Mary Duffy

EDF 4603

Dr. Hopp

4 August 2017

Interview with an English Language Learner

Part I

For my interview with an English Language Learner, I talked with a former

coworker and friend of mine who is from Puerto Rico. She moved here to the United

States as a teenager, with Spanish as her only language. Now as a 27 year old, she speaks

English very well, and admits that she is still learning something new about the English

language every day.

1. What helped you the most in learning English?

I know it sounds strange, but something that really helped me to learn quickly

was by watching television shows that I enjoy in Puerto Rico. Watching programs I am

familiar with, but in a different language, even though I didnt understand the language,

because I already knew the story and the characters, it helped me to learn quickly a lot of

the vocabulary. Also, I made a lot of friends at my high school when I moved here, and

they were very helpful to me and kind, and encouraged me to always try without being

afraid of saying the wrong thing. Even now, when I am writing something important or

things for work, I will sometimes call or text them and ask Does this sound right? and

they will help me.

2. How did you feel in the classroom when you first came to the United States?

I was so nervous! I was worried about how I was going to be able to learn or do

well in my classes if they were all taught in English. Thankfully, I had a lot of help in the

classroom from my teachers and my classmates, and I was able to catch on very quickly.

3. What did your teachers do during your learning process?

My teachers were so helpful to me when I came here to the States. They

encouraged me to always speak up, never be afraid to say something just because I think

I might say it wrong. Most of the time, even if I do say something wrong, people can still

understand what I am trying to say. And it is always better to try, and learn if I make a

mistake, then to not speak at all. But also, something that I really appreciated was that

they never made me feel dumb because I wasnt fluent. One teacher even sat me down

once to talk about how I was doing in class, and she said, This course is difficult even

without the added struggle of learning the language. You are doing very well for

someone who has to do both! and that really stuck with me, the idea that I should be

proud that I am accomplishing so much, and that I will eventually be bilingual. I think

that motivated me to want to be as fluent as I can, because it is something I take pride in.

4. Can you tell me about a time when you were frustrated, confused, or happy when

learning English? Explain why.

Oh there have been many many times when I am confused! English is so

difficult to fully understand. One time, me and my friend Andrea were talking about a

coworker and she happened to walk into work, and Andrea says oh, speak of the devil!
and I was SO confused! I asked her, what do you mean about the devil? I thought she

was nice! and Andrea laughs and explains what the saying means. But I have many

times like that where people say strange English sayings, and it takes a minute for me to

realize it is just a saying. One of the happiest moments I have had while learning English

was while I was in high school, I was shopping with some friends and someone came up

to me and asked for directions. I didnt even notice until she walked away that I just gave

her directions completely in English without thinking about it! I was so proud of myself

then and felt so fluent! It was really great.

5. What do you think that teachers can do better to help students learn English?

One of the most important things that many of my teachers did was to ensure

that I never felt different or less than because I didnt speak the language; it just made

me unique, and we worked together to develop my fluency. I think it is really important

for teachers to make sure that they are doing the same for their own students, that they

make sure that they feel valued and that their opinions matter, regardless of how well

they speak the language.

6. What should teachers not do?

One of the biggest things that I experienced was that a few of my teachers would

dumb down their lessons or stories in order for me to understand them better. The thing

is, I appreciate when my teachers would use simpler language to explain things to me, but

the content itself didnt need to be dumbed down; I speak Spanish, but Im not dumb! A

few of my teachers would make a point of saying, oh, the assignment is so and so but
you just have to do this work instead. And that frustrated me! Because I knew how to do

things, just not how to explain! On the other hand, most of my teachers knew this, and

were wonderful in helping me to both understand the coursework and to develop my

English.

7. Was there ever a time where you thought it was too difficult to learn, or when you felt

like giving up?

For sure! In my first few months of being here in the States, I felt so

overwhelmed. There was just so much work involved with learning the language and

adapting to a new culture, that I really wanted to go back to Puerto Rico! But soon I

started to feel a little more comfortable with the language, and started making friends

here, and it didnt seem so intimidating anymore! I was motivated to learn.

