Hi everyone! I decided to interview Dianna Polnac who
is a 2nd grade ESL certified teacher who has been teaching for 27 years.
Dianna provided me lots of insight into the world of teaching ELLs in the classroom. Since I am about to have my classroom with students who may very well be learning English as they come into the school year, I thought it was important to ask questions about best practices for teaching ELLs. She told me how fulfilling it is to see a student come into your classroom knowing absolutely no English, to now reading, writing, spelling, and comprehending things in English. Now of course it takes time, which is why I was not surprised when she told me to have lots of patience when working with ELLs. She also talked about how visuals are a huge help with teaching ELLs.
According
to Wright, “Teachers who understand second language development and who engage
in effective instructional and authentic assessment practices speak to their students
and listen to them talk every day. They read with their students and ask them
questions about what they read (Wright, 2019). Dianna was able to share with me
the progress one of her students has made, which makes me really see the
importance of reading and speaking with ELL students every day. After
conducting this interview, I realized that being an ELL teacher will be challenging,
but I can do it because I know an effective teacher will use effective
strategies in the classroom. “It has become clear, however, that all teachers
are ELL teachers, because all share in the responsibility of meeting the
language and academic needs of ELLs” (Wright, 2019).
References
Wright, W. E. (2019). Foundations for teaching English language learners: Research, theory, policy, and Practice. Caslon.
