Blog 10

Cultural Conversations about ESL

• All ESL students are Spanish
• The majority of ESL students in our area are Spanish but you will find students that speak different languages other than Spanish. 

• ESL students don't speak any English nor do they understand the language. 
• You will find students that don't speak any English but there is a great chance that they do understand the language. There are also students that are in ESL that do speak the language but still face some everyday challenges with the English language. 

• ESL is the same thing as Special Education. 
• Many parents refuse to put their children in ESL because they think it's the same thing as putting them in a special education class. Special education and ESL are two completely different things. Special education students have an IEP and cannot function in a mainstream classroom without any accommodations. However, the only challenge an ESL student faces is the language barrier between the teacher and the student. It is possible for an ESL student to also need an IEP and be put into special education classes. 

• ESL students only speak to other ESL students
• For the most part ESL students like to stay in their comfort zone and interact with people of the same culture but that is because they share such a common interest. However, many ESL students do interact with other students other than the ones from their ESL class.

• Parents cannot help child with school work
• This is a great struggle that ESL students face but parents can help with other subjects other than reading. Students sometimes have family members that they can go to for help with homework. And for the most parents the majority of parents want their children to succeed in school.