Guess who's coming to class?
So it's about 20 minutes into my 2nd period class, that moment when I'm trying to get everyone started on their computer projects, answer questions, and magically re-teach an entire lesson in mere minutes to all the students who stayed home the day before because they were "sick."The door opens and in walks one of the counselors with a big smile and a tall rather striking girl at her side, dressed in dark blue pants with a white polo shirt - tucked in! Very unusual.
"This is New Student X," says the counselor. "She's from Sierra Leone and just arrived in the United States. She's a CELDT Level 1 (meaning she speaks little or no English). Everything here is very new to her. She's never used a computer before. Have a good day!"
Now I swear, this is the not the script of a satire on the ridiculousness of the public school system. This is real life - my job - unfolding before me with absolutely no preparation.
On the bright side, this is my smallest class - only 27 other students besides New Student X. Of course, at least a third of them are at that very moment demanding my attention - the three who had been absent, the three who didn't listen when I gave directions and the three who are always ready to take advantage of those moments when I'm distracted by little things....like the arrival of a student who only speaks Gola. (Look it up: it's one of 24 languages spoken in Sierra Leone.)
The class is two days into a biography project using an application called ComicLife. New Student X has no clue that moving the small mound of plastic (aka: the mouse) makes things happen on the TV (aka: computer screen). She is completely unfamiliar with a keyboard, as well as the letters printed on the keys. And since she speaks very little English, I can't exactly explain these things to her.
Needless to say, it was an interesting morning. And I have no doubt that the rest of the year will continue to present plenty of challenges for both me and New Student X.
But we both have something to look forward to. In May she will get to spend two weeks doing the standardized tests for California (CSTs). They will all be in English. And they will assume a high level of prior knowledge about things that a girl only a few weeks out of Africa will have no clue about. Fabulous.
Hey, let's "unschool"!
Oh, now I get it! All these parents who I thought were uninvolved (perhaps even incompetent) are actually just toying around with the "unschooling" concept! They don't make their kids come to school when they don't want to, don't make them do their homework, don't care if their class work is missing, and set no limits, expectations or consequences at home. It's all perfectly clear to me now.
