Competency 3.

C Reflection
I think that this competency may be one of the most important standards that is expected
of us as this is a skill that we must have in order to fully support and represent each of our
students in the classroom. As teachers, it is our job to advocate for all of our students especially
those who may be underrepresented including ELLs. Often these students may not be on the top
of the priority of administration and above so they may be overlooked and even ignored. It is
then our role to step up to advocate for them in the eyes of these higher ups. The way that I view
things, all students deserve equal rights to learn and equal opportunities to be supported in any
means necessary. This is something that I feel very passionately about. Although I may not be an
ELL student myself, I feel a strong sense of responsibility to defend culture and minority groups
as I would categorize myself as a minority. With that being said, I believe that minority groups
need to stick together and defend one another. This includes challenging misconceptions and
cultural assumptions. Throughout my time inside and outside of the classroom, I have met some
amazing individuals who come from other countries in search of a new identity or opportunities
that they might not have in their native countries. This is why I decided to pursue my
endorsement in ELL coming into college. I knew that these individuals are not always treated
with complete equality and deserve to be represented by someone who is willing to go against
the grain and stand up for what they believe in. My intention as a teacher is to be an advocate for
all and that is something that I am not willing to let go of. I know that I am not alone in these
passionate beliefs so I hope to work with others around me in order to properly support these
children who may require additional help. Additionally, I hope to learn from those who have
come before me and paved a passage of advocacy and further their efforts. With this being said,
much of my experience with this competency has been from shadowing and observing others do
so. But through these experiences I have been able to learn a lot and take the proper steps in
order to become a better advocate for ELL students. This may be evident through my evidence of
working with and talking to other teachers who have ELLs in their class.
We performed an “ELL Teacher Interview” in my 330 class where we had to interview
an ELL teacher or a teacher who has ELL students in their class. This assignment required us to
interview an Elementary school teacher who has ELL students in their class. In this interview we
discussed things like: what it is like to have an ELL, ways to support them, things that they
notice, and strengths and weaknesses that they have assessed. Additionally we were able to just
begin to get a better understanding of how we can advocate for ELL students. This interview
gave me the opportunity to really sit down with a teacher and dissect their brain for nuggets of
knowledge that may be useful and necessary in order to properly support ELLs in my first couple
years of teaching so that I may establish a strong foundation of comprehension and proficiency. I
began by giving a brief introduction of the teacher that I was interviewing along with the
different types of ELLs that she had in her class at the time. Since I was quite familiar with the
teacher, I was able to have an in-depth and comfortable conversation without having to feel
overly nervous or unsure of what questions to ask. In this interview, she talked to me about the
essential role that ELL parents play in their children’s academic and social growth. She said that
it is critical that these students are practicing skills at home as well in the classroom so that the
learning process never stops. She pointed out that the biggest problem she has had with this is
that many of these parents are working long hours and may even have more than 1 job to support
their household. With this being considered, students are often left at home alone or with siblings
where there can be a lack of accountability when it comes to completing the necessary
coursework in order to improve and progress. Additionally, it does not help when the parents do
not speak English themselves. She discovered that often these students are in a lower
socioeconomic status, which ultimately can put them at a disadvantage compared to other
students. These downfalls and road barriers are the factors that are in the way of ELL students
really succeeding and being at the proficiency level they should be at. This was a great
opportunity I had in order to really get a proper understanding of the reality of what it is like to
have ELLs in your classroom. I performed this interview before I had begun any practicum
experiences so it really helped to put into perspective how to prepare for these students and what
to expect from a classroom management standpoint.