After the interview, I was sad to hear that used assimilation on Cecilia. In Cecilia’s story, you can hear the negative impact the teachers had on her. According to Wright (2015), in assimilation, the students must abandon their language and culture to become Americans. So, students would feel discouraged about their native language and culture. And, the student’s linguistics and academic needs must be met in schools. So if a teacher discourages and does not help the student, the student has a low chance of succeeding. Since “learning to read in English is more difficult if students cannot read in their home language.” (Wright, 2015) Therefore, the teachers must fulfill their students’ needs so they can gain a high academic achievement. And as Cecilia mentions, she would have been more fluent in Spanish if her teacher did not discourage her from speaking Spanish.
In Cecilia’s story, you can hear the impact of standardized tests on the school's policies. The teachers wanted her to speak in English to pass those tests, instead of on focusing on her development in the long run. The teachers did not understand her point of view in learning English. If the teachers understood the challenges the students faced, they could have a smoother transition to English. And, I have thought about my own students. And, I agree with Wright’s statement of “the mandated one-size-fits-all standards … are not appropriate for the diverse ELL population.” (Wright, 2015) At my school, a teacher told her experience of ELLs students in standardized tests. The teacher’s ELL students have misinterpreted the prompt of the Writing STARR in the past. Therefore, it is important for the teachers and test makers to understand the ELL students’ point of view. So, there is not any confusion on the test so students can be successful test takers. Overall, understanding the student’s background and challenges allows teachers to know which resources they need to help their students.
Gutierrez, C. (2019, February 21). ELL Student Interview [Personal interview].
Wright, Wayne (2015). Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, Second Edition.
