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Keywords

English language learners, ELL classroom challenges, supporting divers learners, intern teaching struggles

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As an intern teacher at a middle school in Payson, I struggled on a daily basis to juggle all the balls a teacher keeps in the air: trying to come up with engaging lesson plans, differentiated instruction, classroom management, connecting with parents, and so on. In January, just as I was finally getting to a point where I felt somewhat confident, Ana arrived. She had just moved to Utah from Mexico and was a brand new English Language Learner (ELL). Her vocabulary consisted entirely of “hi” and “good.” I was baffled as to what I could do. How could I help her read The Giver with the rest of the class when she didn’t yet know how to introduce herself in English? I did the best I could to find some materials in Spanish and to alter assessments so she could sort of participate, but I knew I was not doing her justice as her Language Arts teacher. Meanwhile, I watched as Miguel, another ELL, consistently earned Fs. He could converse with me easily in English, so I did not believe he had a struggle with language. I could not understand why he was not improving, especially in reading comprehension. I felt like Ana had a pretty good reason for not passing my class, but Miguel’s lack of achievement was a mystery to me. I did the best I could to reach Ana and Miguel and any other ELLs who passed through my class, but the data told me I was not really helping them.

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