Gabby Giovenco

Teaching ELL
Mary Monsour
March 6, 2016

Interview with David Roman

I observed at Harrold Middle School in Hempfield district. Instead

of observing specifically with an ELL teacher, I observed a student
because it made more sense to me to see how the different teachers
and students interacted with David (pronounced Daveed). Also
because in a middle school students have more than one class, the
teachers have different groups of students each period. The student I
observed specifically was David Roman, a seventh grader from Mexico.
I had the benefit of observing him and another ELL student, Gaugan. I
spent my days with David though and gained great insight to this type
of education and got to see how different language proficiency level
students participate in school.

Here are some of the questions I asked David and observed answers.
1. How old were you when you moved to the United States?

Answer: David stated that he moved here from Mexico when he

was nine or ten years old. Now he is in seventh grade at Harrold
Middle School.
This was something I was really curious about because I moved
around my entire life so questioning when David moved it
allowed me to create a connection between him and I. I also
asked this question because age plays such a crucial part in the
development of language as we have read through out the
chapters. David is extremely proficient in speaking English even
though he has only been here for a couple years.
2. What do you like about your native language?
Answer: I like Spanish more because it feels better, it flows and
it more natural he further explained that although he speaks
English pretty well and does not struggle too much with it today
that he still prefers to speak Spanish when he can.
I have had many interactions with non-native English speakers
and I find that most of the time no matter how proficient they are
in their second language; their native language will always feel
better. I find that with myself when I am learning Spanish.
3. Do you remember struggling with anything specific?
Answer: David didnt say explicitly that learning English was a
struggle. At this point he kind of crossed his arms and shrugged
his shoulders. This was a different reaction from him than I had
been seeing. He is usually a very social person and bright.

Getting David to open up about the process of learning English

was slightly difficult, one because I did not want to pry and two
because the question may have been a little hard to swallow or
comprehend. I can imagine how much of a struggle it had to
have been to learn not only a new language but also a whole
new culture and territory. In regards to questions like these David
often answered with yes or no and that was about it, even
though he knew I knew he could speak in sentences. So I
respected his answers and tried not to push him to the point of
regression in regards to his answers. He may have just been
disinterested.
4. What is your favorite part about school here?
Answer: David at this point responded with a bit more of a
response, but still short to an extent I like the people here and
the teachers
David did not elaborate too much here. But from reading his
body language and seeing him brighten up more I could tell this
question intrigued him. His emotions to school here seemed
more than genuine like he truly liked it here.
5. Do your parents/family here speak English?
Answer: David said that both his parents are able to speak
English but that at home they all only speak Spanish.
This particular questioned intrigued me and I was really invested
in asking David about it. I know growing up in Arizona and on the

West coast in general that a lot of my friends spoke English and

Spanish but their parents only spoke their native language. This
can be impactful for the students working to learn a new
language because they will either have the reinforcement of
learning the language at home or not and this can cause
different developmental affects. David revealed that both his
parents do speak English.
6. Were they supportive in you learning English?
Answer: David said his parents spoke English and with the move
to the states that they wanted him to learn more of it too.
Davids Spanish is very good. When he speaks English he speaks
at a fast pace like many Spanish speakers do and he has a very
prominent accent.
David is probably at the higher stages of language proficiency
because he can speak with accuracy but he is still an ELL
because he still had to learn English and he is still working on
aspects of it. David does so well with the language that even
before he moved to the states his parents probably began to
teach him the workings and basics of the linguistics. Encouraging
the learning of a second language before the student is
immersed in another country and culture is beneficial because it
provides them with background knowledge and some stability in
regards to what to expect, they wont be going in blind.

7. Do any of your friends here speak Spanish with you?

Answer: I thought this was peculiar but David said none of his
friends at school speak Spanish, he said he wished he had some
that did but it doesnt bother him much. After the few
observations I went to I realized there are only a few ELL
students in the school, only a handful of them and David is one
of two or three ELLs in seventh grade. English and Spanish to
him are almost fluent. So it makes sense that he doesnt have
peer buddies that speak Spanish too.
Peer buddies are a good thing to have in regards to ELL students,
but because David is so developed in the English language I
wouldnt say it is necessary. I think every student could benefit
from having a peer buddy though just because it gives him or her
someone that they can connect to culturally. The more
connective things are for students the more engaged they will
be. I found this with David frequently; although he participates in
class it is sometimes difficult to keep him on task.
8. What helped you to learn English?(Strategies)
Answer: At first David didnt fully understand this question or
maybe did not want to answer it and I had to break it down a bit.
But eventually he said that pictures helped and teachers
connecting things to him and his culture.
After David answered this question I got further information from
Mrs. Mash his social studies teacher. She admires some of the