8. What was your biggest fear when it came to learning the language?

My biggest fear was that I wouldnt get it. I was always afraid that no matter

how hard I studied, I would never really become fluent in the language. Thankfully, I

have been able to learn pretty well!

9. What are some of the main differences between your language and English that you

still struggle with?

Some of the main things I still struggle with are verbs, its still a struggle for me

to change verb tenses, especially when I am just talking with my friends. Thankfully,

they are very understanding! And I also asked them to please correct me when they hear
me make a mistake. Many of them would not want to offend me or make me feel bad for

correcting me, but I said please do! Thats a great way for me to learn! So now they will

not be afraid to correct me and help me learn!

10. What advice would you give to other English language learners?

My advice would be to not give up! Even when it seems like it is too hard and you dont

think youll ever be fluent, keep studying! And never be afraid to ask for help!

Part II

1. What are the major differences/similarities between your culture and that of your

interviewee?

My interviewee and I have very different cultures. I grew up in southern New

Jersey, and my interviewee grew up in Puerto Rico and moved here when she was

in high school. She described the transition here as being hard at first, but she

quickly and easily made friends here. I immediately wondered if she would have

had the same experience if she had moved to New Jersey rather than to Florida,

and sadly I do not think she would have. The Hispanic population in New Jersey

is nowhere near that of Florida, and I think that my interviewee would have had a

much harder time adapting to high school up north than she did here in Florida.

2. What stereotypes about your respondent's culture were upheld/destroyed/transformed

through the interview?

One of the main stereotypes that was upheld was that of Hispanic cultures being
very family oriented; to be honest, I am not sure if this is a stereotype or just a

generalization of most Hispanic cultures, but at least in the case of my interviewee, this

was correct! She is very close with her family, and they always take precedence over

others. I was very saddened to hear her talk about how she isnt stupid, she just doesnt

know how to explain things. I think that, unfortunately, many Hispanic people are

stereotyped as being uneducated simply because they dont understand English, but this

couldnt be farther from the truth. I cant imagine how hard it must be to try to live here

only to have people assume you are uneducated and unintelligent.

3. Vis-a-vis education and language acquisition, what approaches worked best/worst for

your interviewee? What is your reaction to his/her experiences? Provide examples in your

discussion.

I thought it was very clever how my interviewee actually said that one of the most

helpful ways in which she learned the language was by watching her favorite television

shows. Although this isnt a traditional learning method, I liked how she was able to find

an approach that worked for her, and also one that she enjoyed. I think that this is a good

concept to carry over into the classroom! Finding an activity that is intrinsically fun that

also helps them to learn is the key.

4. Having learned about this particular culture, what skills do you think you need to

develop in order to work effectively in diverse classrooms? How could you develop these

skills independently?

I have no doubt that as a teacher in central Florida I will be encountering students

from a multitude of Hispanic cultures, and as a white woman from New Jersey, I

obviously have a lot to learn! Thankfully, even in just the years I have worked as a

Paraprofessional, my students have taught me so much about their cultures, languages,

and more, and I am sure that my knowledge will continue to grow the more I teach. Also,

working with other teachers of different backgrounds helps me to get ideas, and we

bounce off each other in order to be the most effective teachers we can be.

5. How could teacher education programs be changed to help enhance your effectiveness

with diverse students?

I have actually felt extremely blessed to continue my education at UCF, because I

feel that this school truly does prepare its teachers for working with diverse students.

Although education programs in New Jersey do try to cover it, they do not even come

close to the level of education I have received here at UCF. I have been a part of so many

different courses that have offered unique perspectives on teaching diverse students, and

because of this I truly feel prepared to be an effective teacher.

6. What other realizations, notions, lessons learned did you have from this experience?

It was very interesting to me to be able to speak with someone who was an

English language learner as a teenager, rather than as a child. It really put into perspective

for me how difficult it must be for these kids, to come into a brand new country,

environment, and classroom with the added pressure of learning a new language. I have

so much respect for them, and this interview has given me even more insight into their

struggles, and I feel that I will be a more effective teacher because of it.