots of student competition, but no behavior problems
john joseph - ok that is mena teasaing..it happens
john joseph - ask old folks to come in for an hour a day...ask parnets to come in...ask the rotary....ask college students...ask everyone
nieta - people say math is easier for esl students than other subjects because it's all numbers, but the vocab in some of the textbooks is harder than just about any other subject! and word problems...
linda mcin - these kids will help each other and compete over helping
nieta - Linda, that class must be hard to teach but I love the idea of GATE and EL together!
john joseph - yes...need to get rid of the english math book or get it translated
nieta - hard for you but good for them
linda mcin - their reading levels are high than their spoken English
john joseph - because they don't practice...sometimes it is the other way around
linda mcin - They took the CELT score low advanced in reading and writing and intermediate in speaking
nieta - linda for our students their CELDT scores seemed higher than we expected
linda mcin - It's fun, but tiring, I'm planning all the time
nieta - we had very beginning students who were "high intermediate"
john joseph - comprehension precedes speaking....many times..especially for the more educated
linda mcin - Yes I agree higher score than should be
john joseph - enough time to plan is crucial....your union should get you 1 1/2 hours to 3 blocks same teaching..and it's still not enough
linda mcin - they labeled student fluent that are not ready
nieta - YES!! I'm glad it wasn't just us that felt that way
nieta - some parts of the test were kind of strange
john joseph - assessments are a problem here and other places too.....sometimes you can push gently for a reevaluation
nieta - John Joseph - CELDT is a new esl test in California
nieta - This was the first time we'd done it
john joseph - ok
nieta - probably there will be some changes
linda mcin - We just got our results back this week
john joseph - i was forced to give the state resfing and writing tests to illiterate students...they cried
linda mcin - We are used to crying children in CA
nieta - yes, I had the same experience. And they tried so hard
john joseph - it's an ongoing process hopefully improving
linda mcin - In my district we gvie SAT 9 to first grade
nieta - only first grade?
john joseph - but it was sad to watch them try and figure out what it was they were supoposed to do...like wher to put their name
linda mcin - 1st-12th but many district no 1st
john joseph - i'll let you guys go on....good luck to you both
nieta - yeah I figured out what you meant just after I hit "enter"
linda mcin - I should go too its that time (CSI is coming on) :•)
nieta - yeah me too. it's been nice talking to you!
linda mcin - Nice talking to you see you around Tnet
john joseph - ok
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