Prompt 3

Although Mrs. Caliri has been absent for the past three weeks, I still have learned a lot by the way she interacts with her students from what I've seen. As far as responding to the linguistic, ethnic and sociocultural characterisitcs of students, Mrs. Caliri does her job very well. For example, she uses word syllables and phonics in order to get the children to understand. It is an ESL class and a few students have difficulty learning the material. She uses pictures and breaks down each word in order to pronounce and understand what they mean (i.e. "butterfly" would be but/ter/fly followed by a picture of a butterfly). The picture-word association really helps with the children's comprehension of what they are reading. Because Mrs. Caliri does not allow Spanish-speaking in her classroom, she really encourages to speak English as best to their ability. So far, I've seen a great response from the student. Mrs. Caliri, being bilingual herself, realizes how much Spanish is spoken in their homes. However, being patient with her students is probably the biggest thing she could do. She does not take away from their culture - she obviously knows they are from Hispanic descent. If the children have questions, they ask one another or Mrs. Caliri but she encourages them to figure it out for themselves and nine times out of ten, it works.

Prompt 2

A week later and Mrs. Caliri is STILL sick! Another sub was in class today...The subsititute teachers are really no match for what Mrs. Caliri can do with the children and I think the kids know this. She has a lot of control over the class and they end up more productive.

Although the children know the basic fundamentals of the english language, a few still do not understand. It's weird because though it's an ESL class, the children HARDLY speak Spanish. Even the entry-level students will not speak Spanish, mostly because Mrs. Caliri will not allow it... But even when I think they're stuck, they will make an attempt to try it themselves and see if they recieve praise or criticism in return. I found that kind of bizarre because I thought if they had at least had a question, they would be more vocal. I think incorporating a child's backround into one's classroom environment is important for a teacher. Our class defined culture inclusive to media, religion, practices, music, movies, etc. I believe it's important to know about how one grew up to better understand them. When you understand how a student grew up or how they practice this/that, it's easier to teach them. You might teach them how to do one thing when they learn it an entirely different way at home but it's still correct (math, for example). Also, with behavior issues, knowing one's backround culture, family life, etc. really helps in knowing why the kids act the way they do. For example, some kids speak without raising their hand or without getting called on but that might be because that is how they act at home. This is also a hard concept to teach --- especially when the kids @ Charlotte woods are all at different levels (advanced, intermediate, beginner)... Mrs. Caliri talks to everyone as a whole class when she teaches - specificially the phonics and syllables. She doesn't allow anything but english being spoken in the classroom but she does know how to speak spanish so if someone is having terrible difficulty with a specific assignment, I'm sure she'd be able to explain in which they could understand (i have yet to see her do this though). It's so much easier to talk/learn/communicate with someone if you understand them... This is true for any relationship not just between the teacher-student.

Day 4

Today was my fourth day at Charlotte Woods Elementary. Mrs. Cliri was absent from class today so there was a substitue, Mrs. Acosta. She seems enthusiastic although not as patient as Mrs. Cliri. It was clear the children are more comfortable with their ordinary teacher (not to put down Mrs. Acosta). She had a very heavy Spanish accent that was a little difficult for me to interpret.

I started off by reading a book in front of the class... I am still sick so my voice probably sounded ridiculous but I did the best I could. Thinking back now, I'm wondering if I should have slowed down with the reading. I think I read it too fast. The assignment following the reading consisted of associating words with pictures within the story which I think really helps them learn English a little easier. During this time, I took my 3 usual students in which I am their reading buddy and worked with them. The kids were very hyper today though. They were more interested in getting to know ME rather than focusing on their studies. They wanted to know where I came from, how many friends I have, if I have a boyfriend, etc. My personal information I kept extremely brief because as much as I'd like to tell them about myself, I know I am there to help them LEARN. We did syllable pronounciations that were timed - for example : El-e-phant (3 syllables). We also did timed "DOLCH" where the kids work with flash cards (I hold up a card, they read me the word and tell me the meaning). We did this for about 30-35 minutes.

After that, I went to each table (there's about 3-5 kids per table) and they were all reading short stories (Dr. Suess, Arthur, etc). I was impressed that not only they read very well, they comprehended what they read, which was the main thing. I think associating pictures with the words really helps them develop their English skills and word development.

My trouble today was dividing my attention between each student. Almost every student would call my name, tap my shoulder, or raise their hand for my attention. I guess that is what a teacher has to deal with. I was trying to pay attention to everyone but I was getting overwhelmed. Again, if anyone had any suggestions, please send them my way!


Looking forward to next week :) The kids are awesome.

Day 3

My apologies for all who have been following my blogs - I have been feeling ill.

Day 3 at Charlotte Woods Elementary was again, nothing short of fantastic. Everytime I go there, I have a blast. A lot of students in our class say how their kids misbehave but in this ESL class, they're amazing and obidient.

This time, I worked with three specific students whom I will be working with for a half hour each time I visit. They are struggling with the English language (which, to their credit, is the hardest language to learn). However, they are quite bright. Our excersizes include flash cards with words in which they tell me how to pronounce them and what they mean and also, Bingo! If a student matches one of the vocab words with one of the w0rds on their card, they obviously get a point. This lasts for about a half an hour.


There was also a new student - a little girl. Mrs. Cliri tests each student to see what level of Engligh they're at (advanced, intermediate, beginner). I believe the new student was intermediate. The remainder of the time I am there I float around to each table of students to see if they need help. The students are eager to ask me what the answer is but I am careful to have them try to figure things out for themselves.

Again, my only issue is the language barrier. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it.

Again I apologize for my short post - I really need to kick this cold! I'll be visiting again tomorrow morning for 2 hours so I will blog more!