I have found the English Language Learning classes to be particularly interesting, both from a teacher’s perspective and a student’s perspective. Last week, I had the opportunity to work one on one with Nina (a pseudonym), a grade 11 student, originally from Chiba, Japan.
The ELL teacher took me aside and asked if I could help her get words on paper for an assignment due that day because apparently this was the case in most if not all of her other classes too. She was failing math and not doing very well in her other subjects. I wondered if maybe she didn’t understand the assignments – sometimes speaking a second language is easier than reading and writing in it – I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect.
I started chatting with Nina about what school is like back home for her in Japan. According to Nina, school was way more challenging in Japan, and she was breezing through school here – the complete opposite of what her teacher had told me. She said that the math she was learning in Math 11 at Belmont was math she had learned three years ago in Japan. I asked how she found English and having to learn everything here in English rather than Japanese and again she said it was totally fine, she didn’t struggle with it at all. Finally, I asked her why she wanted to come to Canada. She explained to me that she didn’t have a choice to come here, rather her parents just told her she would be doing her grade 11 and 12 years in Canada because that was how she would get into a good university to get a good job. She said she did not actually know much about Canada, and basically just showed up here in June, by herself. I couldn’t believe this – roles reversed at that age, I would have been absolutely terrified of being sent across the world at 16, knowing it might be two years before I could see my family and home again. I would have protested my parents and they probably would have listened. When I mentioned this to her, she simply said they don’t have a choice in Japan, that was what her family told her she was doing, so she did it. A major different she noted between school in Canada and Japan was how strict Japan is compared to Canada. She said there are so many rules, students hardly ever misbehave in any way (including interrupting teachers or being noisy, let alone anything major). She said she has so much freedom here – with everything.
As I thought about this, the fact that she was happy to tell me that school was so easy for her here compared with home, yet she’s almost failing most of her classes, I wondered why. Not why she was telling me it was easy (it’s much easier to say that than explain that you’re failing), but why if it’s so easy, would she be failing at all? In talking with her she is a bright student; she understands English well and she can definitely read and write it at a grade 11 level. I think what is going on with Nina relates to her culture and way of life back in Japan. She has grown up in this incredibly strict and structured environment for her entire life. It’s not just school that is strict, it’s her home life and life even when you go out in the city – they have rules like specific ways to board a train. She has been trained to do exactly what she is told – that’s just her culture! Coming to Canada, however, all of a sudden, she is met with so much freedom as she said. No one is telling her she has to go to school every day, she has assignment due dates, but teachers don’t actually get mad if you don’t complete them, and she can do whatever she wants after school. It’s this polar flip to what she is used to and as she told me, she’s really enjoying being over here. I think the fact that she isn’t doing very well in her classes isn’t indicative of her intelligence, it’s more lack of effort and engagement because she is all of a sudden feeling free due to a culture change. As a teacher, this relates directly to our core competencies in not only developing an awareness for a student’s worldview and a growth mindset but also in the challenge it poses to effectively communicate and practice respect and empathy for learners from all cultures.
As a teacher, what do you do with a student like this? It made me reflect on my own worldview and biases coming into the classroom. I grew up in a completely opposite environment where my parents always asked and listened to my opinion of things. I had so much choice as I grew up. I was very privileged and lucky to grow up as I did, and knowing this, I want to make sure I am always open, respectful, and non-judgemental to people from all backgrounds. I love to learn about different cultures, and I am so excited to welcome all students into the class – and to share with myself and their classmates where they come from, if it’s not from Canada. A student like Nina, who is so obviously smart but completely disengaged from school here in Canada, poses a challenge; yet I can’t imagine she is alone in her behaviour. I was trying to think what would work best to get her focussing and engaging with school in Canada. I think I would start with asking her what she is interested in learning, and especially for a class like ELL where content is flexible, get her opinions on what she would be interested in doing work on. With a diverse class like ELL, it might be a neat project idea to have students create projects on where they are from – “Who Am I” projects, sort of like we had to create for our Multiliteracies class. That way everyone would be able to learn about one another – where they come from, cultures, beliefs, geography, etc. and also might increase student engagement because they are sharing something they know (it’s all about them!). I think that would create a positive community vibe in the classroom.
In Nina’s case specifically though, maybe holding her accountable to a specific adult in Belmont for her other classes too – so that she has to show up, she has someone else who knows her schedule and when her assignments are due and asks to see them on a regular basis to make sure she is keeping up (which I also know is tough because how can you provide that support to one student when there are so many other who would benefit from it too). Some of this behaviour she is exhibiting also comes with being only 16 and not being at that maturity level to self-discipline herself. I think speaking with her parents in Japan to explain the situation to them as well might hold her a little more accountable for her work too.
Experiencing Nina’s situation has been very interesting. I assumed I would be going into an ELL classroom and mainly helping explain assignments to students who were just learning English. This has been a completely different experience and I’m grateful for it. There are many students just like Nina and it is (and will be for me as a new teacher) challenging to make sure they are engaged and succeed. I’m going to keep going back to this class and see how she does over the semester – hopefully things improve!
