Journal 2

September 4, 2003

I like the way Judy is approaching ESL with her classes. She has really young children who are all in very different stages of learning English. She knows how to keep their attention focused and almost tricks them into learning. Their activities are so much fun that I seriously doubt that they know they're learning anything. They color and cut and play with play dough, they also dance and sing and get to use their creativity in the process. They probably don't even realize that she's teaching them letters, numbers, creativity, analytical skills, etc. I'd like to observe one of her classes of older students to see how she approaches ESL with them.

Why can't these fun techniques be taken to higher levels of learning, such as middle and high school? It's when students are moving, creating, and communicating, that they really learn. It's especially obvious by the groans of the students when Judy tells them to sit at their desks and work quietly. They don't like sitting down and working independently. Judy had to stay on them because she kept finding them standing and talking. They want to talk with their peers and they want to move. Why can't we take Judy's dancing and singing and creating all the way through public education???

I have learned a great deal about discipline from Judy. Before this week, I've never seen the inside of a Kindergarten ESL classroom. I had worked primarily with adolescents and adults. But now I see that discipline is the vessel through which students learn the content. The manner in which Judy disciplines them is really important. It is how they acquire and maintain respect for her, and how seriously they take her classes. If she let them be unruly, they wouldn't focus or pay attention at all. I think Judy practices discipline well.