We need more English instruction (ESOL) - Reader comments at The New York Sun

Reader comment on:
Parents' Job II

Submitted by Jed Rothwell, Aug 2, 2007 13:20

This article says:

"Almost everything that students need to do differently takes place at home. None of it costs an additional dime. It is all within the control and the choice of students and their parents."

That is not true. One of the biggest problems cited in this article is immigrant students who are struggling with English. Learning English is difficult, time consuming and expensive. It cannot be done at home because parents and siblings themselves often cannot speak fluently. It does not come easily to children. I have taught English as a second language to people of all ages, and I speak Japanese fairly fluently. (Fluently enough to translate many papers and write a book in Japanese.) Mastering a second language is one of the hardest things immigrants ever do. They need help, and that help does not come cheaply.

Many immigrants are anxious to learn English. English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes are overflowing. Cities and states must put more resources into these classes.

- Jed Rothwell

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
If some children are apathetic, it's because in the age of technology, schools seems obsolete. Kids sit in classrooms learning... [MORE]	Tony S	Aug 3, 2007 00:51
What is the purpose of education? I've always thought to better society as a whole. Then, given the current structure... [MORE]	Brian	Aug 2, 2007 15:27
Brian, I agree 100%. I am middle aged and studying to become a teacher. The number of students who care... [MORE]	Rollie	Oct 20, 2007 10:17
Blaming the problems in the US on teachers and administrators does little good. After spending 16 years as a high... [MORE]	Frank Johnson	Aug 2, 2007 14:14
This article says: "Almost everything that students need to do differently takes place at home. None of it costs an additional...	Jed Rothwell	Aug 2, 2007 13:20
Instruction in English must come first. If an American child living on an American base in germany were to apply... [MORE]	John Schuh	Aug 3, 2007 00:45
John Schuh asks: "My question is, however: How effective is the ESOL program [Rothwell] supports?" If the ESOL program is not... [MORE]	Jed Rothwell	Aug 4, 2007 17:40
That all the issues raised here are legitimate does not address the problem. After so many generations of increasingly bad... [MORE]	james wilson	Aug 2, 2007 11:29
You are right about not blaming the teachers. The unions, however, are obvious targets. Unlike the teachers, they do not... [MORE]	Gil Reeser	Aug 1, 2007 22:06
Diane Ravitch: "Until we as a society begin to recognize that students and parents must take responsibility for the part... [MORE]	Tom Shuford	Aug 1, 2007 18:41
It is indeed sad to read an opinion piece by such a respected education commentor as Diane Ravich that is... [MORE]	Betsy Combier	Aug 1, 2007 17:51
Diane Ravitch and classroom teacher David R. are right: scapegoating teachers while satisfying will not resolve America's educational crisis... [MORE]	Richard "Ricardo" Munro	Aug 1, 2007 17:26
Ms. Ravitch - I read with great interest your article on Parent's Job II and feel that, while many of... [MORE]	Ken Slentz	Aug 1, 2007 17:17
I agree we should not scapegoat teachers - there are many good teachers. But we should also not lay the... [MORE]	Debbie Smith	Aug 1, 2007 13:49
Some major civil rights leaders seem to agree: Rosa Parks: "I do not question so much how to make the schools... [MORE]	Richard	Aug 1, 2007 10:58
When you become a mother, your hopes are of having a normal child with ten toes and ten fingers and... [MORE]	Marie Ribaudo	Aug 1, 2007 09:54
Ms. Ribaudo expresses a very important truth, but one we don't want to deal with. As our nation has grown... [MORE]	T Mulligan	Aug 2, 2007 11:44