To the lighthouse and back

Tomorrow begins the annual and tedious experience of trying to schedule over 150 English language learners (ESOL students) into a regular school day. It is similar to forcing a square peg into a round hole...practically impossible in every way. Our latest count last Friday revealed 93 students requiring 72 minutes a day and the rest of the students requiring the odd 36 minutes a day. There are 4 ESOL teachers. You do the math! These are students on the official list. It is highly likely that there are a number of ESOL students who have not yet been located in our school. We affectionately refer to these students as "strays" or "missing in action". This annual scheduling event always leaves someone upset or stressed and eventually some group of well deserving children are left out of the loop with limited or no services at all due to time and personnel issues.

This will be my 13th year of teaching and I have yet to be in compliance with state and national mandates. This happens through no fault of my own or other ESOL teachers and also through no fault of our building administrators. It is the reality caused by an impossible clogging of mandated academic subjects, special subjects such as art, music and gym and the hours available in the school day and number of persons the district can afford to hire. My brother noticed a bumper sticker the other day which stated, "Welcome to the United States; now learn the language". On the one hand, I understand the importance of that message. Most of the teachers I work with would agree that for one to be successful in this country, one needs to learn English. On the other hand, the tone of that bumper sticker could be interpreted as condemning and unwelcoming. There is a growing resentment against immigrants in this country but I would like to extend a hand of welcome to my students with a strong encouraging nod toward hard work and discipline. The system makes it difficult indeed. The fact that I have never been able to service all my students fully is a source of frustration to me and to others. I would like to change that bumper sticker. "Welcome to the United States; now learn the language and for heaven's sake don't let levels and layers of bureaucracy slow you down"!