Success with ELLs: Spanish in the Mainstream--Finding Middle Ground for Latino/Latina Immigrant Newcomers
Author(s):
Siefert, Bobbi
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
English Journal, Volume 99, Issue 3 (2010). pp. 95-97.
Language:
English
Abstract:
While the overall school-age population grew by only 2.6 percent between 1995 and 2005, the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) grew by 56 percent--a number that can only be expected to grow considerably in the near future. Mainstream literacy professionals across the country, typically monolingual European American women, struggle to connect with such diversity and to connect ELLs--learners often designated as "at risk" in states across the country and especially in states such as Georgia or North Carolina, which are overwhelmingly Latino/Latina--to school. A monolingual literacy teacher in rural North Carolina, the author shares her experience to argue that even without speaking the language of students, be that Spanish, Hmong, or another language, mainstream literacy professionals can still embrace the native languages and home cultures of English learners in ways that honor and ultimately promote English learners' success in classrooms and educational communities.