Middle School=Kindergarten

Well it's 2 days into my middle school placement and I have realized, already, that my previous teacher was correct in saying that middle schoolers behave much like kindergarteners. They are amused by the same things (jokes, videos, teachers, snacks, etc.) and they don't listen very well, they run around the room, they throw tantrums, and never work when you want them to. Despite all of this, I am enjoying every minute in the middle school ESL classroom. There are only about 20 students that are in ESL in all of the 6th-9th graders. But they all need A LOT of support and help in every subject!

During the school day, students come to ESL class, just like a normal period. We have block scheduling so we have students for 90 minutes a day and they have 4 classes a day. They alternate which 4 classes they have every other day, so I only see students 2-3 times a week for ESL class. Some students are in the room for academic support class (study hall and homework time). It is a great environment because the students and the teacher have a very close relationship. They joke around but can also have serious conversations.

All of the students can speak, read, and write in English, some better than others. There are students from Somalia, Ethiopia, Togo, France, Spain, China, India, Tibet, Yemen, Mexico, and Guatemala. I love the diversity and the students are not shy about sharing stories from when they lived in another country. It will be fun to get to know the students and they are NOT shy at all so there will always be plenty of talking!

I'm enjoying middle school so far and will update you later when I have more to tell you!

Thanks for all of your support and encouragement!

Dana