Contextual Analysis: Mcallen High School

According to Gleason and Ratner (2013), “In the United States, the proportion of children who are raised learning more than one language is estimated to be about 20 percent, with Spanish becoming the most common second language (Gleason & Ratner, 2013, p. 75). My interview this week was with a teacher, Mrs. T, who teaches young English learners. Mrs. T teaches children who are in the first grade. Because the school has a growing Hispanic population, the native language of the children she teaches is Spanish. The interview took place in her classroom during the last hour of the school day. I observed as she worked with one of her students in particular who seems to

Many schools have switched from using paper textbooks to iPads or chromebooks, which allow students to access online textbooks. But is this a good change? There are many factors that need to be put into consideration, including the age group of a kids receiving the technology, the classes this tool can be used for, and the children’s ability to interact with others.

High school Commencement in the United States is a tradition like no other. Every June, high school seniors dress in their Sunday best and head to the tried-and-true ritual. Parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles swarm to secondary institutions with their cameras in hand. With the sea of hats and gowns, the graduating class is unified and united. Over the recent decades, Commencements across the United States have incorporated cords and stoles. These emphasize both communal and individual achievements throughout students’ secondary education and their community. At Chisago Lakes High School (CLHS), these achievements are recognized at Commencement with a variety of cords. Students who participate in the National

Schools are over populated here, 40-50 pupils in one classroom, learning process is not easy. Because of that it is impossible for the teachers to pay attention to every student in the classroom and to get almost the same result, because of that many pupils just attending the classroom without any interest in studying or learning.

When trying to communicate diversity issues with parents about certain needs in your class for their child may be difficult. Especially, when trying to communicate among parents of ELL (English language learners) and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students. Some of the difficulties you may run into are language barriers, misunderstanding of dialect, offensive gestures, and even frustration. As teachers when need to keep a cool head on our shoulders and approach this situation with a positive attitude, a plan, and a great expectation of the outcome.

Overcrowded schools are one of the many reasons why America is falling backwards. With high birth rates and continuous immigration flow the classroom has become overcrowded. The best way a student can learn is if the attention is not so divided. With large classrooms having over 30 students, it makes it almost impossible for a teacher to attend to each student equally. “Slavin (1989) reviewed those studies that lasted a minimum of 1 year and had 20 students or fewer. He concluded that substantial reductions in class size have a small positive effect on students” (Synopsis of Class Size Literature). Classrooms should be small enough for a teacher to perform well without divided attention. In smaller classrooms, students are recognized for their contribution and participation. Students can respect the work of their peers individually and learn from them and help maintain order. They have more time to be collaborative, work creatively, think critically and draw their own predictions. In “Every Classroom Teacher’s Dream”, Patricia Handley states that “Teachers have more opportunity for personalized assessment with students, such as individual conferencing. With a small class, teacher can maximize best teaching practices, heightening students’ academic achievement” (6). There is ample evidence on how a small classroom can improve so much.

To often the teachers don't realize that language is just part of a greater culture. So they miss the point that understanding the complete culture of the students they are teaching needs to be comprehended. I would say, especially when dealing with ELL students who are very new in the USA. The teachers can confuse the lack of interference is a lack of interest, when actually the Hispanic culture values education a great deal and those who teach it. They see the teacher as the specialist and therefore respect that teacher’s decision almost explicitly. They also confuse what appears their lack of time for their children's schooling as a lack of interest in the student’s education. They work very long hours and end up showing up at off hours due to their challenging work schedules. However, if they send an older brother or uncle or grandparent in their place they are saying I am engaged though it may not appear so to the Anglo teacher. The item that will get them to respond more quickly

Many Latino students, are considered first generation students. Due to being first generation students. Many of these students will encounter some obstacles compared to their other classmates. Many of these students have difficulty learning because the education system is not being built in a way where all students will understand. For many of these students, Spanish is their first language. Many starting school already feel a sense of outsider due to them not having the same learning method as their classmates, or having difficulty understanding certain words due to being bilingual.

Even though my mother was Mexican it was hard for me to speak to my friends who knew mostly Spanish and a little English because Spanish was not my first language. As years went on, I went to high school, where now I can have a full conversation with my Spanish speaking friends, and since it is an international high school, it brings in more cultural diversity. With this international high school in El Paso, it has helped me learn new cultures and experience the dozens of traits they do for activities or how they celebrate

However, these minute problems can be fixed over time and with care. To do this, we must first start by addressing the fact that some teachers need an incentive to give more to their students. By not helping teachers out, it is highly likely that they will not give their all in order to educate students. As a result, students fall behind and can not help themselves through the system that was initially designed to weed out the weak. The education system as it is, makes it excruciatingly difficult for students to do well because they do not fit into what is required of them. Although this may be the case, the system is not broken, and in turn, it can be fixed by first addressing the fact that teachers are not as valued as they should be. Although some teachers make it their mission to educate their students, some have a hard time putting in more time than is required of them. In doing so, students cannot get extra help if they need it and eventually end up having a hard time passing. In order to fix the system, we must first deal with the small problems that could cause a large ripple if they are

The worst three plights that are discussed in Valencia’s Chicano School Failure and Success are language/cultural exclusion, teacher student interaction, and Chicano teaching force. Valencia discusses how “Chicano students have experienced persistent and persuasive language suppression and cultural exclusion” in the public-school system (8). These laws and policies were instated, with one purpose, “to ensure the dominance of the English language and Anglo culture” (Valencia 8). White culture enforced this belief, that being bilingual and bicultural will create a threat to the dominant white English-speaking population. In addition, another adversity Chicano students faced is the “limited use of bilingual education” (Valencia 9).

Purpose: To persuade the class to recognize the issue of teacher shortages, consider the proposed ways to correct the issue, and work to rectify the situation.

Within the Spanish speaking community at this charter school, there is little to no L1 used during the school day. The students’ instruction does now allow for the individuals L1 to be used. Occasionally, when the students are not having a silent lunch or when they are given recess, there will be murmurs in the students L1. Aside from the occasional conversations during recess or lunch time, the students do not speak in their native language at school. The teacher does

My first observation took place in a third grade classroom of twenty-two students. All students were of Mexican descent and labeled as intermediate/advanced English language learners. The classroom environment itself was very warm and welcoming. There was a bulletin board that displayed pictures of students and their families along with autobiographies. There was another bulletin board dedicated to celebrating Mexican culture and people. The teacher was a Caucasian women in her mid twenties with three years of teaching experience.

Some teachers have up to 30 plus students per class and up to 6 or more classes each day. This can pose a challenge with the teachers on how effectively they can work with students on a one-on-one level. Unfortunately, a situation can also arise in which the teacher does not necessarily bother with teaching students and are not bothered if they begin to fall behind.