Today was my last day visiting with my ELL buddy, it was a sad one for me. First, we caught up by talking about her week and my visit during her ELL lab Math class. She should me a picture of her and her friend Angela that they took while they were at the movies last weekend. She also thought it was funny to tell me a joke about her being pregnant which of course I only found funny after I found out it was a joke, then at the end of the meeting we played the same joke on Allison and her little buddy who thought it was funny too. Well so that no one thinks that we did not do any work we also worked on her geography, I helped explain what the assignment was about and gave clarification on the subject and the directions. We also looked at some of her math grades and went over one of the handouts that she had failed and needed clarification on.
Well today the lesson went well. This has been a rewarding experience for me. I was able to utilize a lot of the strategies that I have learned throughout the semester. Some of the things I used effectively was my reading to understand, how important rapport is when dealing with students and how to effectively engage and communicate with ELL. As a proficent english spreaker I commend these students for there effort in learning a new language. This kids want to learn and deserve an atmsophere that is learning friendly for them. After interacting with my ELL this semester I have gained great insight for future dealings with my ELL learners.
In reflecting back on this experience, I must admit this was not something that I was looking forward to, but know after having done it I would not have passed up this experience for anything in the world. I think this has made me a better person in so many ways and allows me the opportunity to use what I have learned in the future for when I deal with ELL students in my class. This has been more than experience this has been imbedded into the fabric of my ability to become an effective teacher. thanks ELL buddy KA
