ESOL.

One of the more difficult things about teaching (and there are definitely a lot) is that many students come in not speaking English. There's a lot of debate out there, and I can't even pretend I know what's going on in terms of policies regarding non-English instruction, American cultural education (which some think is forced assimilation), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), or any of the other policies and systems in place for our non-English speaking students.


But, one of the more interesting sessions during this week's New Teacher Institute was about the ESOL support we would have at our school, and how to modify instruction to better serve our ESOL students. Some things that I learned before even getting into the "How" of instruction really surprised me. For example:

• Baltimore is a refugee resettlement city
• The State Department takes people in from around the world and sends them primarily to the Southeast part of Baltimore.
• Most refugees come from Nepal, Iraq, and parts of Africa
• There are 61 languages spoken in Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS)
• The top languages are Spanish, Nepali, Arabic, French , Vietnamese, and Swahili
• ESOL students get integrated instruction in math, science, literacy, and "American Culture"
• Maree G. Farring, the school I am teaching at, is #10 in BCPS in terms of number of ESOL students

The theory and practice behind ESOL is really interesting, and I know that when I worked with Chinese speakers back in LA, the difficulties and successes both came often. I'm excited to see what it's like this time if I have ESOL students again.

... But I really, REALLY wish I had learned Spanish.