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Tamara Sharp, an amazing individual who also happens to be a family friend and neighbor.
located in Tacoma, Washington. She has been teaching at Crescent Heights for 25 years and
made it clear during our interview that she still loves teaching just as much as she did when my
brother had her as his kindergarten teacher. I asked Tamara Sharp 15 questions during our
interview, and after looking over her answers and our discussions that arose from the
questions, I identified three common themes that emerged during the interview. These three
themes are experiences with English language learners (ELLs), the importance of school/home
support, and the “do’s and don’ts” of teaching with ELL students in the classroom.
Due to her many years of teaching experience, Tamara Sharp had lots of information
and stories about encounters with ELL students in her classroom that she was able to share
with me during our interview. In this year’s class, Tamara Sharp has 17 native English speakers
and 4 non-native English speakers, or ELLs. She explained that learning to integrate the non-
native English speakers culture into the classroom and curriculum is extremely important and
crucial to making the ELLs feel welcome and accepted. Tamara Sharp mentioned that even if
she was to have a class with zero ELLs, she would still find integrating various cultures into the
curriculum crucial.
This year, the most common first language of ELLs in Tamara Sharp’s classroom is
Spanish. In Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and
Practice, it says that “The U.S. Census Bureau identified 381 different languages spoken in
homes across the country in 2011. Spanish is the most common. Spanish speakers make up
over 80% of the ELL population” (Ryan, 2013, pg.8). Tamara Sharp has come to learn that her
ELL students thrive best in group settings with peers. She explained to me that she will observe
the ELL students for several weeks before putting the class into groups. Tamara Sharp uses
these two weeks prior to planning any group activities to see who the ELL students gravitate
towards and feel comfortable around. The textbook says that, “The easiest way to assess ELLs is
simply to watch them. Observe their interactions in the classroom, during informal transition
periods, and out on the playground or in the hallway” (Wright, 2015, pg.17). Then, she will
make sure to put the ELL student and the individual whom they feel close with, in the same
group. This assures that the ELL student will feel comfortable to share their ideas with the
group and participate more than if they were in a group without their friend. Overall, listening
to Tamara Sharp share her experiences with ELLs in her classroom was extremely beneficial and
I feel that I now know some useful tips to help me in my future classroom.
A second theme that arose during the interview is regarding the importance of
school/parent support. At Crescent Heights, the school Tamara Sharp teaches at, there are
several programs offered to ELL students for extra support. One program offered at her school
is referred to as “ELL pull-out”. With this program, students spend part of their school day in
their mainstream classroom, but are pulled out of that classroom for an hour each day to
explained that although she sees the potential benefits, she feels that pulling the students out
of the classroom is a distraction and disrupts her class. She told me that she has suggested that
the students either come an hour early to school or stay an hour late to receive this additional
support. Tamara Sharp feels that when the students are pulled out of class, they are made to
feel different and often seem to be embarrassed about leaving. A main topic of the interview
was how important it is for a teacher to have support from the parents of her students. It is
crucial to have open communication between yourself as a teacher and the parents. Being able
to check in with the parents and make sure that their children are receiving adequate support
A final theme that arose during our interview was the “do’s and don’ts” of teaching with
ELL students in the classroom. Tamara Sharp strongly suggests and supports using the Natural
Approach for teaching ELL students. She explained to me that in order to create a classroom
environment that supports the natural approach she makes sure to use visuals that reinforce
both spoken and written words, exaggerates frequently used vocabulary words, speaks slowly,
enunciates, repeat words, use shorter sentences and as simple of syntax as possible. In an
article by Kristina Robertson, the author writes that, “Repetition, exaggeration and speaking
slowly and clearly are crucial when teaching ELL students” (Robertson, 2014, p.1). She has
found that making a conscious effort to practice the previously listed strategies is extremely
beneficial to the learning process of not just her ELL students, but to her entire classroom.
