Ten Tips for Welcoming ESL Students into Your Classroom

Over 10 million students in American schools speak a language other than English in their homes, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics. School districts classify these boys and girls as ESL (English as a Second Language) students--or something similar. Teachers are increasingly faced with the challenge of helping these limited English speakers adapt to classrooms in the United States.

Nevada is a melting pot of cultures. As a Nevada teacher, I welcomed non-English speaking students from places such as China, Japan, France, Korea and Mexico. They came to school with fear in their faces, yet the quickness with which they adapted and assimilated the language and culture of the United States amazed me.

As teachers, we can help to smooth ESL students' transitions into the classroom. We need to adapt the content, instruction and assessment, but initially the focus should be on helping them feel comfortable and welcome.

1. Check your attitude. If you already have an overload of students, it's understandable that you might feel annoyed at being given this extra responsibility. Try instead to focus on the child's feelings. Put yourself in his place.

2. Take advantage of this educational, cultural experience. Your other students will be enlightened and will enjoy learning about the customs and traditions of another country.

3. Pair the ESL student with a buddy. Try to choose a partner who can communicate in the new student's language. The buddy, however, must be able to simultaneously keep up with his own responsibilities.

4. Have realistic expectations. Find out where the student's proficiency level falls on the spectrum.Tap the expertise of ESL teachers to acquire reasonable adaptation suggestions.

5. Use visuals as much as possible. Gesturing also helps ESL students to associate words and objects. Speak at a normal tone and pace-make sure you're not speaking too fast.

6. Label your classroom. Place index cards on the door, the teacher's desk, the pencil sharpener-everywhere.

7. Don't be offended if the student doesn't look at you. It's considered disrespectful in many cultures to look into a teacher's eyes. It takes a while for ESL students to understand the student/teacher relationships in American schools.

8. Check often for comprehension. When asked if he understands, an ESL student often responds, "Yes," no matter what. He's afraid to say any more.

9. Give the ESL student aids, such as those you would give to special education students. Pre-copied notes would be one example. This allows the student to concentrate more on what is being said in class. When I taught math, I used Babel Fish from Yahoo! to put word problems into the students' native language, since this was an area of frustration for them.

10. Learn some words and phrases in the ESL student's native tongue. Ask the students to teach you to say phrases such as "Good morning." They will giggle when you have trouble with pronunciations, but will feel more at ease with their own mistakes.

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