The main goal of ESL is to prepare students to survive and do their best in mainstream classes. Mainstream means…NOT ESL. At WOHS we have many students that are in transition, which means that they have one ESL class and one mainstream class. These students are in a special place, their English is good enough to take a regular English class, but they are not ready to completely leave ESL. If you are one of these students CONGRATULATIONS!! Your hard work and dedication to learn English is working!
However, there are many new experiences and challenges when leaving ESL. Most mainstream teachers are not trained to work with ESL students, so they speak faster English, use more challenging vocabulary, give more advanced reading and writing assignments, and have larger classes. For an American student that grew up going to American schools, this is normal. But for ESL students that are transitioning out of ESL, all of this is new and a bit scary. Don’t worry. In this blog I will provide some advice and tools that can help any student improve in their non-ESL classes.
10 STEPS TO SURVIVE LEAVING ESL:
· 1st: Have a positive attitude: Be happy that your teachers think you are smart enough to be in a regular English class. Be proud to represent your culture and country to an American class! Be exited to work harder to learn more English and have the advantage to be fully bilingual! This is a great opportunity to learn the same as the non-ESL students, make new friends, and learn new experiences about your school.
· 2nd: Communicate - Many non-ESL teachers will not know that you are a former ESL student. Get to know your new teachers and communicate with them openly about you being a former ESL student. Let them know that you are happy to be in their class; but that this is your first time and that you want to do well. Be honest about what areas you will need the most help with.
· 3rd: Ask for help - Ask the teacher when you can meet for extra help and if there is tutorial for their class. Don’t be afraid to ask for help during class activities.
· 4th: Location – Ask to sit at the front of the room or close to the teacher. That way you will hear and understand better, and if you sit next to the teacher it will be easier to ask for help during class time. Also, ask if you can sit next to a student that speaks your language or a more advanced student that can help you explain and translate the work.
· 5th: Vocabulary – Write down any words you hear or see during a class activity that you don’t know or are confused about. You can ask the teacher for help by being specific with the words you don’t understand. Also, look up the words in a dictionary and make a list of words and definitions. This will help you in all your classes and it will improve all areas of English.
· 6th : Make LIBRARIANS your new best friends! – Libraries and Librarians are awesome; they can help you find the answer to almost any question. They can also show you websites, books, movies, and other materials that will help you in any class. You can borrow and use most of these materials for FREE!! Visit the school and public library! Make it your second home!
· 7th : Use the Internet – There are many sites to help you on the net...WOHS Library has a great list of websites and search engines to help any student. If you are using any school computer just Click on: http://wohs.woboe.org/LMC/Pages/OnlineResources.aspx
*If you are not in school you will find a logn-in box. Just log-in the same way you log-in to a school computer.
*If you are not in school you will find a logn-in box. Just log-in the same way you log-in to a school computer.
· Best Sites from our LMC for English Classes: netTrekker, Facts on File Online Databases
o Click on netrekker: click on Language Arts, then Literature for help on any story or book
o Click on Facts on File Online Databases: click Bloom's Literary Reference Online for help on any story or book
· 8th : Get a Group – Get together with other students that are studying the same thing. You can share notes, help each other, and give each other support
· 9th: Feelings & Emotions – For some students leaving ESL can be stressful and full of anxieties, don’t be afraid to reach out and speak to your counselor, teachers, or an adult you trust about how you feel. There are many people that care about you and want you to do your best, the more you talk openly about how you feel; the easier it will be.
· 10th : Don’t Give Up - Yes…it will be hard…but all good things are worth fighting for…and your education is a very good thing.
Remember: The choices you make today will decide your tomorrows!
©Brenda Avila
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