Sheridan Blair

December 11, 2015

T & L 333

Teacher interview

Initial Paper:

The interview took place over Thanksgiving break at my uncles house. My uncle is a high

school teacher in the Tacoma Public Schools District so he has a lot of friends who are teachers

and I have a few family friends who are teachers as well. We figured my uncles house in

Lakewood, WA would be a good place to have the interview since it was around the Holidays

time and he usually had guests over anyways. I emailed a few other teachers some questions

about ELL students but they didnt get back to me in time so I only interviewed one teacher. The

teacher I interviewed is the same teacher that I did volunteer work for over the summer at

Manitou Park Elementary School so I was already familiar with how things worked in her

classroom with some of the ELL students. I guess it was less of a formal interview because there

was family around so it seemed homier of an environment and there was food. I wasnt able to

get a recorded interview because I wasnt aware at the time that it was supposed to be recorded.

By the time I came back to school and heard that we were supposed to have a recorded interview

it was already too late. However, during the interview I wrote down my questions and her

answers with pen and pencil. Im confident that I learned a lot about ELLs from this interview

because she was very insightful and answered most of the questions that I wanted to know.

Final Draft:

A major idea or theme that I noticed during the interview was that ELL students need to

be treated equally within a normal classroom. The most important thing is to make them feel
comfortable in the classroom so that they can achieve their fullest potential. The teacher I

interviewed stressed that its extremely important to learn about each students individual

background such as their home culture and main language. Its also important to reach out to

these students communities to show that you are willing to do what it takes to make a child

welcome in the classroom. Although there are various programs specifically used for teaching

ELL students and making them feel more at ease, the most important factor is the care and

compassion of the teacher. Surely any teacher can incorporate ELL programs in a classroom, but

making a student feel welcome is much more than that. Making a student feel welcome means

you are willing to go above and beyond what a regular teacher would do, even if it takes more

time out of your day. I really liked that the teacher I interviewed was so passionate about her

students because I know that she works in an area that has a lot of behavioral problems so I know

its even more challenging from her.

There are too many students who subjugate themselves to failure because of learned

helpless in the classroom. If a student has experienced a teacher in the past that has made them

feel unworthy in the classroom then they are likely to be less desiring of learning. This is why as

a teacher it is important for us to show our students we truly care about them by doing activities

that ask about their own culture and home language. Its also vitally important that we show our

students that we will be understanding towards them and will do our best to accommodate

towards any language difficulties. We can supply bilingual dictionaries within the classroom for

children to use at any time. I think it would be fun in the classroom for students to make their

own personal dictionary of words that they think they might use every day so this way they can

have fun coloring and making their own.

 In my interview I found out that in my hometown, Tacoma Public School District uses

sheltered instruction which I thought was pretty cool because we learned about this in class and

in my book. In the book it says that sheltered instruction refers to grade-level content-area

instruction that is provided in English but in a manner that makes it comprehensible to ELLs

while promoting their English language development (Echevarria & Graves, 2011). I think its

cool that in this program they arent addressing or teaching English in a way that would be too

challenging for the students. Sheltered instruction helps students learn and develop at their own

pace which I think is important so that they dont feel discouraged.

Another thing that stuck with me during the interview was that standard assessments

arent always the way to go which I completely agree with. She said that they have their

purposes but in her classes she doesnt prefer them. At a young age students need to be exposed

to different ways of learning and that means we need to test and assess them in different ways. In

her classroom she tries to incorporate different ways of assessing so that her students each get a

chance to show her what they know in the best way possible for them to. She said that it wasnt

always through actual tests that she tested to see what her students knew. She would try to do it

in more indirect ways so that the students wouldnt feel like they were being graded for

something. For example, through simple things such as coloring and story re-telling she could

see what students could remember from a book read in class. I thought this was interesting

because I remember as a kid you never really think about why your teacher is giving you the

assignments. Indirect learning and teaching is something that I have come to value as a future

teacher because I like the idea of students learning something without even realizing it. Giving

assignments such as random questions about themselves to either discuss or write about helps
them learn about each other. It also indirectly helps them practice their grammar, writing, and

speaking skills.

Although there are several different methods when it comes to teaching ELL students, the

most important aspect of all is the teachers attitude. ELL children are not going to be able to

develop to their full learning potential if the teacher sets limit for them. Portraying a negative or

boring attitude while teaching makes it extremely difficult for students to actually want to learn,

especially at such a young age. Sometimes it does not matter how effective one teaching or ELL

strategy could potentially be if the teacher doesnt give it their all. When teachers successfully

portray their passion for their students to the classroom, it creates the perfect learning

atmosphere. Having passion for your students is the most important thing I learned from this

interview assignment and it helped remind me of why I want to be a teacher. Its so important to

try and understand your students because sometimes they might not have someone at home who

is willing to go that extra mile for them. Even if at first a student seems difficult, that doesnt

mean you should just give up on them; it means you need to try even harder to help this student

achieve what they can to their fullest potential.

Interview Questions:

What were some of the challenges you faced when you first became an ELL teacher?

It was more challenging than being a regular teacher. I had to take into consideration all of my
students needs as well as acknowledging any cultural or language differences. It wasnt just
about teaching a lesson plan. I needed to make everyone feel comfortable in the classroom so I
could ensure all students had a good learning environment. It was also difficult sometimes not
being able to effectively communicate with my students if they didnt understand what I was
saying or I couldnt understand what they were saying.

What are some obstacles ELL students face in English classrooms?

I think the biggest problem they have to face every day is trying to fit in and feel accepted. Just
because they are kids doesnt mean they arent aware of their cultural and language differences.
Its difficult and more challenging for them to adjust to English instruction sometimes based on
their own English language experience. A lot of the times students will have difficulty with their
English grammar when writing but might do better when speaking aloud.

What are the demographics of your class (how many ELL)?

The demographics vary each year but are usually around the same. There are usually around 4-8
ELL students in my classroom. This year I have 7 ELL students in my classroom

What grade level do you teach?

2nd.

What is your opinion on traditional assessments?

Well, they have their purposes but in my classes I dont prefer them. At a young age students
need to be exposed to different ways of learning and that means we need to test and assess them
in different ways. In my classroom I try to incorporate different ways of assessing so that my
students each get a chance to show me what they know in the best way possible for them to.

Do you speak another language?

I know some Spanish which makes it very helpful in the classroom The ELL teacher that my
students goes to twice a week is speaks multiple languages.

What programs does your school have to offer for ELL students?

Tacoma Public Schools have the dual language program and content-based ESL sheltered
instruction. Sheltered Instruction is an approach for teaching content to English language
learners (ELLs) in strategic ways that make academic subject matter concepts comprehensible
while promoting the students English language development. Dual language programs provide
integrated language and academic instruction for native English and native speakers of another
language with the goals of high academic achievement, first and second language proficiency,
and cross-cultural understanding.

What are some of your favorite activities to do in an ELL classroom?

Well I dont specifically teach an ELL classroom but in my classroom to promote ELL activities
I like to have children draw pictures and write stories about their families so I can get a better
idea of their home background and how to make them feel more comfortable in the classroom.
This way the gets also get to know each other and see things from a different perspective.