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Making the World a Little Smaller: Working with ELLs

Nepal (shaded in yellow). Source link: http://www.yourchildlearns.com/online-atlas/images/map-of-nepal.gif
As a part of the Secondary Education Program at Saint Michael's, students have the opportunity to work with English Language Learners (ELLs) in local middle and high schools. When I first learned about this placement opportunity, I was admittedly a little nervous. How can you work with a student that doesn't quite understand you? Expecting a lot of frustration, "uhms," and "uhs" on both ends, I took a few deep breaths before meeting my student for the first time.

For the sake of privacy, I will refer to my student in this and future posts as "S." Prior to our meeting, I knew that S. was from Nepal, a place I had never been to and knew little about its culture. Luckily, I did know where to find it on a map! Wanting to better understand what sort of environment S. had emigrated from, I conducted a general search on Nepal. I also looked at the website and ELL page of the high school I would be working in, hoping to develop some sort of understanding of the changes S. has experienced while living in the United States. However, I knew that all the research in the world could not paint the unique picture S.'s story would produce.

When I walked into S.'s Senior Government class, I was immediately greeted by a friendly and enthusiastic teacher. He introduced me to S., and I was relieved that S. and I were able to maintain conversation easily. Although awkward at first, both S. and I had little trouble understanding each other. Together we started a project his class was just assigned, researching homelessness in the United States. S. was not afraid to ask comprehension questions, even if he had to ask a few times before I figured out how to explain a concept in a way he understood. Between the assignment prompts, we would ask each other some basic "get to know you" questions, and I was relieved with how comfortable we became with the flow of conversation. I even learned some Nepali: "Kasto Cha?" means "How are you?" (it's harder to pronounce than it looks, but S. was really patient and extremely happy when I finally got it down!). Overall, I would label our first meeting a success.

So, what can I take away from my first placement with an ELL student? As a future teacher, I am bound to have students from varying backgrounds with different English language skill levels. I think the most important thing I learned from meeting S. for the first time is that patience and understanding are everything. I know S. appreciated the little background knowledge I went into my placement with; it made conversation starters a lot easier. More importantly, we were both willing to listen and repeat what the other was saying to check for understanding, and we asked questions when we weren't sure. The entire ELL process requires a lot of work on both ends, and I wanted S. to know that I was eager to learn as much as he was. Stay tuned for more about S., ELL programs, and my progress learning Nepali. Namaste!
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