I love teaching 4th grade at Saipan Community School. I enjoy living in and working among so many different cultures. One of my biggest challenges, though, is trying to ensure that all of my students are learning. Several of them do not speak my language very well, so communication is difficult. SuYoung Kim in this photo is a good example of the frustrations some of my students must cope with on a daily basis. Before he can answer any questions on the Social Studies test, he must first translate the English words into his own language. I do not mind that some of my students use this in the classroom, but I do stress to them to read and write in English as much as possible. Since hearing and speaking English come easier than reading and writing English, I sometimes let them tell me verbally what they know about a concept. If they can explain to me verbally what something is or means, then I trust that knowledge is taking place.
The frustrations, however, melt away when
I look into the faces of my students and see their eagerness to learn.
Shirley Qian is one of my ESL students from China. Her spoken English is not too good at the moment, but she can understand me quite well. She is quick with a smile and a hug and I am so thankful to be her teacher.
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