For my former ELL student interview, I decided to talk with a friend
and current student teacher, Ana. Ana grew up in Mexico and did not move to the
United States until she was 4 years old. Ana grew up in a Spanish speaking
family and didn’t learn English until she was enrolled in school in the U. S.
In my interview, I speak with Ana about what school was like for her in terms
of learning a second language, certain things that she struggled with in
school, and some of the positive influences she experienced while in school.
Ana also touched on some of the obstacles she faced while developing her
language, how she overcame them, and how learning a second language has
influenced her outlook on learning a second language.
Since Ana did not have any schooling to compare to that of which she
experienced in the United States, it seemed like she had a very positive view
of her education. Although this may be true, she did mention some parts the new
language she struggled with. Ana mentioned grammar, or what Wright formally
calls “Syntax” which is “the study of the rules of governing that way words are
combined to form sentences and the rules governing the arrangement of sentences
in sequences” (2015). This was not surprising to hear, because it is something
that I have seen and watched many students struggle with in the field. After
defining the word “syntax”, Wright goes on to state that, “For ELLs, producing
grammatically correct phrases can be a major challenge because the rules for
syntax vary across languages” (2015). Ana went on to say that switching between
her native language and her second language can be difficult because of this.
Overall, Ana has excelled in her second language and is studying to become a
teacher. I have every bit of confidence that she will have the same influence
on her students as her bilingual teachers did on her.
Wright,
Wayne. Foundations for Teaching
English Language Learners: Research,
Theory, Policy,
and Practice.
Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2015. Print. Second Edition.
