Grand Prairie teen overcame language barrier to rise to top of his class

Grand Prairie teen overcame language barrier to rise to top of his class

Ruben was placed in level one of the English as Second Language program, or ESL, at Kennedy Middle School. He was too old for bilingual education classes in elementary school, where teachers speak mostly Spanish at first and gradually transition their students to English over the years.

As a seventh-grader, Ruben would have an ESL teacher for reading, writing, math, technology and physical education. ESL students learn survival English such as: Where’s the restroom? May I sharpen the pencil? They learn basic English grammar and about American traditions such as Thanksgiving or Halloween.

Ruben quickly showed progress. By the end of the six weeks, he had advanced to a level two of ESL. In fact, he did so well that teachers placed him in regular science and social studies classes alongside native English speakers. Usually, ESL newcomers remain at level one for their entire first year, Sustaita said.

Read Full Article…Dallas Morning News.