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Edited on Wed Mar-03-10 07:57 AM by Are_grits_groceries
When I first taught in Northern Virginia, I had many students who were newly arrived from other countries. There were kids from Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, India, the Phillipines and a lot of other places. When I got my class list, I thought,"Crikey! I can't even call the effing roll decently."
I am from South Carolina, land of the Scotch-Irish and English. There had not been any influx of people from other countries unless you count the USA. These were new and strange words to me. Even the names of kids who had Polish names or the like flummoxed me. I was used to a vowel every now and then. Let me be clear. I am not making fun of these names. I found them to be interesting and possible doors to other places.
When I started class the first day, I told the students that I would probably not pronounce their names correctly. That was not because anything was wrong with their names. It was my problem because I had not been exposed to enough cultures. It was no sign of disrespect if I said it wrong.
I said that laughing at my attempts was acceptable. What would never be allowed was mocking someone's name. A name is extremely important, and sometimes the only thing some could carry with them. If they ever mocked someone in my classes, they would be with me after school for some lessons in respect and decorum. That wasn't confined to my classroom and neither was I. If I heard it in the halls, they would be mine for a day or two after school. I told them I walked softly, and they would never know where I might appear and hear them.
So I began the adventure calling the roll. I butchered names left and right. I know some kids didn't have a clue at times that I was attempting to say their name. The one kid I remember distinctly was a petite Chinese girl. Her first name stopped me, and I made a stab at it. She was a very smart child and could decipher my pathetic attempt. She raised her hand and said,"Call me Shirley." I smiled and said Shirley it was.
That year I taught many kids who were very bright but hindered by a lack of proficiency in English. They were in classes most of the day where they were being given what was basically a crash course so they could survive. I had no training at all in dealing with kids who were hindered in this manner. I got some pointers from their teachers and did my best.
The kids who were doing well in their English classes were put into regular science and math classes ASAP. That didn't mean that they were really ready, and neither were the teachers. We muddled through as best we could. I tried my best and so did most of them. I have no idea what they really learned or retained.
I taught in a very affluent area. The schools were as well-staffed and prepared as any could be. One school in the district had to deal with 42 different dialects. The mind reels. However, the best efforts were made in most cases.
That brings me to the firings in Rhode Island. I can imagine what it must be like teaching in that situation. I'm sure there were teachers who deserved to be tossed out. I am also just as sure that there were decent, hard-working teachers trying their best. If my science classes had been held up to scrutiny, I doubt I would have had a job. I'm sure that the test scores would not have been good.
IMHO, schools like that deserve extra care and help. They need stability in the entire structure from administrators on down. Somebody needed to find a base model to work from, and one that could be tweaked as time went along. Teachers who couldn't handle that situation may have been overwhelmed or they may have been ne'er do wells. All the teachers needed help, training, and backing. A group should have been built to deal with the situation.
Usually when students come from chaotic situations, school is their only anchor. When that anchor is being pulled up and thrown about, nobody is helped. In addition, any plan that was tried couldn't be expected to work magic. It would have to be kept in place and worked in constantly. Improvements would probably be incremental at best. They might have been dramatic in some cases.
I taught science and I know that getting that subject matter across was difficult. Math was probably as difficult. Were there any methods given to the teachers that could be used to cross language barriers or were they on their on? Were they HELPED constantly or did they have the test scores monitored all the time and then beaten down about them? How were those kids doing in English?
I have no hair left. It caught on fire when I heard President Obama applaud the firings. I was too tired to get up and put it out. They can roll around the nation and fire teachers en masse and break the unions. They will find out that they have a bigger educational mess and a huge open can of worms.
So remember my name too. Are_Grits_Groceries aka beyond upset and fed up.
I will always remember Shirley. I hope she made it into a decent world.
Edit to add: I think President Obama needs to go have a beer with those teachers.
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