Education Topic: Family Factors/Home Environment

Understanding the home environment of a student is something I feel incredibly strong about because I was that student. Growing up, my home life was rarely ever stable. Because of divorces, I jumped around from school to school - in total, about six different elementary schools. As a result, I developed the tendency to be quiet and reserved because it was difficult to keep trying to make friends. I struggled a lot in class participation because I was not comfortable speaking out or working in groups. This carried on into middle school, and it was only when I was a sophomore in high school that I truly felt confident in my classrooms. I think part of this was because I took a year long AP class that put me with the same teacher. She didn't ever pry with my home life, but I think the stability of having a year-long class offered me the comfort I needed in order to speak up. She was one of the first teachers I had that really changed how I viewed the classroom environment.

A young girl does her homework

Another incredibly important factor in home life is the economic status of the student. My senior year, I lost both my car and health insurance, my mom was losing the house, and we were struggling to pay for things like groceries. I remember at one point we had lost our WiFi, which made it nearly impossible to do schoolwork at home. I had a huge online project coming up for a class, but our teacher would not let us work on it in class. I spoke to him on the side, mentioned that I had no means of working on it at home, and he did not offer an alternative or support. Because of this, I ended up having to skip his class three different times so I could go to the library and work on my project. I had never skipped a class before, but it was the only way I could do this assignment. My teacher didn't offer any sympathy or support, and I felt lost. I remember feeling incredibly embarrassed about it too because I had never skipped class before, and it was so lame that the only time I was doing it was to do homework in the library. 

Finally, I want to touch on a really personal note - student mental health. This falls into home life in various ways, but I want to emphasize the incredible importance of checking in on your students and offering as much support as you can. When I lost my health insurance, I was no longer able to afford my antidepressants and had to quit them cold-turkey. It is fair to say that I went off the rails after this. I went from a steady A/B student to making Cs and Ds on assignments. Only one teacher pulled me to the side to ask what was wrong, and when I explained to him everything that was happening in my life, he told me not to put all of my eggs in one basket. This absolutely shattered me. I felt belittled and isolated - I essentially felt like he was telling me this was all my fault. I only spiraled harder after this. Obviously, as teachers, we cannot fix every student. But, it is important that we show empathy and offer true support. If I had a teacher who truly showed they cared about me when this was happening, I feel that my last year of high school would have gone so much differently than this. As teachers, we are meant to create safe spaces for learning and personal growth; getting to know your students is the first step of this, continuing your support is the most integral part. Do not let your students drown the same way some of my teachers let me.

Education Topic: English Language Learning

Ever since I was in middle school, I have been interested in English Language Learning. After being introduced to several different types of music like Korean pop music or French music from the 50s, I have found foreign languages incredibly intriguing. As a prospective teacher, my love for language and building a classroom around it has only grown.

Three young students working in a classroom.

English Language Learning, also known as English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL), is the act of teaching English language learners the English language. The term ELL when referring to individuals are students who have limited proficiency in the English Language. These students are incredibly diverse socially and academically. The shift of ESL to ELL stems from the fact that some of these students may not be learning English as their second language; it might be their third or fourth! Because these students come from diverse backgrounds, it is important that they receive adequate support from their teachers in the classroom. When learning a new language, prior life experience is incredibly important, but, if your student lacks this, it will be difficult for them to apply the terms they are learning. Scaffolding techniques like graphic organizers, images with descriptions, simplified questions, and read-alouds are extremely useful. These tools help create helpful interactions between students and both their peers and teacher. It takes almost ten years for a student to become academically fluent - using these tools creates opportunities to help students in this process! 

However, the most important thing I have learned about shaping my ELL classroom revolves around the student's comfort. Attempting to reinforce English-only or discouraging the use of their native language is not only extremely unhelpful in the language learning process, it can also harm their confidence. When a student begins learning a new language, the "silent period" is almost always the first stage they enter. This is when a student is reluctant to speak in the language they are learning, but they are still actively learning it. It takes confidence to begin actively speaking, but if a teacher strictly enforces English-only classrooms, a student might not be prepared. Insulting or treating their native language like it is a bad thing could hurt the confidence they need to begin engaging. Making sure our students are cared for and comfortable to grow in our classroom is the most important thing for any teacher.