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When my family lived in Peru, we decided to send our children to one of the many schools which were bi-lingual, that is, their goal was to develop Peruvian students who were capable users of both English and Spanish. Some classes were taught in English, some in Spanish. There was no formal instruction in Spanish as a second language, as for most of the students English was the second language.

My children were in grades 1, 4, and 5. My first grade daughter had learned to read in English, and was able to transfer her first grade level of English reading to first grade reading in Spanish. We were able to encourage and support her learning of Spanish at home, and I think that made some difference.

It was a different story for the 4th and 5th graders. They both had a rudimentary knowledge of Spanish when they started at the school. They could go into a panaderia and buy rolls, or talk their way into a private swimming pool by identifying the tia who was a member. It was quite a different matter to attempt to study science, geography, and history at their grade level in Spanish. The school, naturally, taught the least academically demanding classes in English, but stuck to Spanish for the subjects which required more extensive and specialized vocabularies. There was no way they could acquire enough Spanish to hold their own in those classes.

We valued our children's opportunity to become part of the culture of Peru. Reluctantly we moved them to the Collegio Roosevelt, the school for English and American students, where all classes were in English. Their closest friends were among the Peruvians enrolled in this school. Peruvians who had capability in English as a result of several years of formal instruction in their second language.

Since then two of these children have become ESL teachers. Both are aware of the studies which have shown that students who learn to read in their most familiar language learn to read in the second language more readily than without this introduction to reading. Their experiences as teachers have borne this out. They also know that it takes at least 4 years for students to develop real facility in their second language, so they can comprehend hard subject matter taught exclusively in English.



Students

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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Are you suggesting that any change is better than no change? Removing all desks from classrooms would also be a change. So would be putting Bill Sizemore in a classroom. But I don't think either of those changes would improve the quality of education in the schools.

Measure 60s is not a change directed to the improvement of our educational system.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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In a sales job, the results of the worker's efforts are evident at once. In teaching, it is often many years before the true effectiveness of that teacher can be measured.

The "tough" teacher a student resented at one time, is often remembered with greatest appreciation later in life.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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It isn't just that teachers gravitate to "easier" schools. It is partly a question of "burn out." Working with the extreemly needy children is taxing. After a few years, for may teachers it is a question of leaving teaching or teaching in a different situation.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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I have been a Teacher-Librarian in public schools in the South and in Oregon from 1970 until my retirement in 2000.

One of the problems I see in attempting to develop a system for evaluating teacher effectiveness is that not all students learn in the same way, or have the same educational needs.

I have known teachers who were first rate in helping children who come to school with truly deprived backgrounds. They are able to bring students who begin third grade reading at a kindergarten level to upper second grade level, and make similar advances in arithmetic. However, these teachers often are not able equally to inspire advancement for the students who enter the third grade reading at an eighth grade level and full of curiosity about history, science, and the world about them.

I have seen other teachers who have little patience or skill in teaching the students who have little background or preparation for formal education, but who open broad worlds of understanding and appreciation for students who have exceptional ability and skills. They nourish the intellectual interests of these students and give them an opportunity for a broader and more rewarding education. They most of all provide an example of the richness of a life in which learning in the broadest sense plays a major role.

I do not think that either of these teachers has greater value than the other. It is essential that basic skills are developed for all students. It is equally as important that joy in learning and explanding intellectual horizons be part of our school offerings.

Incidentally, I never failed to attempt to improve my skills as a librarian, or a teacher, because I was not offered extra pay for keeping up-to-date in the uses of technologies or learning strategies. In fact, I spent a substantial part of my salary in getting those skills because they made teaching and librarianship rewarding. This was true of the vast majority of teachers with whom I worked in schools over the years.

posted 4 years, 8 months ago
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