Entry #2: Interview with a Teacher

 Interview with a Teacher

     Hello everyone, 

         Welcome back to my Vblog. In this Vblog, I had the opportunity to interview Mrs. Reyna, a bilingual Pre-K teacher at Morales Elementary.  I am a student teacher at Morales Elementary and my class is in right in front of Mrs. Reyna. From across the hall I can see how dedicated Mrs. Reyna is to her students. I love that she takes her time with them and that she is patient.

Throughout the interview, I asked Mrs. Reyna questions about her ELL students to get a deeper insight on being an ELL teacher.

Here is the interview link

Interview with Mrs. Reyna 

*she requested her face wasn't shown*

        One of the questions I asked Mrs. Reyna was, "Do you enjoy working with ELL's and why?". Mrs. Reyna's answer to this was that she see herself in them because she comes from a similar background.  I can relate to this because I feel the same way. I practice my Spanish just to ensure that I am able to communicate and help those that don't speak English. As Wright (2019) says, "Teachers as agent of socialization" as someone who can respect their home language and culture can be most effective. Mrs. Reyna knowing the language and "seeing herself" in the students is very helpful because this way she can effectively teaching her ELL's. 

    Another thing, I can relate to is when I asked "What advice would you give a future ELL teacher?" and her response was to be compassionate and considerate of your students. I can relate because of my own background when learning English, if it wasn't for Mrs. Flores who was kind and patient with me, I don't know how long it would have taken me to actually learn the language.

    Overall, the big takeaway from this is being able to understand who your student is and being respectful of where they come from. They are already in a new setting and learning a new language, things are already stressful enough and being a teacher who has no compassion or respect for them will not be effective to the. I have always considered in my classroom management plan that building connection with your students will be one of the most effective tools you can use.

Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy,    and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2019. Print. Third Edition.

Entry #1: Introduction

         Hello, my name is Kennia Estrada. I am 27 years old. I have a beautiful baby girl. I have been married for 11 years. I am a senior at the University of Houston. I am graduating December this year with a BS in Education as a EC-6 Generalist. I am very excited to be a future teacher.

         I have experience as an ELL. I was born in Brownsville, Tx. Both of my parents are from Tamaulipas, Mx and their first language is Spanish and that was the language I was introduced to. Due to some family events I was moved to Mexico when I was 1 and I ended up attending Kindergarten in Mexico. All I knew was Spanish, so when I was 6 and had to move in with my grandma in Brownville, I struggled.  I was to start 1st grade in a new school with a strange new language that I did not understand. It was hard to do anything because I didn't understand in the beginning it was nothing but had motions to get me to places and get me to do my work. I was struggling, my teachers didn't seem to have the patience to guide me and I felt so alone. I didn't have friends, I avoided talking to anyone and therefore I was falling behind. Then, I met Mrs. Flores, she was amazing, she helped me understand the language. She took the time out of her day to guide me and help me with my English. It is thanks to her that I was able to overcome this obstacle. 

    Thanks to Mrs. Flores and her kindness, I didn't feel alone and I mastered a new language. It's because of her that I decided to become a teacher. I want to be able to help students and be there for them like she was there for me. My teaching philosophy comes from my experiences, I hope to create a classroom community where my students don't feel alone because of their struggles and that they feel that they have someone who supports them. According to Wright (2019), " The more the teacher knows about a student's experiences, the more he or she can assume about the expertise that student is likely to have." (pg 23)   I understand that it's hard to learn a new language and to adapt to a new environment. I hope to support ELL's with patience, kindness, reassurance and by being understanding. I will be there to support and guide them with what they need and ensure that they don't have to sacrifice their native language and culture.

Being able to actually talk about issues like this is very important because it can help us connect to students who have gone through the same thing. Also, it helps us see that knowing 2 languages is very helpful because now you can communicate with someone who may not speak English. I try to keep up with my Spanish so that I am able to communicate with others. 

    

Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy,    and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2019. Print. Third Edition.