From the teacher's perspective...

My students are voracious readers, a fact that automatically earns my respect. Sometimes, they ask if they can read for the whole period and it pains me to have to say no to them. (My principal told me that twice she was going to come into my classroom, but the students were reading so quietly she didn’t want to disturb the class…hmmm, this could be useful). In addition to reading a novel written in English, many of them are also reading a book in Thai or Chinese. I am amazed by their capacity to sit there and just read, a feat in itself for many adults.

I devote much time in class to word acquisition. Since I am a word nerd, some would say I over estimate the importance of learning new words. Of course this priority is not mine alone; it part of the overall objectives that some retired administrator somewhere with a PhD in education prescribed. What impresses me is how hard the students work to actually learn the words.

Many of the students have “talking dics”—picture my face when I heard that one in class.
Student: I can’t find my talking dic.
Me: Can’t find your WHAT?
I understand that change is inevitable, but I am old fashioned in that I prefer the paper kind of dictionaries where you turn pages instead of punch in letters and read the results off of a screen. Times are a’changing. Anyway, whatever works for the little scholars. The thing is, they use these little computers all the time. Their faces are glued to this miniscule contraption that quickly finds English, Thai and Chinese definitions for them. If they still don’t understand the definition after consulting their talking friend, they ask a classmate. Oftentimes, students explain definitions to each other in their mother tongue. I am supposed to take off points for talking in another language, but for the sake of comprehension, I let that one slide. If they still don’t understand, then they ask me.

If you are not a teacher, this might seem normal to you. In your own life, if you don’t have a handle on something, you find a way to grasp the new concept. What you don’t understand is that I am used to a vast majority of kids who don’t really care to comprehend, they just want to complete. Get through, be done with it, finish. Watching this struggle to actually understand something as simple as a new word is kind of novel. It is a conscientiousness I am unaccustomed to (except for a few cases, like Kara Drechsel).

The students internalize the words and use them in their writing without being prompted. Of course, that is the whole point. I just appreciate that this is actually realized. I don’t know if you can imagine how happy it makes me to hear a 7th grade, non-native English speaker in the company of his or her peers say, “Something is amiss in the classroom” or “I can’t stop doing it because it’s habitual” (note: reprimanding him further for his actions was nearly impossible because he had so expertly used a new vocabulary word; word acquisition could totally undermine my classroom management…but it might be worth it).

I don’t want to paint a perfect picture here. I do have some kids who struggle; but they are actually struggling—not sitting their passively waiting for failure. For some, the level of comprehension is greatly reduced because of the language barrier. But they still try. They question and search until they find a way to make it theirs. They want to earn it. That is what impresses me the most.