Teacher Discussion Forums

[sunflower03]

I am currently reading the book Forbidden Language and am perplexed as to how we continue to struggle serving ELL students. If the issue of serving ELL students began during the Civil Rights period, why do we contine to struggle with this population? Why haven't we trained or done enough for teachers and/or learned how to teach and reach these students. Why is it taking us this long to figure out what works best for these students? I am eager to read on in the following chapters, but what do you think?

[teachnj]

I just started reading this book for a class but I have felt as you for a long time now. A few years ago I read an article that described the struggles of Bil Ed students and teachers. I thought it was a current article but when I checked the date, it was written in 1979! Little seems to change in Bil Ed. It seems to me that most Bil Ed programs are not run as they should be because Districts always cut corners. There is no coherent thread that runs through Bil Ed and this makes it a difficult area to study and come up with effective solutions.

[Sally Olsen]

Money, politics and power.

[teachnj]

You are so right. I think it behooves the powers that be to start thinking about our students and not about their own advancement. Sometimes we forget the awesome power we have as teachers, administrators, etc. to affect lives. We should always opt to advance the lives of children because they are truly our future.

[Sally Olsen]

Check out Canadian education. We now have three generations who can speak, read and write, English and French and likely have another language they use at home.

[lek72]

I feel the same way. I think the reason why we are still having a hard time reaching the ELLs is because some language policy makers and educators do not believe in multicultural education. They do not think that learning/knowing another language is beneficial to a child's education. Therefore, they push for English-only education.