Paper Sample on Hopkins Public Schools: Eisenhower Elementary School

Introduction

Eisenhower elementary school is part of Hopkins public schools. It is located in the Hopkins school district in the state of Minnesota. In this K-6 school, there are about 700 students from a diverse background (Hopkins Public Schools). I would like to work in this school because of the vast diversity and opportunities to help the students beyond the school curriculum. The most significant proportion of the student body consists of whites, followed by blacks and Hispanics. Among these, a substantial number have a first language that is not English and almost half qualify for Free and Reduced Price Lunch (Hopkins Public Schools). The school has, therefore, put much emphasis on language teaching to cater for the diverse needs.

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All Hopkins public schools, including Eisenhower, have language immersion programs. The primary goal is to help heritage learners, those with a first language that is not English, with a focus on Spanish and Chinese. Also, the administration provides resources for an English Learners program to help heritage students develop language and academic content to succeed in school and beyond. The teachers have a minimum of bachelor’s degrees in teaching languages. A few are bilingual and experienced linguistic writers, which coincides with the findings of Emery (2012). However, the number of licensed and qualified professionals with substantial experience teaching heritage learners is limited.

Curriculum

Eisenhower has an elementary Spanish immersion program to complement the existing Chinese and English immersion pathways. After grade 6, students can join Hopkins’ successful Juntos Spanish immersion program in junior and senior high schools. The curriculum brings together young learners who speak English, Spanish, or another language at home to develop holistic and global thinkers. With only 10% of instructions in kindergarten being in English, 90% is in Spanish, amounting to 90 minutes per week (Hopkins Public Schools) There is no track or special sections for heritage learners, as all students go through the same curriculum. In this program, students learn to write and read in Spanish first, and instructions in English increase with progress. It not only helps them develop proficiency in the language but also builds cultural understanding and knowledge. The content of the curriculum aligns with the standards for the other subjects, such as science and social studies.

Attitudes

The majority of the teachers in Eisenhower elementary are supportive of heritage learners. They are dedicated and committed to treat all students fairly and ensure all their needs are met. The school identifies heritage learners separately from the native English speakers to help them master English while preserving their native language. In most cases, the teachers go out of their way to help heritage learners adjust and fit in with the rest of the students. Eisenhower is a public school, and a significant proportion of the population comes from a poor background hence cannot afford some school necessities. As a result, some of the teachers use their money to cater to these needs, including books, pens, and items to stimulate learning, particularly for heritage learners. This practice is common among committed teachers in low-resource public schools (Moulthrop et al., 2006). The Ohio Department of Education (2017) identified insecurities as one of the challenges that commonly faces students whose first language is not English. Most of them may realize that they speak a variation of the language, hence becoming unwilling and uncomfortable to use their language. As a result, some teachers take personal initiatives to help such learners overcome these challenges by building confidence in their language and encouraging diversity.

On the other hand, a small percentage of the staff in Eisenhower does not care about heritage learners. The attitude of most of them towards the matter is neither positive nor negative, and they treat all students as if they are native English speakers. However, a few view this group of students as problematic since they need classes in English as a second language. This category of educators does not go out of its way to help heritage learners cope with their linguistic challenges; they only do the bare minimum required by their job description.

Teaching Praxis

Eisenhower, being a public school, does not have enough resources to place heritage learners in separate classes. There is no separate group for students whose English is not the first language. They all study the same curriculum, including the Spanish and Chinese immersions, taught by the same teachers (Hopkins Public Schools). However, there is an English Learners program to help heritage students master English so that they can fit in with the rest in the classroom. The majority of the teachers use differentiated instructions to tailor their lessons to meet the needs of each student. In this school, most of the learners who are not native English speakers are of Spanish origin (Hopkins Public Schools). Educators, therefore, tend to incorporate cultural studies relating to Hispanic cultures in the Caribbean, Spain, the United States, South, and Latin America. They tailor lessons by the heritage students in their class, as recommended by Kagan and Dillon (2008).

Strengths and Weaknesses

Overall, Eisenhower has been doing an excellent job of managing heritage learners for a low-resource public school. The administration and the majority of educators are support endeavor and have a positive attitude towards this group of learners. In this setting, speaking multiple languages is more of an asset than a liability. There are programs to support and promote bilingualism and cultural diversity, which is critical for the development of holistic and global thinkers to fit in the current job market (Kohl & McCool, 2016). However, there is still room for improvement. Eisenhower can address the needs of heritage learners better than it is currently doing to raise its standards, social, and academic position.

