Most people have had the nightmare where they can’t speak. That dream is often interpreted as feeling tongue-tied, or that other people won’t understand what you are trying to convey. Now, imagine living a day in your life like that; constantly wondering what someone around you is saying, hoping that your words can form a response. That is exactly what the ESOL students (English for speakers of other languages) have to face. Except for them, it is every day.
How Does English Sound?
As English speakers, we often forget how fast we talk. The language flows so naturally that sometimes it’s hard to believe other people can’t understand it. However, it is similar to how English speakers view languages like Spanish. Some words we can recognize due to English similarities; however, deciphering the sentence from such a few words feels impossible. The speed makes it even harder. A video that might bring this into perspective is “What English Sounds Like To Non-Native Speakers.” Even English speakers can make out very few words, leaving them wondering what the conversation is about. That is what many others hear every day.
There are many other ways people describe the English language, too. One of the most common is people talking with sticks in their mouths. This is commonly used because the English language requires unnatural movements. Although English speakers are used to it, non-native speakers feel English is full of unusual sounds and can feel restrictive. This proves to be one of the main reasons it can be so hard for non-native speakers to pronounce English words. Though that is only the start of the many obstacles these kids must overcome.
(Bella Lomicka)
What Are Some Struggles?
It isn’t a question that learning English is extremely difficult, especially at a fast pace. However, there are a lot more challenges these students face than you might think. One problem many people might not think of is making friends. Their friends are often limited to the other kids in the ESOL classroom since they are the few kids in the school who can speak Spanish. After speaking with the kids in the ESOL program, they stated that they wished they had an English-speaking friend so they could practice their English more often. Though their social life isn’t the only thing that can become restricted.
Learning any subject is hard enough, but adding a language you don’t know on top of it makes it seem almost impossible. However, these kids conquer it every day. Many of the students said that they felt subjects such as civics and science were the hardest of them all. With many vocabulary terms and concepts students must memorize, it is hard, even without a language gap. However, when you can’t even decipher what the word means, it can become a lot harder. It is common for classes to break down a word or find synonyms to help students learn the words more quickly. But when you don’t know what the synonym means, it makes the trick useless.
This not only makes things, such as tests, hard, but also participating in class in general. If the teachers ask them questions, it is harder for them to respond, even if they know the answer. The opposite way is the same. If the student has a question, it is hard for them even to ask because they are worried the teacher won’t understand them.
Luckily, Ms. Solivan, the ESOL teacher, is a great teacher, and her students have absorbed all the information they were given. Many of them have now become proficient in listening to English conversations or even understanding English lectures. However, English speakers are known to speak fast, which can sometimes make it hard for them to keep up. It’s the same way many English speakers feel about Spanish. Even if these kids know a lot of English, it can still be challenging to make out the words when English speakers talk so fast. That is an obstacle anyone learning any language has to conquer.
(Bella Lomicka)
How Do They Beat the Learning Curve?
With so many challenges ESOL students have to conquer, it is hard to stay motivated. However, these kids really want to learn English and connect with all of their classmates, regardless of what language they speak. Their desire to talk to other people and make more English-speaking friends overrides the frustration they feel when learning gets hard. Ms. Solivan also makes sure to apply many strategies to their learning to help them learn English as fast as possible. “You have to practice, you have to speak every single day.” Many students stray away from attempting to speak a language because they are afraid of making mistakes. However, Ms. Solivan always reminds them that mistakes are just part of the process. Speaking is the only way for them to make those mistakes and learn from them.
Resilience in the Face of Language Barriers
The path for ESOL students as they navigate the challenges of the English language is very hard; however, students demonstrate lots of resilience and determination. Being unable to understand or interact with a new language impacts academic achievement and social opportunities, but their main desire and motivation to connect with others can propel them to work through challenges. Educators like Ms. Solivan, who fosters a trusting and loyal environment, help students break through the educational and daily language and social barriers that accompany the comprehension of English as a second language (ESOL).
