Introduction
Everyday there seems to be more and more students that struggle in the classroom. If this is already true about the average student, those that predominantly speak another language other than English must have even more of a difficult time in the traditional English speaking classroom. In reality, how are "non-standard English" speaking students affected in the traditional English speaking classroom? The purpose of this research is to find out how these children are really affected and what possible changes are available to make the lives of these students better. In this paper, the reader will see how children are affected, what a former Elementary Education teacher knows about the subject matter, and changes that can be made. This research is important to language research because it provides information and educates others on how these students are affected and what can be done to easily include them in the classroom. This is a topic that needs to be dealt with in everyday life and there should always be a solution to problems that arise within it. It appears that students that come from "non-standard English" homes are greatly affected in the English classroom and they are in many ways.
Literature Review
The author's chosen are Luic Moll and Norma Gonzalez from the book called Literacy: A Critical Sourcebook and the article used is entitled "Teaching Standard English to Speakers of Nonstandard English Dialects". Both sources provide a good amount of information that will answer the research question previously stated.
Luic Moll and Norma Gonzalez talked about two third graders named Lupita and Yolanda. Both students come from Spanish speaking homes but because they receive aid from their teachers, they are able to complete required tasks in the classroom. Lupita and Yolanda had to conduct research about the Natives. The research they did was Spanish but the books they chose to use for the projects were all in English. They needed assistance because of the English books but they were able to successfully complete their projects. These students were on their way to literacy in two languages. "They are becoming competent in specific literate practices that will help them to consciously and intentionally use their bilingualism as a means to accomplish personal, academic, or intellectual tasks" (Moll and Gonzalez 157).
The internet article had much to say about students who come from nonstandard English homes. There is a high percentage of students who are struggling to learn standard English. "Many students who do acquire standard English do so while being taught to reject the language of their home, community and peers. In the process, they are denied an effective element of social solidarity, which is an important element of cultural heritage" (www.maec.org/old/cross/6.html). There are many arguments that explain why nonstandard English children have low levels of achievement in the standard English classroom. One of the arguments is that traditional classroom techniques used in language arts education have fallen short because they have been too focused on the structure of language instead of "communicative competence". Another argument is that many teachers have had negative attitudes towards the language adaptations.
The articles did not have much to say about implementing ways for nonstandard English students to acquire standard English. It is important that teachers respect the home language of the students but they must also play a part in helping the students learn standard English. One way to help these students is by grouping them with students who may know they're home language along with standard English and another possible way is by the teacher giving guidance as to how the student can successfully complete classroom activities. The author's work relates to the topic because it helps to answer the research question. The work shows how nonstandard English students are affected and what can be done to help these students.
Methods
A face-to-face interview was conducted in my home. This method was chosen because I like to observe a person while they are speaking and this helps me to get a better understanding of what they are saying. The interview only took about 25 minutes and it was easy to make the subject feel comfortable. I wrote up protocol questions and got a voice recorder to prepare for the collection of the data. Collection of the data required asking the protocol questions and recording the answers. I searched for patterns and how to correctly group similar things into categories.
Presentation of Data
Family and Life Background Story
K: Hi there! I really appreciate your time in allowing me to interview you. I wanted to know how do you think children that come from “non-standard English” homes are affected in the traditional English speaking classroom. Ok. Could you give me your name?
C: (smiling) Sure, it’s Carolyn Martin, Kelsee
K: What are your past and current occupations?
C: Well, I used to be a bank teller and then I became a teacher. I taught for 32 years and I am currently and happily retired (Laughing).
K: (Laughing) That’s great! Could you please tell me your immediate family members and their ages?
C: Ok. My husband, Kevin Martin who I have been with for 25 years, my son Kevin Martin jr. who is 21 years old, and my daughter Kelsee Martin who is 24 years old (laughing)
K: (smiling) That’s amazing that you’ve have been with your husband for that long.
C: HaHa! Yes it has been a great journey so far…….tough at times, but great!
K: Awesome. If you do not mind, tell me what your family circumstances were when you were younger and your current family circumstances.
C: Hmmm. Ok. Well….when I was younger…I would say it was between lower and middle class. My parents had to work very hard but we were able to get all of the things we needed. Currently….. I would say definitely middle class. Happily the family is comfortable and we’ve been fortunate to get what we need and practically whatever we want. Thank God!
K: Yes. Thank God! Haha. Alright. Now could you tell me a little about yourself?
C: Sure. I am from Statesborough , Georgia and moved to Newark , New Jersey
K: Do you remember which elementary, middle, high school, and college you attended?
C: Yes I do. The first school I went to was Avon Avenue School 14th Avenue School and umm then I …..can’t remember the name of the middle school but later went to West Side High School Rutgers University and then Kean University Kean University
K: In school when you were younger, was your home language a good match for the classroom?
C: Uhh, yes it was. I had no difficulty in the classroom and things were fairly easy for me.
Introduction to Literature Short Story
K: Were you taught to value literacy?
C: Oh I sure was. My mom really expressed to me how important literacy and school in general was. My dad hardly ever talked about literacy or school.
K: How did your parents deal with how you spoke out in public and in the home?
C: Hmmmm...They accepted the way I spoke as a kid but as I got older they knew that I needed to speak properly so they began correcting me when I was wrong.
K: In the classroom, how did your teacher and other students talk in school?
C: Everyone spoke standard English except for two little girls. The girls predominantly spoke Spanish.
K: How did your teacher work with these students?
C: The only thing I remember is the teacher putting them together with other students who were bilingual.