Towards the end of our interview, I asked Tamara Sharp if she had any advice for me as
a future teacher. She lit up with excitement when I asked her this question and I could tell that I
was about to receive come quality advice. One tip she gave me was to never assume the
students know how to do anything and always start from the very beginning when beginning a
new lesson or topic. A few other tips were to prepare myself for kids with a wide range of skills.
Some students could walk into the first day of class as readers, and others may never have seen
letters before. Tamara Sharp explained the importance of being prepared to teach a wide range
of students, and having tools for all the levels in between. A final piece of advice and one I may
never have thought of is to always over plan. Tamara Sharp mentioned that I never want to be
standing in front of my class wondering “what next?” It is better to end the day with potential
activities left than to have 45 minutes left of the day and have no idea what to do during that
time.
There are many things that I found beneficial about my interview with Tamara Sharp.
She shared a handful of helpful tips about working with ELL/ESL students that I am prepared to
apply in my future classroom. One specific conversation that Tamara Sharp and I had which
significantly changed my view, was regarding “ELL pull-out” programs. Prior to our interview, I
thought highly of an “ELL pull-out” program, but after talking with Tamara Sharp, I now see the
flaws and implications. Speaking from experience, Tamara Sharp explained to me that ELL
students tend to feel alienated when they are pulled out of class. I still believe that an “ELL pull-
out” program has the potential to be beneficial, but our conversation opened by eyes to the
that there is much hard work and dedication that goes into being a good teacher, especially
when it comes to accommodating and interacting with ELL students. I plan on applying much of
what I learned during my interview to my classroom and teaching methods. There are two
things from my interview with Tamara Sharp that I have really taken to heart. The first is that I
should never assume my students know anything and the importance of always teach lessons
from the very beginning, without skipping steps or parts of a lesson. The other important topic
from the interview is to always over-plan. It is better to have too much planned for the school
day, than to have a significant amount of the day left, and no idea what to do with my students
during that time. This interview taught me very much about myself as a future teacher. Before
the interview, I had a pretty good idea as to the amount of work it takes to teach ELL students
and run a classroom efficiently. My interview with Tamara Sharp gave me insight to the high
level of dedication it takes to be a teacher. Her stories and experiences reminded me that there
will be difficult situations in my classroom and that these situations will take multiple solutions
and attempts to resolve. I am very grateful for the opportunity to interview Tamara Sharp and
would love to get the chance to talk with more ELL/ESL teachers in the future.
interview with Tamara Sharp. She is an amazing teacher and I aspire to be much like her.
Working in a classroom with ELL students is something that is going to take a great deal of
patience and hard work. During our interview I learned about Tamara Sharp’s experiences with
English language learners (ELLs), the importance of school/home support, and the “do’s and
don’ts” of teaching with ELL students in the classroom. I feel that my interview with Tamara
Sharp taught me tips and strategies which will make working with my students a little easier
2. What are the demographics of your classroom? For instance, how many native English
speakers do you have and how many non-native English speakers/ELLs do you have?
3. What do you feel are the best methods, strategies and or approaches to English
language learning?
4. In what ways do you integrate a student’s culture into the classroom and the
curriculum?
5. What is your belief on standardized tests that are required in school district?
6. Does your school offer any programs or extra support for ELL students? If yes, what are
7. What is the most common first language of ELLs in your classroom throughout your
teaching experience?
8. How do the ELL students fit in or interact socially? Do they struggle socially?
9. Does code-switching help ELLs learn English better, or is it more effective to force them
11. What made you want to become a teacher, knowing that you may have students who
13. In your teaching experience, what social situations do you feel ELLs thrive better in?
that is?
16. What support do you receive from your school, staff, or district with ELL education?
17. What was your most challenging experience with an ELL student and how have you
Robertson, K. (2014). Five Things Teachers Can Do to Improve Learning for ELLs in the New
Year. Retrieved November 30, 2016, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/five-
things-teachers-can-do-improve-learning-ells-new-year
Wright, W. E. (2010). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory,
Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia: Caslon Pub.