Chapter 8: Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English

"I think you can't do this test because you don't speak English, but anyway I will give you a B if you come every day" ~ Elaine's Teacher (page 151)

This chapter was all about immigrant high school students who do not speak English fluently. The common theme for all these students is having a language barrier in the classroom. This is a huge problem with schools in America since, 1 in 6 high school students do not come from a family where English is not their main language (page 146). The student co-authors from this chapter all shared the same belief, wanting to succeed in school rather than just get by or not be able to move on. This is why it is important for teachers to find ways to accommodate these students to help them succeed. This is why I chose to use the quote from Elaine's teacher, he just wanted the immigrant students to not misbehave and attend class rather than have them learn.

I think this chapter is very important to read for any teacher new or old. If a teacher is not aware of their students needs, especially when it is a language barrier, than it can cause a lot of problems for those students. Also I agreed with this chapter when it talked about reasons immigrant students act up and misbehave. I agreed that if a student cannot follow or understand what is being discussed in the classroom then they will become very bored and probably act out to get attention and show frustration. In all I thought this chapter offered good ideas in ways to help these students as well as notice signs that they are not having their needs met. A few of the reasons ways they can act out are when they cut class, put their heads down to sleep or even biting their nails (list on page 156).