Half of K class is ESOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This week my 3rd grade DC got a reading buddy.
He speaks little English and is very shy.
Luckily there is another 3rd grader, Spanish speaking, that is is his other reading buddy .
My DC describes being concerned about the K kid learning to read, getting to know her and not being nervous.
She described being patient and considerate with him.
I am so proud of her.
I love that she is having this experience and this education.
All of any one thing in an educational environment is not necessarily a good idea, so I love the diversity where we are and glad we did not go running for the hills in fear.
By the way we are AA and believe WE are our kids' primary educators.
Especially since we loathe the traditional teaching of history.
Yea Columbus discovered a nation that was ready occupied... I digress

YES! Thank you! Parental involvement is the main differential in determining success, not the primary language spoken at age 5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know people who have had good experiences at high Farms/ high ESOL schools, and others who have had horrible experiences. First I think it's worth noting that 50-60% is different than 90% on both scores. If there's a sizable middle class population participating with mastery of the english language, I think things go much better, and the diversity of it can actually benefit all of the kids. If the school is almost entirely poor and non-english speaking (we're talking >90% in some cases), it really does present a barrier to learning for kids who come prepared to learn and who can, in some cases, already read in english above grade level. Our school is almost entirely all FARMS and ESOL, and we've decided not to send our kid because it's just too much work trying to figure out how to compensate for the basic social and learning opportunities that he won't have but that would be available to him at a more balanced/diverse school where the majority of kids arrive already fluent in the language of instruction, have a preschool background that has taught them how to behave in a classroom setting, and are already well on their way to mastering the concepts that will be introduced in the first years of school because their parents have been fostering learning at home from day one. I'm not talking Bethesda, but I am talking about a school that doesn't go much above the 50% mark on the FARMS or ESOL scale. Every school is different and every kid is different, I get it. But to pretend that an exceptionally high poverty rate and high ESOL rate won't impact the learning environment your child is in is probably wishful thinking. Numbers aren't everything, but they're not meaningless.

Agree. Poorly performing schools are due to poorly performing students. Be sure your school is teaching EVERY student to his or her full potential and OP won't be disappointed and her child won't miss out on learning growth.

[Anonymous]

Parental involvement? I would not use that as the main difference in a childs learning. School, attitude of teachers, diet, resources, health, access to healthcare

Can you imagine a kid needing glasses or a hearing aid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of research is now showing that a major predictor of how ESOL students do in school (grades, grad rates) is the literacy level of their parents IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE. What really matters is the parent's reading level - not whether they can read English.

Someone who crunches the numbers for a local school system explained to me that MANY of the ESOL students in NOVA come from countries with very low literacy rates and that has a big impact on teaching and learning.

That is an alarming issue in play as well: immigrants whose unskilled, uneducated parents do not speak/read/write properly in native tongue and cannot /will not learn English.
Also, what values are in display at home? Puzzles, books, and outings, OR TV, snap snacks and frequents trips to the SSA office for more benefits? Is there a mother and father who are married? Is a father figure even in the picture? Are the siblings from the same father? Is govt dependency viewed as "bueno"?

Bottom line, legal and illegal immigration in MoCo has grown substantially over the last 10-15 years, due first to construction boom, then benefits and word-of-mouth. No amount of money, aid and social experiments will replace an actual family unit and parenting.

ESOL teacher via Hogar Hispano.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This week my 3rd grade DC got a reading buddy.
He speaks little English and is very shy.
Luckily there is another 3rd grader, Spanish speaking, that is is his other reading buddy .
My DC describes being concerned about the K kid learning to read, getting to know her and not being nervous.
She described being patient and considerate with him.
I am so proud of her.
I love that she is having this experience and this education.
All of any one thing in an educational environment is not necessarily a good idea, so I love the diversity where we are and glad we did not go running for the hills in fear.
By the way we are AA and believe WE are our kids' primary educators.
Especially since we loathe the traditional teaching of history.
Yea Columbus discovered a nation that was ready occupied... I digresss

That's awesome, your child can spend time in school teaching the other child!! Let us know when the "group work" starts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This week my 3rd grade DC got a reading buddy.
He speaks little English and is very shy.
Luckily there is another 3rd grader, Spanish speaking, that is is his other reading buddy .
My DC describes being concerned about the K kid learning to read, getting to know her and not being nervous.
She described being patient and considerate with him.
I am so proud of her.
I love that she is having this experience and this education.
All of any one thing in an educational environment is not necessarily a good idea, so I love the diversity where we are and glad we did not go running for the hills in fear.
By the way we are AA and believe WE are our kids' primary educators.
Especially since we loathe the traditional teaching of history.
Yea Columbus discovered a nation that was ready occupied... I digresss

That's awesome, your child can spend time in school teaching the other child!! Let us know when the "group work" starts!

Your ignorance is awesome. Do you even know what reading buddies are?
That's 3 rd graders helping kindergartners learn and enjoy reading, while giving 3 rd graders a sense of self mastery and and opportunity to pass on their own knowledge.
By the way, grouping has started.
Maybe you can find a group to help you to unlearn your fear and ignorance .