My Class

I absolutely love my new job! The school I am teaching at is 94% hispanic. My kindergarten class is an English as second language (ESL) class. That means that my students know Spanish and they are learning English. My class comes to me in the mornings and I teach them math and science, in English. In the afternoons my class goes to another teacher who teaches them to read in Spanish and his class comes to me for math and science.

Research shows that ESL students need to master one language before they learn another. In the past ESL students come to school and learn English and go home and speak Spanish. Therefore they never truly master one language, and get left behind in school. The school district I am teaching in has decided to try this "dual language" approach.

It's interesting in my classroom when it comes to language. My students speak to me in English and I speak to them in English. They seem to understand me when I teach them and they are very attentive and respectful! However, when my students are working on their own at their tables they talk to each other in Spanish! I don't mind that they are speaking Spanish to each other, I just think it's funny because I can't understand them (I just hope they are saying nice words to each other... although I guess I will never know!).

Another interesting fact about my school is that the zoning for the school is one square mile. That means all the students live within a mile of the school. Taking that into consideration, my school is the largest elementary school in the district. By largest I mean we have the most students! We have 7 kindergarten classes!

I have been wondering for the past few months why I couldn't find a job in the fall. I think I am now realizing why. I'm not sure if I would have applied to this school district to teach. I would never have chosen kindergarten, let alone in a school with a very low economic statues. However, I am absolutely loving the school, the other teachers and most of all the students! I guess you can say the Lord knows what is best for you!