Chapter 8

Chapter 8’s topic was very interesting to my particular interests. Coming into Olivet, I had decided on completing an ESL minor. However, once I entered an ESL classroom, I quickly realized that ESL was not the area of concentration for me. I found that the lessons were extremely standardized in nature. I was also frustrated that I could not help students or understand their discussions when they were completing activities in their first language.  Looking back, I was experiencing the same frustrations that ESL students experience in English speaking classrooms. Not knowing be able to understand a reading or class discussion would be frustrating for students just like it was frustrating for me.

Furthermore, I noticed that students spoke out in class during the Spanish speaking portion of the day, but sat silent during the English speaking portion of the day. Students were scared to use the language they were learning because they feared being wrong. With this said, it is important to develop an environment in ESL classrooms, and all classrooms for that matter, where acceptance of others’ voices is praised. If ESL students do not feel comfortable in their classrooms, they will not feel comfortable using English. If they do not use English, they are less likely to learn English. Therefore, teachers need to create a classroom environment were students feel that their voice matters, even if they may make some grammatical mistakes.

However, I liked that the authors emphasized the students’ ability to understand the content in their own language. Therefore, educators must decide if language acquisition or academic fluency is more important. While schools can teach both, it would be harder to develop each of these skills. No matter which approach is taken, an area must be sacrificed in some one. That is why ESL curriculum is problematic for schools, teachers, and, most importantly, students.