Fires Chapter 8

Chapter 8 was all about teaching English Language Learners. On page 149, I liked the idea that Elaine had of having buddies for English Language Learners. However, I also appreciated the several quotes from students on page 150, who had teachers that underestimated the abilities they already had. Lastly, I shocked by the quote from Murilo on page 155, where he described how he got a suspension because of several he did not attend because he didn’t understand what they were.

I liked the idea of having buddies for English Language Learners because they need to interact with students other than fellow English Language Learners. If you allow them to separate themselves they will miss out on important skills and experiences. I was a little disappointed in hearing about how teachers were treating English Language Learners in their classroom. From the sounds of it they are clearly making assumptions about their abilities, which can not only damage their learning process, but also their self confidence. I was also completely horrified by Murilo’s story on page 155, and to say I was horrified is a little bit of an understatement. I think that it was terrible that nobody explain these punishments to him in the first place, but then to suspend him just crosses a line for me. They most definitely should have made sure that he understood his punishments before they moved on to more severe ones.