Hey Bill & Melinda! Here’s What’s Hard for ELLs
By Linda Chantal Sullivan
As I read Nancy Bailey’s blog post, “Challenge to the Common Core King and Queen: Get Involved Really!,” I found myself vigorously nodding my head in agreement. How ridiculous that Bill and Melinda Gates say reforming our education system is the hardest job they’ve ever tackled.
I was thinking, “Yeah, you want to see what’s hard? Come spend a week with me!”
You see, I am a high school ELL teacher–English Language Learners for those who use other acronyms. My students are immigrants whose English skills range from nonexistent to advanced, but still not advanced enough to be considered English proficient. They are all LEP, or Limited English Proficient.
Nancy laid out a great list of what’s hard. Many of them really resonated with me but, as I read down the list, I thought about how much I have learned about high school ELLs Hey Bill & Melinda! Here’s What’s Hard for ELLs: