A New Beginning for Multilingual Students and Their Teachers

The new school year is all about welcoming students, as it should be. But this is an unusual time. The pandemic dramatically changed teaching which, among other impacts, resulted in teachers feeling stressed, isolated, and exhausted. For teachers to be present and effective with students, they need to take care?of themselves. At the present time, effective teaching begins with teacher care: take deep breaths, lean on colleagues for support, go for a walk, be kind to yourself.?

More than ever, positive relationships are critical for students. Most students have not been face-to-face with other students and teachers for a long time, so they may need to feel connected to school and experience success early on.?

Administrators:?In talking with friends and colleagues who are administrators, I’ve garnered some ideas that may be helpful as you being the school year.?

• While continuing to maintain high standards and professionalism in your building, consider prioritizing efforts to build and enhance relationships with staff, families, and students.?
• Avoid assigning staff non-essential paperwork and tasks that create an additional burden during this time when teachers are already going the extra mile.?
• Create systems that welcome diverse learners. For example, greet families at the front gate?each morning, preferably by name.?
• Foster a welcoming environment for culturally and linguistically diverse learners all year long by translating notices sent home, including multilingual families in meetings and on committees, and so forth.
• Treat all students, but especially multilingual students, respectfully. Multilingual students are more likely to be sensitive to the attitudes of adults in authority, particularly immigrants who may have had negative experiences with authority figures.?
• Keep an eye out for stressors with teachers.

Teachers.?First, consider the impact of the pandemic and plan, even more than ever, to connect with and get to know your students.

• Learn each student’s name. Making students comfortable begins with?knowing how to pronounce each student’s name correctly, and then calling them by name. There is a growing awareness of the importance of honoring students’ identity by saying their name correctly. There are?resources?available for school staff on the topic, including this poster created by Pamela Broussard @LeadingELLs. Consider teaching a lesson that lets students research their names, followed by classroom presentations. Some questions to ask: how each student’s name is pronounced phonetically; their name’s origin; why parents chose the name; its meaning, and so forth. Not only does this activity respect students’ identities but it will help teachers (and classmates) learn more about their students and remember how to pronounce their names. Further,?in hallways, on the playground, at school activities, take time to greet students by name.

• Get to know your students.?Each one comes to school with interests, likes, dislikes, talents, and strengths. Find out about your students and make it a habit to ask about each one: “How was your basketball game?” “Is your mom feeling better?” “Did you play any video games yesterday?” “I see that you cut your hair. It looks nice.” These interactions take only seconds, but they establish a valuable connection with each student.?When teachers connect with students, are respectful, and convey genuine interest, students engage more academically because they want to please their teacher. Aggressive or disruptive behaviors are rare.
• Acknowledge the time away. Spend time talking and writing about students’ experiences during the pandemic. Many students faced the loss of a family friend or relative and others experienced difficult home environments so being sensitive is paramount. Allow students to share as much or as little as they are comfortable doing. Suggest topics such as,?The most creative thing I did was…?or,??One good thing about learning from home was…..?Use students’ experiences as a basis for moving learning forward.?
• Establish classroom routines. Efficient and effective classrooms operate with?consistent, predictable routines and?norms. These routines and expectations will need to be explicitly taught and/or reviewed, especially routines for transitions and productive group work practices.?Consider integrating?movement?to enhance learning and avoid extensive seat time.
• Create a caring classroom. Not all teachers resonate with “caring” because they associate it as being a touchy-feely person or having or a kumbaya classroom. But caring is an attitude more than a feeling. It’s a decision one makes. Think about an outstanding college sports coach. She inspires, motivates, mentors, and teaches. Players are held to high standards but are taught individually according to their strengths and needs. On the sideline of a game, there isn’t much touchy-feely! There is an expectation of accountability and that high standards will be met; individualized support is provided by coaches, as needed. The same is true with effective teaching. Teachers make a decision to care in the same way. Consider connecting with students by sharing something about your own experience to show?empathy.???
• Communicate high expectations, even though there may have been learning loss. Now is not the time to focus on what students have missed but to communicate confidence that students can make progress. Most of us are drawn to a person who believes in us. Letting each student know that you believe she or he can be successful will enhance the relationship: “I see you finished that assignment. I knew you could do it.” “Thank you for being on time again today. I know it’s tough for you sometimes.” In addition to daily affirmations of assurance that students can achieve, talk with them about colleges and careers. Have middle school students research programs offered at high schools and encourage them to participate in college preparation courses, vocational education courses, and school activities.??

Students. Social skills develop through practice and socializing with other children is an important part of growing up. It may take time for students to adjust to being around peers and many students may have forgotten some of the norms of social interaction.?

• Review respectful interaction.?Talk to the class about being kind to one another inside and outside of the classroom. Set clear expectations that students will treat one another with respect and kindness. Create an inclusive classroom by make sure that multilingual learners are included – and welcomed — in groups with English speakers.??Consider assigning several students the role of monitoring behavior and intervening when there is unkind or disrespectful behavior. Some multilingual learners have been through difficult or even traumatic experiences and benefit from a safe, caring classroom and school environment where they can thrive, determined in large part by how they are treated by peers.
• Practice routines. Remind students to use established procedures for working together with partners and groups, as well as practices for productive interaction, e.g., turn-taking, and polite disagreement in a discussion. Social behaviors improve with consistent, predictable experiences.?Expect that some students may be “rusty” in their ability to collaborate effectively with other students.??
• Encourage students to use their home language. There is growing awareness that one’s language is tied to culture, and restricting use of the student’s home language (L1) sends a message that their language and culture are somehow less-than.?Using their L1?doesn’t minimize the importance of learning English. English acquisition is critical for school success, for advancing into college and careers and for being a contributing member of society. However, using their L1 allows students to better express themselves when working with peers, it helps clarify information they don’t understand in English, and is a valuable resource for learning.?Using the home language also recognizes the asset of multilingualism.?

Well organized, consistent lesson planning and teaching are what?effective teaching??for MLLs is all about but it is built on a foundation of valuing the assets students bring to the classroom, being student-centered, student-focused, and creating a classroom culture that respects each and every student.?When you?build relationships with your students and connect with them every day, you’ll reap the benefits.?