Personal Narrative: English Language Learners

Ukraine to the U.S. I had the privilege to become friends with a student from the Ukraine my first year at UVa-Wise. I saw this student, Andrew*, in my art class, but he barely spoke to anyone. I assumed he was just shy, so one day I asked him about a piece he was working on. That is when I heard his awesome accent, and I was immediately intrigued. I spent that whole class asking him about where he was from and if he liked it here in the states. Unfortunately, he was not completely fluent in English yet, so he was nervous and hard to understand. This was okay though, because I got to know him through his art, and we became great friends. Now that he is great with his English, I have learned that he actually lived in Russia most of his life. Because Andrew has experienced both cultures, he was a perfect candidate for my interview. Andrew was very excited to start kindergarten at age 5, and in Russia, most students attend free of costs. He was able to stay with the same group of friends throughout his …show more content…
was fun. This reminds me that any students I have who are English Language Learners just need extra patience, and not to let them feel shy or lost. He mentioned it was comforting making friends when he came here, which lets me know I need to help any ELL students interact with other students. I now see that education in other parts of the world are not necessarily that much different from ours. My entire experience with meeting someone from a different culture helps me relate to others coming to the states. When I begin teaching, I want to get to know each student and their culture so I can make sure they are getting the most out of their education. I will use hand gestures and simplified sentences to make communication easier, the way I did with Andrew. With so many ELL students in the U.S., I am sure I will encounter some, and this interview has given me some helpful