Re: Questions about how your program works

>
> 1) First of all are you full time, in just one building;
> full time but shared between buildings; or a part time ESL
> teacher?
I am a full time teacher, but only teach ESL half the
day.I have 7-12 graders.

> 2) What is the ratio of ESL teachers to students in your
> building?
One part time teachers to approximately 20 students.
Our population is very mobile and I have a large number of new
arrivals

> 3) DO you have any paras assisting you?
No and no one in the building to translate written
documents either.

> 4) How many of you have your ESL classes broken down by
> grade level or by language level (beg., int, adv.)? Or do
> you have enough students in your school to be broken down
> by both?
I have multi-grade classes broken down by language level.
I have six grades (7-12) and only three periods. I
also teach and ESL Social studies class which has all the ESL
student 9-12 in it.

> 5) If you have taught both, what are the differences,
> advantages, disadvantages?
One year I had only 7th graders in one of the classes
another year I ended up with only 9th graders. The advantage
was I could supplement what their other teachers were doing.
With multiple grade classrooms this really doesn�t work. I
usually have at least four grades in every class.

The advantages of dividing them by language levels is it
is a lot easier to prep for. On several occasions I have had
multiple language levels beginners and advanced in the same
classroom, I absolutely hated it.

> 6) If you do a push in model, do you see all the ESL
> students?
No, This isn�t possible on my schedule.

> 7) If so are there schedules/homeroom teachers arranged so
> they are all in one classroom?
-

> 8) If they are not arranged that way, how do you decide
> which students you service and which you don't service?
--

9) For those with push-in, does the advantages of push-in
> outweigh the fact that you don't see all of the kids?
> -

10) How much time do you spend with your new arrivals that
> don't speak English?
I get them for about 80 minutes a day. More if they are
in my shelter Social Studies class.

11) Do you ever get to work with them seperately or are
> they always with a larger group?
One period, 40 minutes, they are there by themselves. The
other 40 minutes is shared with the students who have been here
less than two years, lower intermediates.

> 12) What do you like or not like about how your program is
> set up?
LIKE
A) Designated time with just my beginners
B) Shelter Social Studies class for high schoolers
C) I don�t have advanced students in with beginners

DISLIKE
A) Some classes have 7 through 12 graders in it.
B) Wish I was full time ESL teacher
C) We desperately need a sheltered math program
D) I wish we had a guided study hall program for the kids
to get help on their homework from other classes.

> 13) What changes would you make to it if you could?

a) Someone in the building that spoke Spanish and could take
parents telephone calls and work as a lasion for us.
b) a remedial math class for new arrivals who are not ready
for our 7th grade math class, which is now Pre-Algebra.
c) a part time student schedule where my older students could
come and learn some English and math and still hold down a job.

Hope some of these help.