Teachers in Eisenhower use differentiated instructions to meet the needs of all students. They have a habit of enlisting the help of heritage learners while teaching some aspects relating to their culture or language, such as pronunciations and accents. Kimble (2019) commended this approach, saying it promotes positive self-identity and gives students a sense of pride in their language, which helps them overcome insecurities. In addition, it improves the status of the student among his or her peers due to the ability to speak more than one language. This approach helps the learner fit in and reduces bullying and stigmatization that are prevalent against heritage students. In classes with Spanish-speaking learners, the school policy is for teachers to clarify pronunciations and spellings. Torres et al. (2018) recommended focusing on sounds that can confuse such as s, z, and c or v and b in this group.

However, the school lacks adequate resources to give specialized attention to heritage learners. The most glaring weakness is the lack of enough qualified, licensed, and experienced teachers to handle heritage learners. As a result, most of the educators do not have the required capability to address the needs of the diverse students found in the school. Eisenhower also lacks standardized policies for this task, leaving students at the mercies of their educators. Fortunately, most of the teachers care about their students at a personal level and go out of their ways to meet their academic needs. Those whose instructors do not take personal initiatives to help them navigate the system do not enjoy these benefits. Therefore, the school needs to establish a standardized protocol of how to handle this group of students (Valdés, 1999).

Future Directions

The first step to improve heritage language instruction at Eisenhower is the training of educators. This strategy aims to improve their attitudes, commend them for sacrificing their resources to support heritage learners, and encourage them to keep doing the same. It will also help them establish an environment of mutual respect and learning, where it is okay to make mistakes (Ohio Department of Education, 2017). Furthermore, the training should encourage teachers to know their students by assessing their language skills to understand their needs. They should then tailor goals and expectations for each student according to their academic exposure to the language.

Within the next year, the school should hire extra licensed, qualified, and experienced teachers. Edstrom (2007) recommended employing native speakers to teach a particular language since they have a more profound and better comprehension of all aspects, including the accents and culture. A native Spanish instructor is likely to understand the needs of students with a similar background better than a non-native.

According to research, offering classes specifically for heritage learners, is the most appropriate approach. Most of the students in this category have strong oral skills but limited grammar vocabularies, reading, writing, and grammar abilities. Having a mixed class requires teachers to be supportive and sensitive to learners whose first language is not English, which can be inconveniencing. Both groups in such situations would have different needs and goals that can result in frustrations and behavioral problems. Therefore, heritage-learner specific classes would be the most suitable for them. This approach would allow an educator to serve all categories of students better and more efficiently. Eisenhower can implement this strategy in three to five years after it accumulates enough resources.

References

Emery, H. (2012). A global study of primary English teachers’ qualifications, training and career development. ELT research papers, 12(08). http://teachingenglish.britishcouncil.org.cn/sites/teacheng/files/B487_ELTRP_Emery_ResearchPaper_FINAL_web_V2.pdf

Hopkins Public Schools. (n.d). Elementary Spanish immersion at Eisenhower Elementary. https://www.hopkinsschools.org/about-us/discover-hopkins/language-immersion/elementary-spanish-immersion-eisenhower-elementary

Moulthrop, D., Calegari, N., & Eggers, D. (2006). Teachers have it easy: The big sacrifices and small salaries of America’s teachers. The New Press.

Ohio Department of Education. (2017). Heritage learners. https://education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Foreign-Language/World-Languages-Model-Curriculum/World-Languages-Model-Curriculum-Framework/Instructional-Strategies/Assessment/Heritage-learners_june6_2017

Kagan, O., & Dillon, K. (2008). Issues in heritage language learning in the United States. Encyclopedia of language and education, 4, 143-156. http://www.personal.psu.edu/kej1/blogs/calper_hhl_workshop_su2010/kagan%20and%20dillon%202008.pdf

Torres, J., Pascual, D., & Beusterien, J. (2018). What’s Next?: Heritage Language Learners Shape New Paths in Spanish Teaching. Hispania, 100(5), 271-276. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/688475/summary

Kimble, F. M. (2019). Designing a curriculum to engage heritage speakers in a Spanish classroom. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=16445&context=rtd

Kohl, J., & McCool, S. (2016). Future Has Other Plans: Planning Holistically to Conserve Natural and Cultural Heritage. Fulcrum Publishing.

Valdés, G. (1999). Heritage language students: Profiles and possibilities. Heritage languages in America: Preserving a national resource, 37-80. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED458809.pdf#page=48

Edstrom, A. (2007). The mixing of non-native, heritage, and native speakers in upper-level Spanish.