So how is it going after two full days of school? Depends on who you ask. Last evening I was reading a history book for pleasure. Mary Jane was still involved with lesson preparation for the day. The irony of the moment was not wasted as she complained about working while I was the one who pushed the idea of volunteering here. I work with an experienced and well qualified teacher. She works with a teacher new to teaching and especially teaching English.
Problems of new student deficiencies are becoming more obvious. At the eighth grade level. There are nine total students, one of the smaller classes. Seven of the nine are new students to the school. The difference in English between the new students and the former students of the school is like night and day. Somehow the students need to be separated and worked with separately. It will, more than likely, take more than a year to get the larger group caught up.
We discovered that the public elementary teaches English one hour (actually 40 minutes) per week from grades one through six. This amounts to a bit over 140 hours of total English instruction during the first six years of school. No wonder the knowledge of English by students coming in our seventh grade is so weak!
We have also learned that our school (Esperanza Eterna) has had several different English teachers the last several years in the lower elementary grades. Most of them had very limited English. This has not added the necessary solid base to the English program at our school. Students have responded well in the upper grades where there is quality instruction.
A list of the school staff along with their birthdays, including the year, just came out. Looks like we are the senior members of staff with the next oldest staff members 25 years our junior. I expect everyone will learn “grandpa” and “grandma” in English and we should soon hear it.
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2 comments:
Not only is Mary Jane doing the cleaning, but also the teaching. Some how I don't think Eldon is surprised either. haha All kidding aside, what you guys are doing down there is something really special. It's called giving back, and it is something you two are very good at. We really miss you both. Keep giving and God Bless you. Phil and Jo
I've been in Cloudcroft for several days so I had some catching up to do on your new life. I love your new English room as it reminds me of my rather meager startup of a library in Kenya (I didn't have bookends either to keep the books from leaning one way or the other)! The problem you describe of different levels of English proficiency is also a constant problem in schools along our border with Mexico. Bilingual classes range from zero English to fluent proficiency with new students from Mexico transferring throughout the year into our schools. Some catch on quickly, others don't, but for sure the more English environment they have the better chance for proficiency and many speak both languages without even realizing which one they are speaking. Last year I had one little girl from a bilingual class come into the library to check out a book which was in English. "Do you want a book in English or in Spanish?" I asked because they sometimes get the wrong book. She said, "Is English what I'm speaking right now?" That's when you know the program is working! Marlene
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