Cultural, Socio-economic, and Linguistic Diversity

I am lucky to teach at one of the most diverse schools in my district. My school is only one of a handful of secondary ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) schools. This means that we have several students in general education classes who do not speak English fluently. I do not teach any ESOL-specific classes, but I still teach some ESOL students.

In the beginning of the year, I worked with administration and other teachers at my school to identify which of my students were in the ESOL program. Once I identified these students, I did some research into their native language and English test scores and provided each of them with subject-specific glossaries. Most of my ESOL students in algebra 2 and geometry have scored high enough on their tests that they do not need a glossary. However, I still make them available to all of my ESOL students to help even the playing field. I have also tried to seat ESOL students next to each other so that they can work together and help each other out.

I teach several students who come from low socio-economic backgrounds. A large percentage of students at my school are on Free and Reduced Meals (FARM). I make sure to keep students' possible living situations in mind while I am teaching.

During this time of digital learning, I am worried about my students, especially those from low socio-economic backgrounds. I am worried that they are not getting enough to eat. I am worried that they are completely isolating themselves and having a tough time coping with this change. I am worried that some of them do not have access to some of the things I take advantage of, like the internet. Digital learning is far from an ideal situation, and unfortunately, it creates a lot of equity issues among students. A lot of families do not have reliable internet that their students can use to do their schoolwork and keep in touch with their teachers and classmates.

Right now, I do not have much, if any, flexibility on how and what I teach. However, I think this opportunity has been a great experience in letting students work at their own pace. Many of my students plan on continuing their education after high school, so I think this has been a good way to prepare them for the type of self-regulated learning that will be required of them in college.