Having a non-English speaking student in my class this year has been such a fun challenge. This student of mine started school here just three weeks after moving from Mexico. I admired the courage it took him to walk into our school and join a classroom full of people who spoke a language he didn't understand, and a crazy teacher who tried to overcome the language barrier with wild gesturing.
I've been studying and practicing my spanish for the past 3 months which has helped refresh a lot of my forgotten high school and college spanish, as well as picking up some new vocabulary. Each morning before I go to school, I even check an online dictionary to help me with words I might want to use with him that day. That has helped some, but I'm very lucky that children are fast learners and pick up new languages quickly.
The season of fall has been fascinating for him, and he has marveled at the leaves that have been falling from the trees. During draft book time, I helped him make a picture plan of trees and piles of leaves on the ground. I thought carefully, then explained in spanish that he could write about how he makes piles of leaves. I turned around to help another student, then realized in horror what I'd actually said to him, "Many children like to make piles of eyeballs in the fall."
He just smiled when I rushed back and said, "Hojas, not ojos!" What a patient little guy. What he's missing out in his education, he's making up for in entertainment from his bumbling teacher.
2 comments:
HA HA :) You should see if you could use one of the copies they have in the district of Rosetta stone for him to learn Spanish....I don't think we ever purchased the english to spanish version just the other way around!
I'll see if I can dig up some more resources for you!
The Rosetta Stone is Spanish to English and they use it with the ELL kids. Talk to Ms. Dreeszen.....
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