My Personal Advocacy Journey for Internship II
My advocacy project is getting a bilingual classroom up and running in the preschool center where I work. I have been working in the early childhood education field for over 15 years. Each year it seems that there are more and more children entering our programs that are learning English as their second language. If these children do not receive the educational support they need before they reach Kindergarten, they are at risk for academic failure.
I am anxious about trying to get this classroom up and running. I am not worried about setting up the actual classroom, I am worried about finding the right person to teach the class. It will need to be someone that is bilingual, has the right experience and qualifications to teach children that are ELL students. I also am feeling anxious about presenting my advocacy project plan in front of a group of people that I am not familiar with.
I think that in order to overcome my fear about presenting my ideas, I will have to make sure that I am prepared and that I research my topic well. This way I will be able to present my ideas and make my argument in a professional and effective manner.
I would like to ask my colleagues to share any ideas that they think may help. I am open to any and all suggestions. Good Luck with all of your projects!
This is such a great idea and will be a great additive to your childcare center. I agree that finding the perfect person for the job may be difficult but is very important. I am having the same anxieties with giving my presentation in front of a group of people. I think you are on the right path with making sure you are prepared and educated. Maybe you could practice your presentation in front of a group of friends or colleagues first to prepare yourself better. Good Luck!!!
ReplyDeleteDebbi finding teachers with bilingual and ESL endorsements is a key challenge programs face. In the meantime, many of the teachers who are leading classrooms don’t yet have the knowledge they would need to implement a bilingual education program. Until teachers earn endorsements and more guidance comes, many programs are in a sort of limbo not knowing what changes to instruction the law requires, lacking certified teachers, and unable to come into compliance. Bilingual children are surprisingly adaptable. No matter how many languages they hear swirling around them in infancy, they will begin distinguishing individual ones starting at age two. To implement ideas for teaching them, consider these key factors: age, academic level and surroundings, past experience, aptitude, motivation, strategy, support, consistency, other languages spoken, gestures, siblings, gender, and timing. Arrange the classroom so that all eyes are focused on the teacher. If children work in pairs or groups, take care that they do not lapse into other languages while discussing the lesson. Keep them focused on the language at hand.
ReplyDeleteFinding a bilingual teacher is a tall order to fill, but someone that is very needed. You might want to look at the community college in your area, there might be a student who has an associates degree and that can also speak another language. Or there might be someone there that can help you. I went to the community college a few years ago for help with a student that was Vietnamese. There was a girl there that helped me translate to the mother.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea, and something a lot of us are facing more and more as the years go on. Good luck to you.