Where Do I Start?
"I have students who don't speak English. Where do I start?" This is the most common question teachers ask me, typically at the beginning of the school year or when a new student is placed in their class. To be fair, I asked the same question as a third-year teacher when I had a student named Roberto in my fourth period class. Roberto was a delightful student who quietly sat in the back of the room, smiled when asked a question, and dutifully submitted his assignments whether they were finished or not. I don't think I ever modified an assignment for him or scaffolded the lesson because I didn't know how. The thought of teaching him how to analyze a short story, write an essay, and the English language was overwhelming. My experience with language learning involved translating passages about the Appian Way and watching Pedro Almodovar films, and those experiences were buried far enough in my memory that I forgot any explicit instruction offered by my high school La