I was just in the middle of reading the Jiminez, Smith & Teague article, and something really stood out to me. It says that 12% of the entire population is foreign-born, and 20% of students have immigrant parents. That is a really big chunk of the children we will be working with! Of course some areas will have a larger immigrant population than others, but even at my high school in Wheaton, we had fairly large population of ELL students. I think it is really important that as future teachers we find a way to involve these students in the classroom and treat their history and first language as a strength rather than a weakness, and really something that we can learn from. As ELL students I think it would be very easy for them to be intimidated by going to an English speaking school, which could cause them to quit trying very early on in their education. It is our job to really include them in class activities and make sure they are comfortable here so they have the support to continue in their education. That is why I think that the authors' idea of the transnational and community literacies is a great idea. By involving their background in the classroom and allowing them to share their own experiences, the entire class can learn more about other cultures while these students are feeling more involved in the learning process and can feel safe and comfortable in the classroom.
I agree with all of this! ELL students are unique in that they are coming to class with a different language then the majority. By letting them share their own experiences and backgrounds it creates a bond between all the students. I think that trying to create a comfortable and safe environment is not only extremely valuable for the ELL students but also for all the students in a classroom.
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