Last week was my last week! So, I want to blog about the type of environment that has been created and fostered since day 1. Students feel so comfortable in room 238, with eachother, and with their teachers, that they discuss and even joke about citizenship status and family issues. An instance of this last week was in ESL 3, which is a difficult class because a couple students in there have been friends since grade school and therefore talk a lot, one student is on a behavioral contract, etc. We were discussing relationships and marriage and related this discussion to the reading. One of the boys made a joke for Pablo to marry my cooperating teacher, Ms. Jones, and then he could "get papers." Pablo responded with, "I already got papers!" Another boy responded to this by saying, "You do? Where'd you get 'em!?" Everyone started laughing at this, and Ms. Jones joked that they aren't something you can get at Dairy Queen. Vaiyron then said, "I got mine at Walmart, buy 1 get 1 free!" The class bursted out laughing even more after this. I thought this was very humorous but was hesitant to laugh because some of these students don't have papers, so this could be a rough subject. But in this class, they talk about it, and feel comfortable about it because they trust one another and their teachers.
Another example of student comfort is their involvement in International Club. There were tee shirts made with each language spoken in the classroom included on the back that said, "Kiss me, I'm international!" They wear these on Fridays, which is school spirit day. This involvement has included outside activities such as a dinner at Ms. Jones home, a field trip to Starved Rock, and they are going to see Breaking Dawn Thursday evening at midnight. I attended the dinner, and I didn't expect so many students to attend! Ms. Jones had a full house. This illustrates the togetherness and support within the ESL classroom.
This third example is on facebook. I have found that the majority of these students are friends with their teachers, and aren't worried about what they may or may not see, which is very surprising! They also aren't simply "friends." I am also friends with both of my cooperating teachers and their students write to them. This comfort level baffles me. I think the teachers express such a care and concern for their students, with providing a comfort level, that students feel invited and welcomed to the ESL classroom. This care and concern goes further in an example I witnessed on my last day. My CT's daughter was bit by a dog, and she was notified in class. Ms. Claricoates was very upset and on the phone because her daughter was getting stitches. She received a picture. (Her daughter is fine, no worries). Every student was asking if she was ok after this phone call, and Ms. Claricoates shared this picture with them. They were worried about their teacher's family members, which shows care.
I have had a wonderful experience in my practicum and hope to build this type of community in my classroom because then, it's much more than a classroom. It's a safe haven.
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