I agree with Mr. Rothwell - Reader comments at The New York Sun

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Parents' Job II
in response to reader comment: I agree with Mr. Rothwell

Submitted by Jed Rothwell, Aug 4, 2007 17:40

John Schuh asks:

"My question is, however: How effective is the ESOL program [Rothwell] supports?"

If the ESOL program is not effective, I would not support it. I have seen many ineffective programs, but the problem is never ideology. Problems are caused by untrained teachers, poorly written textbooks, overcrowded classes, and so on.

"Is it aim practical or ideological: to teach the language of instruction or to pander to his cultural background?"

I have been learning and teaching languages for 35 years and I have never yet encountered a class in which the teacher or students had time to "pander" or teach ideology. Class time is devoted to learning pronunciation, the difference between definite and indefinite articles, and a thousand other topics one must master. If the student is advanced enough to understand ideology in English, he does not need instruction. (Some advanced students who can discuss ideology have bad habits. I recommend they take special one-on-one tutoring, but they rarely do. Language training at this level is similar to what native speakers of English undergo when they want to change their accents, or learn public speaking.)

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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... [MORE]	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...	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