I was very excited to get to learn from an EL teacher. I have always been interested in languages- English has always come naturally to me in the classroom, and I’ve been taking Spanish for 6 years. Mrs Vosbein told us about how she got interested in teaching foreign language students when she tutored in her college’s international relations department. I got to ask her what a normal day looks like for an EL student, and she said they go by a block schedule too- one of her students starts with a life science class and has study halls where they have to do an online English learning program. Mrs Vosbein said that the language barrier is very challenging sometimes, bu she still gets to make deep connections with her students, because of the individualized time she gets to spend with each of them. I asked her about how we, as native speaking students, can help EL students in the classroom. I have choir with a girl who speaks French, and I want to know how to help her succeed and not get lost during class. I am a leader in my choir but I do not know how to speak French, and I want to help her without being patronizing or rude. Mrs Vosbein said that choir is an excellent class for EL students to take, as it helps with speaking skills a great deal. She said some things we can do to help would be to speak slowly and clearly, give them time to process what you’ve said before expecting a response, and that a smile goes a long way.

Hearing from Mrs Vosbein increased my interest in pursuing linguistics in college. I love learning about humans- psychology, communication, behavior, health and medicine, the list goes on. I plan on becoming fluent in Spanish and studying abroad in college. I also love English and literature. I am excited to see where the future takes me.