Struggles

1. Struggles of
ESL Students
Abbey Davidson
English 1A
Janet Mitchell-Wagner
22 March 2014

2. Issues:
• Language barrier
• Adaptation process
• Social influence
• Parental influence
• Economical status
• Foreign education
• Personality of the students
• Segregated ―Sheltered‖ classes

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v-8HvN5r1o#t=13

4. ISOLATION
LANGUAGE
BARRIER
Full Immersion vs. Dual Linguistic Classes
• Full Immersion courses encourage the student
to learn the language and culture by
embracing it.
• More urgency
• Uses all learning techniques most efficiently:
students hear, see, write and speak the
natural sounds of the language every day.
• More diversification for students
• Best if you already have some references
• Harder to make friends
• Students can be comfortable learning with others
that are in the same situation without pressure.
• Sometimes classes can enable family members to
come with students
• Less constant translation
• More proper language skills; less slang and more
in-depth meaning
• Can both teach American students a foreign
language, and can teach foreign students English
• More personal teachings
• Teachers more suited for the students

5. Frustration

6. At the end who is
affected?

7. Students

8. Parents

9. Percentage of Competency

10. ESL Students Test Scores
Statistics

11. J. Soller - ESL Teacher
• ―When I worked at the International
Language Institute, the pay could have
been better, but at least they provided
affordable healthcare and other
incentives.‖
• Large schools like Kaplan (teachers
formed unions—pictured to the right) are
setting the standard in the industry and
they need to be confronted, exposed and
taken down.
• ―My mission is to organize and discuss
with other teachers about ways to create
positive change in the ESL industry. If I
can secure the right to sponsor student
visas, my ultimate mission is to one
day open an ESL institute in the United
States. While I would like to earn a good
income, I also want to create a school
where teachers are given fair pay,
healthcare and a paid vacation! It time for
people start speaking out against the
unfairness in the ESL industry.‖
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=EzGoDtmTllg

12. Trang Le – Former ESL Student
• Hard beginning on school
• Liked the teachers, but not
the system of education.
• Didn’t like the environment
of learning.
• English self-learning
because the lack of
attention.
• Improved fast, but help was
still needed.
• With no idea of the important
test/dates of the school
(CST, CASEEH, etc).

13. N. Laud - Teacher
• ―When a student doesn’t feel
valued, he won’t do much‖
• ―Every one should be aware
of the E.S.L students at
school, because every year
school receives certain
amount of immigrant
students‖
• Teachers should be aware of
the struggles and extra efforts
that ESL students make day
by day.

14. Virginia Ramirez Ex-ESL
Student
E
E S L
L
• Always felt I was going to be
left out.
• The main problems I had
was adapting to the new
country and making friends.
• I was the kind of girl whose
goal was to get a college
degree
• Never late to class.
• The main struggles of the
ESL students : social,
economic, and family.

15. What people
say/think
about the
problem ?

16. Sonia - Student
• Most ESL students haven't taken
any English classes before their
coming at this country.
• ESL students test-scores were low
because they’re not fluent and
prepared to write, speak, and listen
the english language.
• Most ESL students were put in ESL
Math because they can
comprehend the math terms in
English
• Everyone should be aware of the
ESL students because it is
extremely important understand
their problem, that should be one of
the school’s priorities.

17. Me
• ESL students have the right to have a
voice.
• ESL students should take part in clubs
to get information about how the school
system works.
• Teachers do their best to improve/find a
way to teach/help ESL students.
• Maybe use the buddy system *
• Many fail classes because some of
them give up, don’t understand the
language, and many of them have
problems at home.
• Everybody (teachers, students) be
aware of the ESL students because for
them it is a challenge start basically a
new life.
• There NEEDS to be alternatives to
current alternatives.

18. J. Sollis - ESL Teacher
• There is many reason of how/why
students succeed and not succeed
learning the language (foreign
education, personality of the student,
social environment).
• My method to teach is ―same materials,
but different way of teaching‖
• ESL teachers have to get involve with
the student’s needs because many
would need help at specific topics
(grammar, comprehension, talking).
• ―Motivation is everything‖
• Because they got lower scores they
were put in sheltered classes.
• We have to encourage the student to
speak the language, but no obligate
him/her to do it because is their
responsibility and action to do it, they
have to try to improve.

19. Works Cited
• http://www.mlovdc.org/2/post/2012/02/student-organizers-testify-on-behalf-of-
ell-students-at-the-dcps-oversight-hearing.html
• http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/06/25/english-language-learners-
struggle-public-schools
• http://www.districtadministration.com/article/ell-testing-state-flux
• http://jimmyesl.com/esl-fraud/esl-teachers-getting-short-end-of-the-stick/
• http://www.benchmarkeducation.com/learning-environment/ell-english-
language-learner-teaching-strategies--best-practices.html