The topic that I would
like to do is that of the challenges of teaching children English as a Second
Language. I believe that this is a very
important topic because school districts are having a difficult time in
assisting all children that enter their doors with varying home languages. The subtopic would be cultural challenges
related to teaching English as a language. There are challenges in teaching
children English as a second language while helping the child to succeed in the
grade that they are assigned too. I
already have two people to interview on the topic one is an English as a Second
Language teacher the other is a distinguished member of the community who has held many
positions in the local school district plus has help offices in local and
national organizations.
The reason that I have selected this topic is because I work as a teacher assistant helping children learn English as a second language. It is a job that I fell into by accident because I can speak both English and Spanish. It is important to me because when my children were younger we lived in Mexico and my children and myself had to learn Spanish as a second language. I understand the struggles of both being an adult learning a second language, a teacher teaching a second language and a parent watching their child learn a second language.
My initial beliefs about children learning English as a second language is that it is not only difficult for the child to learn the language it is difficult for them to learn the culture that goes along with that language at the same time. The children that I work with are mainly from Mexico and come to the USA with the Mexican culture intact. Many times children will ask me to explain holidays and customs that are part of the American culture. Many times they will look at me with puzzled faces trying to understand what seems to be strange to them like many Americans look at them and their customs a
