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Ed School Responds to Immigration
by Loretta Akins
A world class education
A flag sampler of countries Emma Elementary has served: (top) Moldova, Nicaragua, Phillipines, Russia, Vietnam, Ukraine, USA, Senegal; (bottom) Guatemala, Estonia, El Salvador, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Columbia, China, Belarus; (present but not pictured) Armenia, Mexico.
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One of the first things you see as you enter Emma Elementary School in West Asheville is a huge map of the world with colorful stickpins marking many different countries. Sixteen countries are marked on the map, each representing one of the languages spoken by students here.
Out of about 450 students, 135 are in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. Nearly one third of the children who attend this school come from families that speak little to no English.
"These kids want to learn. They are hungry for education. If you can break down the language barrier, you've got a beautiful situation," said Vice Principal Alvin "Butch" High.
To help prepare future North Carolina teachers for schools like Emma, Mars Hill College now offers an ESL major as well as an "add-on license" in ESL for teachers already certified in another subject. It is one of only three colleges in the state to offer both options. The college is also changing its education program to prepare teachers for the multi-cultural classroom.
"Traditionally we haven't prepared our teachers for multicultural classrooms. All classroom teachers have to know this information," said Tom Destino, associate professor of education and director of the Center for ESL Education at Mars Hill College.
English as a Second Language programs offer specialized instruction to students who are learning English as a new language. All lessons these students receive are in English. "You don't have to speak the language of your students to be an excellent ESL teacher," said Destino. "What you need to know is how to interpret the different cultures and the foundations of those cultures."
At Emma Elementary, that can be a big challenge. Students come from countries ranging from Armenia to Vietnam. Colombia and Costa Rica, Moldova and Mexico, Belarus, China, the Philippines, and Senegal are among countries represented at the school. Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian are the most dominant languages outside of English.
"We're adding a new diversity course," said Destino. "We don't even have a number for it yet. All elementary teachers will have to take it. It is not enough for just ESL teachers to know the foundations for teaching culturally and linguistically diverse students. All teachers have to have it…
"We've also changed the way we do the Introduction to Education class. It's got more of this content in it as well. We're starting to change so that we can prepare all teachers," said Destino.
Having a license in ESL is a relatively new concept in North Carolina. The N.C. State Board of Education approved the idea of an ESL major during the 2002-2003 school year. As soon as approval was given, Destino immediately went to work and developed the ESL major for Mars Hill College.
"Because of the huge need, we also have the concept of an add-on license. This is a great chance to get two licenses," Destino said. For example, a Special Education teacher candidate can take six additional classes and graduate with a license in Special Education and a K-12 ESL license.
"With almost 90,000 ESL students spread throughout the counties in this state, the need is tremendous," said Destino. "At least one of the add-on classes will be offered in each of the summer terms."
Reader Comment:
Tom Destino, director of the MHC Center for ESL Education, 3/20/2006, 6:42 p.m.
Nice work all. I really enjoyed working with Loretta on this piece. She did a nice job. I have only one small correction, not really that important. The new diversity course is going to be required for all teacher education majors, not just for elementary majors. As I said, this is not a big deal. Again, thanks for helping to spread the word about the ESL programs at MHC.
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