ESOL Class Visit

For my study, I made the long journey down my hallway at Seabreeze to observe an ESOL classroom. Typically, one classroom on each grade level is designated as the ESOL inclusion class. It is a logistical nightmare when we receive an ESOL student, because the teachers are “flagged” and required to take ESOL professional development, or face the certainty of being terminated at the end of the school year for not being in compliance.

Traditionally, we have a small number of ESOL students at Seabreeze, and in my own teaching career I have had a handful of students. I visited the classroom of Debra Bornowski, who is our designated fourth grade ESOL teacher.  What I observed was what I recognized as conventional in our building, but was a far cry from what I was taught in a college classroom.

All five of the students in Mrs. Bornowski’s class are all classified as ESOL because English is not the first language that is spoken in their homes. These students, (three are Albanian and two are Mexican) are all fluent English speakers and readers, and Mrs. Bornowski reports that these students are by far the most polite and curious students in her class. 

In my previous studies, most of the ESOL students that I observed and that were discussed in the classroom, were struggling students that required major academic accommodations just to stay on pace with the rest of the class.  However, in Mrs. Bornowski’s class, these students are high achievers that are the most proficient users of classroom technology. Dariana, one of the students stated that though her parents speak very limited English, they are extremely proficient at email and Facebook. The other students agreed that this was also the case in their homes.

Dariana rocking out on her keyboard

In terms of a next step, I think that it is significant that ESOL students and their families are using technology as a modern Rosetta Stone. It is essential for teachers to capitalize on the universal language that is technology, follow Mrs. Bornowski’s lead, and encourage these students to flourish in the classroom.