+ for math and a B for social studies, PE, and music. In the second report, she got straight As. Grades are not the only criteria in measuring her L2 proficiency, but they did encourage her and make her self-confident and interested in learning the new languagePersonally, I find we cant really know our children without getting acquainted with their school life because they spend weekdays in school with their teachers, classmates, and other school personnel, and because most of their academic activities are carried out in school. Ive been to Amys school at the Back to School Night, for the parent-teacher conference, and for picnics. Ive also observed the pullout ESL class during a one-week period. Every Thursday I have access to a newsletter, forms, notes, or flyers from Amys school. By getting informed about and involved in school-related activities, Ive come to know the differences between the Chinese and U.S. educational systems and I understand the schools expectations of the students. And now I have become better equipped to help Amy adapt to the new situation. As a means to know why Amy didnt like her pullout ESL class, I did the classroom observation. This ESL class was of great help to some children, but not all the LM (language minority) students enjoyed it. First, it was looked down upon by their classmates as a class for the dumb; second, the diversity of the ESL students English proficiency, language background, age, and grade level made it hard for the teacher to structure the ESL class; third and most importantly, the students missed a lot of content instruction and course requirements in the mainstream class by attending the pullout ESL class, so students lagged even further behind in the grade-appropriate tasks. Upon her own request and on the condition that she passed some oral tests, Amy was exited from the ESL class two months later. Now she does all the work her classmates do without delay. When she needs additiona...
