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
*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.
Hello Kennia, I enjoyed reading your entry and watching your video. I agree with you when you mentioned in the beginning of you vlog that Mrs. Reyna is patient with her students. The teacher I interviewed also emphasized this point. She claimed that an ELL teacher should be patient with his or her students because they required more support and effort. Having the same experience helped the teacher you interviewed understand what obstacles they are dealing with. They might come from different background and cultures but they have things in common which being an ELL learner. According to Wright, “it is also important to recognize that ELLs may not necessarily come from a singular culture or linguistic background” p 19.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
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DeleteHey Luma, thank you for your comment. I'm glad that most teachers now can agree that being patient with our ELL's is very important. This support can really help them feel more comfortable and connect in the class. I also agree with not all ELL's come from the same culture or background. According to Wright, we must learn to "be aware of the Diversity in our schools and surrounding communities"p.23 .
DeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2019. Print. Third Edition.
Hi Kennia! I interviewed a student who was an ELL student, so I really enjoyed getting to read and listen to the perspective of an ELL teacher. I think that it is so important for EVERY teacher to be compassionate and considerate for all students, but it is very necessary for ELL students to need a lot more of this. They are trying to navigate through everything and really just to know that it is possible for them to succeed. As you said, it is important to be respectful to where our students come from and to make connections with them and it is like Wright said, "ELLs represent a wide variety of ethnic and cultural groups. Teachers need to know their students' cultural backgrounds and how culture influences learning at school" (Wright, 2019, p. 18). I think that both you and Mrs. Reyna are the type of ELL teachers’ students need. You both are so devoted and truly understand the struggles and effects of being ELL students, this is the type of connection your students will cherish and value.
ReplyDeleteWright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2019. Third Edition
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHey Analiesa,
DeleteThank you for your comment. I agree being compassionate and considerate is very important for developing relationships with our ELL students. The moment they feel heard and comfortable they will be able to open up about what they are struggling with. There will be trust between student and teacher and this will allow the student to be more receptive of help in the learning of their new language. As Wright says, "All classrooms are language environments, and language is at the heart of teaching and learning."p 31.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2019. Third Edition