doodles and drawings he does in class. Mrs. Mash recognizes

Davids skill with a pen and interest in art and visuals as his way
of coping with the differences between here and Mexico because
the drawings allow him to create without necessarily speaking.
This is a strategy or skill that can be utilized to engage David in
the lesson at hand. Instead of having him take traditional notes,
have him do thumbnail sketches that illustrate the notes. Art is
an international language.
9. What is your favorite subject to learn about?
Answer: Art! Art and math are my two favorites This is one of
the reasons I knew David and I would work well together is
because he loves art.
As I stated earlier, art is an international language and I feel as if
David utilizes it in this manner. David is very advanced in the
development of his second language seeing as he is at a stage 4
or 5 in terms of language proficiency. I found it very interesting
that David stated that he adored art and math, the two subjects
in school that dont necessarily rely on speech or the English
language to be taught because art is applicable to anyone and
can be culturally relatable in more than one way. It can also be
visual, tactile, kinesthetic and auditory in a sense, so for David to
enjoy art so much might be reflective of arts connection to him
regardless of his native and second language. After witnessing
him in Mrs. Duboys math class I saw that although David

sometimes struggled with the concepts of math he was always

actively participating. I found that the other ELL student,
Gaugan, who is at a much lower proficiency level, reacted the
same way. That too I find reflective of the utilization of a
language that does not require a language other than numbers,
which are nearly international.
10.
Was this subject different in Mexico?
Answer: I asked him this question and he was a little puzzled by.
He said he didnt really remember what the subject was like in
Mexico, but that he wasnt as into art as he is now. I figure math
would have still had his interest while in Mexico because math is
an international language almost.
In asking this question I thought I would get some insight into
how the cultures differ. Being an artist, I personally know that art
does differ culturally, but the processes and products all focus on
the creation. In regards to David he may have an interest in art
as a kid in Mexico, but the move to the states may have
motivated him more to create as coping method that Mrs. Mash
suggests. When I say that David is an artist, I truly mean this. He
has a great amount of talent, I love that his teachers encourage
his artistic abilities because it helps him emotionally deal with
the differences in culture but it also motivates him and his skills.

As stated earlier, I observed David Roman, a seventh

grader at Harrold Middle school in the Hempfield school district.
Along with getting the chance to observe and work David, I got
to observe another ELL student as well, Gaugan. But David is
originally from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He moved here when he
was nine or ten years old. He struggles with minor things in the
English language, like certain forms of comprehension. He also
has a bit of an accent, which took me a little while to get used to.
David is quite proficient in the language especially for the short
period of time in which he has been in the states; he is a level 4
or 5 so I was able to learn a lot from him. Being able to observe
him alongside Gaugan, who is just developing his language skills
provided me with the chance to see the differences between
language levels and how they are handled accordingly. David is
much more independent while Gaugan is guided more by his
teachers. All the teachers I observed alongside the students were
dedicated to the betterment of the students and strived to
educate their ELLs accordingly.
Both of Davids parents speak English and I believe they
began to teach him English before he moved to the United
States, because he did develop his skills quickly. It was a lot of
fun interviewing David and some of his teachers. But I feel that
because I interviewed the student I gained more of insight into
how the education system really affects the students in terms

being an ELL and ESL. Not only that but getting to know David
through the interview allowed for him and I to become more
comfortable with one another which then allowed us to work
efficiently together in some of his classes. Conversing with David
was fun and exciting, it was radical getting to see him use his
English language skills but then also using his native language
when applicable.
Mrs. Mash is the teacher I contacted because her and I
have some common colleagues in this field. She allowed me to
come into her classroom and then assisted me in getting
permission from the school to observe David for each of the days
that I observed. I took the time to also observe and interview
Mrs. Mash and another of Davids teachers, Mrs. Blaney. Mrs.
Mash is a seventh grade social studies teacher. I asked her if she
had any prior experience to working with ESL, ELL students, and
she said yes. This made me a little more comfortable because I
did not feel like I was walking into a classroom blind. I asked her
if she ever thought about pursuing something in terms of ELL
and she disclosed to me that she just recently got her
certification to become an ELL instructor but is also trying to
become a principal. I learned a lot from Mrs. Mash and the other
teachers along with David. I made sure to ask the teachers
questions as well so I also interviewed them and this also guided
me in my experiences in the school. Mrs. Blaney was really fun to

work with; she is the type of teacher that I want to be one day.
She speaks fluent Spanish so I asked her if she uses this with
David at all and she said yes. She always greats him in Spanish
and presents questions and subjects in Spanish to him, she said
she does this because it connects the two of them in a more
cultural way and it engages him. It makes him feel more
comfortable in the environment.
Throughout this interview process I learned a lot of things
and benefitted from a great school, people and specifically
David. I also learned that interviews are something that I should
use to my advantage more often because it creates a personal
relationship between the subject and I, which can further the
experience in a good way. I would definitely like to further this
interview eventually and gain even further insight with David and
the teachers that impact him.

Thank you to David.

Hi David,
I just wanted to say thank you for the chance to interview
you. I know we only got the chance to meet a few times but I
really enjoyed learning from you. You provided so many insights
for me to use in regards to my education. Your use of culture and

enthusiasm for school was very impressive and appreciated.

Being someone who can speak more than one language will be
extremely beneficial in the future. Your art is wonderful as well
and I hope you continue with it; dont give it up because the
world needs more people like you. Thank you again David for
working with me and being totally awesome!
Thanks,
Gabby Giovenco