[etni] NS - Solution Needed For All
- From: "R. Borenstein" <rachcb1@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 14 May 2007 12:07:12 +0200
I've been following the latest discussion of "Teachers of Native Speakers"
and wish I had the same luxury as you. I teach in a school where we've had
our English speakers in the upper stream for years b/c there hasn't been any
funding for separate classes in a decade. My 38-student-classes can have
anywhere from 2 - 8 English speakers (and go define "Dovrei Anglit") and the
rest are strong students in English (and we won't even talk about the
heterogeneous 7th grade classes with English speakers and non-readers
together). So, I have to prepare for the "regular" classes and then come up
with extra materials for my native speakers and cater to each individual
level and their parents' requests.
When you go to battle for keeping Native Speakers' classes separate, how
about helping the rest of us out who are already doing what you are trying
to prevent?
There should be a clearly defined Ministry policy and/or a curriculum of
graded levels for English speakers (although at what beginner level of
proficiency?). It shouldn't be limited to places with large populations of
Anglos. I say this as a teacher and as a parent who has a child who has
basically done nothing in English class for two years except translate
movies for his classmates and is falling between the cracks. On rare
occasions, he'll condescend to let me teach him but he would take studying
English more seriously if the initiative came from school. I don't expect
the school to provide him with an English speakers' group; there are only
one to two NS on average in each class in his school. We need a national
program that allows teachers, NS students and parents to work together.
I hope NS classes don't get shut down, but don't forget those of us who
don't have them in the first place
Rachelle
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