Melissa's Urgent Wedding

One of the greatest rewards of being a teacher is that you'll never know what sorts of surprises your students will "walk in" with each morning! Although only November, my students have flabbergasted me by giving me Eagles blankets, stuffed animals, crackers, apples, jackets, pencils, highlighters, bracelets, etc., etc., etc. (And no, I did not keep all of these things...the jacket was too small!)

It's so interesting how willing these children are to show their love by acts of service, or giving, to me! I always find myself reflecting upon it, and thanking God for reminding me of childlike faith and childlike (genuine) love through them. Humorously though, I even find myself arguing with them sometimes, such as in today's morning conversation:

Teacher: "No, no, YOU keep your sweater, it's yours!"
Student: "...but I want you to have it."
Teacher: "No, really, I appreciate your gift and your kind heart, but that's for you!"
Student: "...but I have more like it at home."

I wouldn't be a teacher, however, if I didn't admit that some of my favorite gifts are those that are academically related to the content that we're studying in school. One of my students in particular often uses her vocabulary words to write very clever stories. I couldn't resist the opportunity to share this one. (The bold words are the vocabulary words that she included.) Enjoy!

Melissa's Urgent Wedding

One day Melissa was rehearsing her play of Romeo and Juliet. Her brother was knocking on the door. He said the neighbor's house was burning down! She grabbed her purse and ran. While she was there she saw a boy. She noticed that he was in her science class. The next day she had to partner up with him. While they were researching, he asked her out. She said yes. On their date he gave her a pearl necklace. On their 4th date, he proposed to her. On their wedding day she got married in a lavender dress. Her hair was curly. When they were getting married she hurried and said yes. On their honeymoon there was new furniture and a baby turtle. On the walls there was a painted mural. They were happy about what got them together.

Tu Comprendes?

I remember 4th grade.

I remember obsessing over perfect grades; wanting no less than a 100% on everything.

I remember creating a state report on Michigan that lasted over an hour and spanned across two days.

I even remember the name of the cute boy in class that every girl crushed on.

I never remembered the challenge of having to learn a second language; how to speak it, how to spell it, and oh yea, how to understand "algebraic expression" when I'm insecure about how I pronounce "multiplication."

I grew up in a school district in Pennsylvania comprised of predominantly Caucasian students, myself being one of them. Fitting in was no problem. For the most part, we all looked alike. All of our parents made "a decent salary." We all received the hottest Christmas toys and wore the latest trends in clothing. Most of us had been living in the same neighborhoods-heck, the same houses, that we'd lived in since birth. Many of us went to CCD together at the local parishes. Language was never a challenge-we were raised speaking English, we were taught speaking English, and so we thought...in English.

Now a 4th grade teacher myself, I teach in a school district that is predominately populated with Hispanic children. In fact, my district is 76% Hispanic, the largest in the state of Pennsylvania. Here, all children are different. Parents make all sorts of salary ranging from "decent" to "none." Children have similar clothes, but that is because they are mandated a uniform. Students, on average, attend 3-4 different elementary schools between the 1st and 5th grade. Students don't only speak, think, and write in English.


Many are classified as "ELA:" English-learner acquisition students. These students often arrive in the United States from another country (such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, or the Dominican Republic) and face the challenge of enrolling in the grade level equivalent with their age (a 9 year old in 4th grade) with a less than age equivalent English vocabulary.

I never realized the difficulty of learning 4th grade concepts in English with a brain that was raised to think, speak, and write in Spanish.

As I met with my students' parents this week for parent-teacher conferences, I was again reminded of the process many of my students undertake for 6.5 hours a day. These students, when prompted with a question in English, must listen to the teachers' words in English, translate it into Spanish in their mind, think about the answer in Spanish, and then translate it back into English in order to respond. The time necessary to answer a question is nearly double my own personal 4th grade experience.

It's embarrassing how easy it is to forget that oh-so-important fact as a teacher.

"Here I am, teaching these 9 year-olds how to speak, think, and write in a whole new language,"
I thought to myself while sharing report cards with family members. More importantly, however, "Here I am, teaching these 9 year olds how to be confident, determined, and hopeful during this difficult transition."

ELA: Although difficult, challenging, and for many an "added burden" to accommodate such learners, I find special pleasure in providing assistance to such students. In fact, I enjoy it so much, I've added "pursing an ELA certification (and learning the Spanish language)" to my list of future goals, especially within education. I admire my students for their determination, and although many may not realize, am inspired by their bilingual (and sometimes, trilingual) capabilities.

My students continue to teach me more each day.