First Time Experience with Students as a Teacher
K: Do you remember your first reaction to a student that came from a nonstandard English home?
C: Uhh, yes I do. It was my first year of teaching and I had a little boy who only spoke fluent Spanish and minimal English. It was difficult for me to figure out what to do to help him because I wasn't prepared. When I went home later that day, I researched different ways to include him in the classroom.
K: Describe how you felt about these students.
C: I had compassion towards them and still do.... I understood that it could be hard at times for them to understand the work and at times they would feel left out.
K: What was the school's attitude about these students?
C: The school cared about these students and desired for them to feel just as included as the other students.
Later Experience with Students as a Teacher
K: How did you feel about the students years after your first time teaching?
C: I felt the same way that I always did. I just became more eager to want to help these students and I had even more of an empathy towards them.
K: Did the school still have the same attitude about the student's?
C: For the most part, yes. It was interesting how the amount of these students increased in the classrooms.
K: Yeah, I have noticed that as well.
Current Experience
K: Has your feelings about these students changed from the first teaching experience to now?
C: Actually, no. I pretty much feel the same.
K:Are you still teaching?
C: (Smiling) No, I retired two years ago. I have worked for 32 years and I am so happy to finally relax!
K: (Laughing) Lucky you! I just have a few more questions for you. Do you believe that a students' language is a part of their identity?
C: Oh absolutely. What they have learned growing up will always be a part of them. That's just the way it's going to be for them.
K: Do you think our methods of teaching these students should change over time?
C: Definitely. Because technology and so many other things are drastically changing. We have to keep up and make sure the students are learning at a good pace. If the methods never change, we cannot expect complete success for these students.
K: What values do you believe the educational system places on these students?
C: The system seems to believe these students are very important and they realize that they are a part of the world's future.
K: Is there anything else you would like to add?
C: Hmm... I don't think so. I think you asked great questions! (Laughing)
K: Great! Thank you so much for your time.
Analysis of data
The pattern that I mostly found was that the subject felt the same way about the students over the years and she wanted to become more involved in their learning. For the majority of the statements the subject had definite statements and seemed certain of the answer she wanted to give. I could tell in the beginning of the interview that she reflected back on the past to help her answer the questions. When she really wanted time to think and give a good answer, the subject would glance at the ceiling and show that she was really thinking about what she wanted to say before actually saying it.
Conclusion
The research is definitely important because this is something we deal with in everyday life. I mentioned what a couple of author's thought about the topic and added what could be done to help these students. Methods of teaching the students should change over time in order for their success to be accomplished. This will always be a topic that needs to be discussed.
K: How did your parents deal with how you spoke out in public and in the home?
C: Hmmmm...They accepted the way I spoke as a kid but as I got older they knew that I needed to speak properly so they began correcting me when I was wrong.
K: In the classroom, how did your teacher and other students talk in school?
C: Everyone spoke standard English except for two little girls. The girls predominantly spoke Spanish.
K: How did your teacher work with these students?
C: The only thing I remember is the teacher putting them together with other students who were bilingual.
First Time Experience with Students as a Teacher
K: Do you remember your first reaction to a student that came from a nonstandard English home?
C: Uhh, yes I do. It was my first year of teaching and I had a little boy who only spoke fluent Spanish and minimal English. It was difficult for me to figure out what to do to help him because I wasn't prepared. When I went home later that day, I researched different ways to include him in the classroom.
K: Describe how you felt about these students.
C: I had compassion towards them and still do.... I understood that it could be hard at times for them to understand the work and at times they would feel left out.
K: What was the school's attitude about these students?
C: The school cared about these students and desired for them to feel just as included as the other students.
Later Experience with Students as a Teacher
K: How did you feel about the students years after your first time teaching?
C: I felt the same way that I always did. I just became more eager to want to help these students and I had even more of an empathy towards them.
K: Did the school still have the same attitude about the student's?
C: For the most part, yes. It was interesting how the amount of these students increased in the classrooms.
K: Yeah, I have noticed that as well.
Current Experience
K: Has your feelings about these students changed from the first teaching experience to now?
C: Actually, no. I pretty much feel the same.
K:Are you still teaching?
C: (Smiling) No, I retired two years ago. I have worked for 32 years and I am so happy to finally relax!
K: (Laughing) Lucky you! I just have a few more questions for you. Do you believe that a students' language is a part of their identity?
C: Oh absolutely. What they have learned growing up will always be a part of them. That's just the way it's going to be for them.
K: Do you think our methods of teaching these students should change over time?
C: Definitely. Because technology and so many other things are drastically changing. We have to keep up and make sure the students are learning at a good pace. If the methods never change, we cannot expect complete success for these students.
K: What values do you believe the educational system places on these students?
C: The system seems to believe these students are very important and they realize that they are a part of the world's future.
K: Is there anything else you would like to add?
C: Hmm... I don't think so. I think you asked great questions! (Laughing)
K: Great! Thank you so much for your time.
Analysis of data
The pattern that I mostly found was that the subject felt the same way about the students over the years and she wanted to become more involved in their learning. For the majority of the statements the subject had definite statements and seemed certain of the answer she wanted to give. I could tell in the beginning of the interview that she reflected back on the past to help her answer the questions. When she really wanted time to think and give a good answer, the subject would glance at the ceiling and show that she was really thinking about what she wanted to say before actually saying it.
Conclusion
The research is definitely important because this is something we deal with in everyday life. I mentioned what a couple of author's thought about the topic and added what could be done to help these students. Methods of teaching the students should change over time in order for their success to be accomplished. This will always be a topic that needs to be discussed.
