Breaking Them Up, Talking Them Away: ESL Students In Grade 1

Breaking Them Up, Talking Them Away: ESL Students In Grade 1

By Keleen Toohey, 1998

From the reading the Suzan and Sonia's stories I remembered my first year in teaching. I as Saudi teacher hated the way that it has been used which is students should stay in particular classroom for the whole year. Teachers do the role of coming and getting out of the classroom. I noticed that some students sleep until the end of classes. I asked the principle to activate the role of the students and the teacher as well. I advised him to make the students to seek for the knowledge by moving form class to another. For example, the first class is science, so the class is provided by figures like solar system and some samples of chemical liquid and so on.

He asked me to do so and if I succeed we will discuss the matter with other subject. I bought a projector with english programs and start to design the class as an English Class. What did I do to make it like this. I started with making working group from 5 students and 5 groups. Each group had its leader and vice leader. Each group had pencils, erasers and dictionary. Another thing which is i used some English posters on the walls. I asked for a closet to keep the students' book with me every time they left the school. I kept the students books for more than a reason: 1- to make sure that every one has his book, 2- to have a chance in my free time to correct the home work, 3- to feel the soul of leadership and so on. I noticed that after making groups and the time passed how my students got a benefit of sharing supplies. I noticed that how a good students helped the lazy student in order to win. I noticed that most of the students said thank you teacher through their eyes. I noticed how active my students waiting out side my class waiting the bell to ring.

I felt proud of my self when the I had got a golden model for being the best teacher in the year of 2007. It was not easy to manage all these things but I was really called school as my home because I found myself in it.