Jessica Sullivan

Dear Future Teacher,

 

Delmar is a seven-year old boy that I have had the privilege of teaching this past school year. He is a refugee from Somalia and lives with his parents and two sisters. They have only been in the United States for a couple of months, and he has only been in my classroom for the end of the school year. His parents are struggling to find work, as they continue to learn English. However, Delmar still speaks Somali at home, but is slowing learning English at school. His family is Muslim and very devoted to their faith. I have not found out much about Delmar academically but learned quickly that he loves to draw.

 

Some of the things that I encountered with Delmar include the following: having children tease him to leave the room to pray, the art teacher excluding Delmar’s art to be displayed on the wall, and a fellow teacher asking about a situation and calling Delmar a “rag head.” I handled these situations the best I could. For example, I explained to Delmar’s classmates that every religion has different practices and that we should respect everyone’s personal faith. Also, I took the time to plan a lesson that taught our students about different religions and every kid was able to speak or show a visual aid of a practice that they do within their religion. Delmar, with my help, was able to communicate with his classmates and share a little bit about the Muslim religion. The class seemed very receptive to it and the teasing has stopped. The next situation was more difficult to deal with, but I approached the art teacher and reminded her that although she may not personally agree with the Muslim religion, she cannot discriminate against it. She realized her mistake, hung Delmar’s picture along with his classmates and apologized to Delmar. The incident where a fellow teacher approached me outside my classroom was probably one of the most frustrating situations to happen to me. She began by asking if I had resolved the situation with the art teacher and my “rag head,” to which I immediately asked her to never use language like that about my students and to not label them with names like that in the future. I am hoping that no one heard, especially Delmar.

 

I believe that Delmar has a bright future ahead of him. I would encourage you to continue trying to help him with English, help others be accepting of him and his religion, maybe plan a lesson on different religions for your class, encourage him to draw, and pay extra attention so that others do not label him a “rag head” or any other demeaning name. I spoke with another teacher that has worked with Delmar, and she expressed the concern that Delmar might begin to feel like an outcast and, in turn, stop trying on his schoolwork and learning English. I ask that you encourage him, and monitor his progress so that this does not happen (Reeves, E. FOUN 3000, Cipher Update, April 2, 2015). Delmar will excel academically, in the future, once English is not hindering him. I believe that Delmar is a very smart child and will meet all the academic goals placed in front of him. Delmar is very sweet to his classmates although they tease him. He is still learning the social norms of our society but is willing and eager to learn. Delmar is a pleasure to teach, and I am sure you will enjoy the perspective that he brings to your classroom.

 

Recently, I sat in on a school board meeting, and one of the topics that came up was whether or not we should become an English immersion school or continue to have bilingual education. I believe that English immersion would benefit Delmar. Although he speaks Somali at home with his family, the television, culture around him, children at school, and his teachers speak English. Another teacher brought up the point that “Students need to learn our language first before trying to learn their language because the English language has more grammatical rules and most others are not as complicated” (Brady, C. FOUN 3000 Debate, April 28, 2015). If we changed to English immersion, Delmar would be taught each subject in English and hopefully understand and have learned enough to prepare him for the future or he could even help teach his parents. Delmar is now living in a culture where the primary language is English. I believe that, in order for him to be successful in school, the professional world, and other aspects of his life, immersing him with English during the classroom hours would help.  Delmar and his family now live in the United States, and as a fellow teacher pointed out, “language is one aspect of a culture” (Brady, C. FOUN 3000, April 28, 2015) and immersing him with English helps him become more accustomed to the culture he is now living in. A fellow colleague argued the point that students are denied the chance to integrate with American culture and society by not teaching them English, they also would be provided with good exposure to develop proper communication skills, and eventually being immersed with English will help the students to reach language proficiency (De Freitas, M. and Coe, L. Should English Immersion Replace Bilingual Education. 2013). English immersion in the classroom and schools would benefit Delmar and other children just like him, allowing them to be better prepared for future life in the United States.

 

Please let me know if you need anything else regarding Delmar, I hope you enjoy teaching him as much as I did!

Ms. Sullivan

 

 

Sources: 

Brady, C. (2015) “In Class Debate,” April 28. 

Freitas, Michelle De, Le’Nessa L. Coe. Should English Immersion Replace Bilingual Education. Unpublished Debate Summary. 

Reeves, E. “Cipher Update.” (2015).