You might as well be deaf.

You might as well be deaf. Some might say that is true for most any student who is bored by school classrooms, but it is especially true for those who don't speak the same language.

For a news package I am working on, I have interviewed high school students who do not speak english. I was volunteering at a local high school when I noticed a couple students in the back of the classroom who kept silent. At first I didn't think much of them, as I was never the type to speak up in class myself. But soon I noticed that they were actually paying close attention but to the actions of other students and not to the instruction given to them by the teacher. These students would stare blankly at their desks until they heard some sort of action which would cause them to look around the room. It wasn't until then that they would mock the action of the other students, whether it would be to open a book, stand in line at the door, or start to write.

After that class I asked the teacher about the students' behavior. She told me they were not english speakers and didn't understand anything she was saying. My question is, why the hell are these kids in this class? The teacher ignores them because she doesn't speak spanish and can't answer their questions or give them instructions. These poor kids just sit there and do absolutely nothing. I approached one boy and, in spanish, asked him about the class. He couldn't even tell me what subject he was taking. He opened up to me, explaining how he basically felt like an idiot sitting like a dumbass in that classroom where he tried his best not to appear out of place. I don't know how our education system which isn't supposed to be leaving any child behind (thanks Babs) is allowing these kids to gain nothing out of their education.

How do we solve this? Teach these kids some damn english! They get all their core classes in their native language but take non-core classes in english. Why not teach them their basic english and then teach them all courses in english? I studied in South America and went with a very basic understanding of the language. After being thrown in real college classes with spanish speaking students and professors, I became proficient  very quickly once my grades were put on the line. If I had been spoken to in english I would have never learned any more than how to order a beer. You learn what you need to and really nothing more. You put the kid's well-being on the line and they will learn real fast, because they won't have much of a choice. We've got to give these kids a little help here, not just babysit them. That's how we create productive citizens. And isn't that our goal?