Tori was born in the United States in 2001 and moved around a bit in her younger years. Her mom came to America from Mexico when she was pregnant with Tori. Growing up, her home language was Spanish until her mom began to learn English when Tori was 11 years old. Tori began her education in Chicago at a bilingual school. When she came to Texas, in second grade, she was put into an ESL program. She spent her third grade year in Mexico living with her grandmother. She spoke Spanish at school and at home and with friends. She doesn't recall speaking English in that year, at all. She did watch English television sometimes and she feels that really helped her retain her English language skills. When she returned to Texas, in fourth grade, she went back to her previous school. This time, she was given the option to not participate in the ESL program and was not given any help. At that point, her mom had not yet learned English and her home language remained Spanish exclusively until a few years later. She feels like Math was the only subject that she really struggled in and believes that it was just because of the difference in the standards. Tori attributes her ability to pick up English to her preschool and kindergarten years in the bilingual school. She became fluent in both Spanish and English by the time she was 6 years old. Like the textbook mentions, it seems as though her school intended to "aim to help the student develop both English and their home language, so that they become fully bilingual", (Wright, p. 104).
The textbook states that students were found to be "much more active, engaged, and vocal during their ESL time. The ESL teacher created a safe environment that effectively lowered the affective filter of her ELLs", (Wright, p. 113-114). In fact, Tori looks back on her time with her ESL teacher and remembers the relationship that they teacher build with her and other students. She felt that this was a good time to ask questions about classwork they had trouble with. They were also given the ability to read in their small group of peers during this time. She talked very affectionately about her time with this teacher and has recently reconnected with her through social media. This teacher made a difference in her life and she feels lucky to have been able to be in her class.
Wright, Wayne. Foundations for Teach English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Caslon, 2019. Print. Third Edition.
