I realized I don't blog much about my students anymore. So, I figured it was time for some introductions. The class I spend the most time with is my second grade ESL reading class. I have 8 second graders, all of them speak Spanish as their first language and have varying degrees of English proficiency.
Thing 1 and Thing 2 are my identical twins. I had them last year in first grade too and they make me laugh. Fortunately for me, Thing 1 has a mole on his forehead, so I can tell him apart from his brother. Thing 1 also likes to remove his shoes whenever I'm not looking and has made quite a bit of progress in reading this year. Thing 2 comes to visit me every morning before school starts. He is generally a bit better behaved than his brother, though he's not above playing air guitar when he finishes his test early and is bored. He's struggling with reading a bit more than Thing 1.
Miracle is the sort of student who makes you keep coming to work each day. When he started in my class at the beginning of last year, he didn't know a word of English, needed an escort to the classroom for the first week or so because otherwise he would get lost, and didn't know the alphabet. He has amazed me. He moved from speaking Spanish only, to answering questions with 1 word English answers, to speaking in complete English sentences, though he is still on the quiet side. He's one of my top readers too and is an absolute pleasure to have in class.
Dynamo is the sort of kid you have trouble being stern with because he always makes you laugh and he's never trying to make trouble. He just arrived in the States this summer, and like Miracle last year, he's been pleasing me with his progress. He had a really good Spanish school background in first grade, so he came to me knowing how to read and write in Spanish which is awesome! He is learning to read English very quickly. He is almost infallibly cheerful, unless he doesn't earn a homework prize, which always causes tears.
Sunshine likes to be helpful. Unless she's pouting (which is unusual for her), she's smiling, and her smile is contagious. She's one of my middle of the road students- I'm not too concerned about her, but I don't usually tell people glowing stories of her progress.
Molasses is my puzzle. While not my strongest reader, I'm often amazed at her phonetic writing- she writes words with blends better than almost anyone in my class. She's overly affectionate, tells incredible stories, and loves to try to tell them to me while I'm in the middle of giving directions, reading a book to the class, helping another student. . . She alternately tries my patience and makes my heart ache for her. She is obviously hungry for attention.
Chatty is my social butterfly. I've known her since kindergarten and this is her 2nd year in my class as well. She's had a history of poor attendance, but I've seen an improvement this year, and with it, giant gains in reading achievement. In addition to being a fairly fluent reader at the level of books we're reading, she's mastered the art of the head wiggle/teeth sucking/eye rolling.
Pearl is the sort of student you'd take a class full of. It would be much easier and more peaceful than the class I have now, though I have to admit, it wouldn't be as interesting. She is dependable, helpful, and friendly. She's also the best reader in my class. She breezes through our books, knows all the sight words, often before I teach them; and she does really well with her phonetic writing too.
