Lesson 5 Reflection

Many of my students are English Language Learners, which means they did not grow up hearing English spoken in their homes; they did not grow up reading in English; they did not grow up writing in English. Having now learned about the importance of human contact and learning a native language, the true stature of the challenges that lie ahead of many of my ELLs in that their brains are not conditioned to recognizing the sounds and patterns that English offers. they are more than unfamiliar with their second language, and have to compete with the patterns adopted since birth. This doesn't put them at a disadvantage, but it certainly makes learning a new language more of a challenge. As a teacher, knowing what they are up against, the condition of the brain as it weens its way through native language acquisition, makes me appreciate their effort to learn English all the more, and motivates me to have more patience and devote more care to their writing as the year goes on.