Moring 1

Marlyn Moring

Professor Batty

English 101

11 December 2019

Dealing With Language Barrier

My brother and I came here in the United States 3 years ago, when we got here we only

had 3 days to take a break and after that my mom enrolled us in Canoga Park High School. I was

placed in ELD class or what they called ESL class, since I was one of those students who were

not proficient enough to speak the English language. After taking an ELD class for one and a

half semester I passed the CELDT test that means I no longer have to take that class. The

language barrier is one of the challenges that Latinx students face every day of their lives. Some

Latinx students are afraid to speak up due to misunderstandings and misinterpretations that may

lower their self-esteem. Although there are English subjects like ESL and ELL that helps

students who are having a hard time speaking the English language, I argue that instead of

putting the non-English speakers in one class altogether it would be much better for the Latinx

K-12 students if they interact more with the English speakers around them to improve the

English-speaking skills that would help them achieve success in college. Latinx K-12 students

might have significant contributions when they graduate. Besides, overcoming the language

barrier it may help people unite, which allows them to communicate well by accepting each

other's differences and making each other feel they belong in this community.

Although there are English subjects like ESL and ELL that help students who are having

a hard time speaking the English language, Latinx K-12 students should interact more with the
 Moring 2

English speakers around them to improve their English-speaking skills by suggesting students to

take regular English classes. According to the article “Perceptions of Educational Barriers

Affecting the Academic Achievement of Latino K-12 Students.” by David Becerra, “Forty-five

percent of all Latino students in U.S. public schools are classified as ELL… Too many white

teachers don't know how to deal with Latino kids because they come from different cultures”

(Becerra 168). This proves that there are a lot of Latinx K-12 students taking ESL or ELL classes

that are having a hard time to cope up with the language barrier, especially the teachers

themselves that cannot deal with the students due to the language barrier. This neglects the

students’ purpose of being academically successful.

In addition, one of the effects of the language barrier to Latinx K-12 students is it lowers

their self-esteem. Students like them are having a hard time interacting with the other students

because there might be a misunderstanding that usually occurs. Based on the article “Falling

Behind: The Challenges Facing Latino Education in the U.S.” by Silvia Davila, “Latino

immigrant students have limited opportunities to fully participate in activities that would support

social and cognitive development. Consequently, they will likely continue to struggle

academically and may suffer socially as well” (Davila). This proves that language barrier cannot

just affect the academic career of Latinx K-12 students, but it also affects how they socialize

with other fellow students in school because some may not have the confidence to speak up or

try to engage with other students due to the fact that they might feel left out for some reason. As

a matter of fact, being able to engage with some other people might help Latinx K-12 students to

become more productive in school activities or even with their studies and be able to overcome
 Moring 3

their lack of self-esteem, which makes them achieve academic success throughout their journey

in college life.

Lastly, some people may think that subjects like ESL and ELL classes are a helpful way

to make the students improve their language skills and it has benefits for students to help them

communicate more effectively with the people that surrounds them. As stated in the article titled

“Why Is It Important to Maintain the Native Language?”, “​ESL classes prepare students to be

fully engaged with their communities… ESL students benefit by being able to take advantage of

educational and training opportunities, which lead to employment, promotions...” (​ “Why Is It

Important to Maintain the Native Language?”). This proves that ESL class has a lot of benefits

that lead students not just to be academically successful, but it also provides students to

understand how communication is essential and what it’s like to live in a country that has a lot of

opportunities waiting for them. I agree that ESL class has a lot of benefits for Latinx K-12

students to improve their English-speaking skills and become socially inclined. Based on my

experience in an ESL class the teacher taught us how to construct an essay using the Jane

Schaffer paragraph, there are a lot of readings that helps the students to learn new vocabulary

words everyday and there were lessons about present tense, relative pronouns and grammar, but I

argue that it is not enough and may not be that effective for some English learner students

because their improvement relies on their willingness to learn and explore more about their

surroundings and being in an ESL class won’t help them overcome those barriers that they

undergo.

Overall, Latinx students should interact more with the English speakers around them to

improve their English-speaking skills and they should not be put in an ESL class where the
 Moring 4

non-English speakers are all in one place altogether, which would not help them to cope with the

language barrier. This means that they might not be academically successful in college life and

won't be able to achieve higher education. For the most part, we need more Latinx K-12 students

to reach higher education to balance the equity gap that is happening between them and other

ethnicities where everything should be balanced.

 Moring 5

Works Cited

Becerra, David. “Perceptions of Educational Barriers Affecting the Academic

Achievement of Latino K-12 Students.” Children & Schools, vol. 34, no. 3, July

2012, pp. 167–177. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ984545&site=eds-live

Davila, Silvia Alvarez de. “Falling Behind: The Challenges Facing Latino Education in

the U.S.” CEHD Vision 2020, 28 Apr. 2016,

cehdvision2020.umn.edu/blog/challenges-facing-latino-education/.

“Why Is It Important to Maintain the Native Language?” IDRA, National Clearinghouse for

Bilingual Education, Jan. 2000,

www.idra.org/resource-center/why-is-it-important-to-maintain-the-native-language/.