Behind the Scenes of an ESL Classroom Part Two

It was early morning, and I waited for my ride to work—a perk offered to me by the school where I was teaching for being their token American, or Yabanci Oretmen (foreign teacher). Balcova was the name of the district of Izmir, Turkey where my wife and I lived, and this was a time when it was relatively safe to stand in front of the huge mosque with its commanding minarets that reached toward the heavens. Seven thirty in the morning, fortunately, was a good time to be waiting there, as the call-for-prayer echoes were long faded off the mountains. I stood reading my schedule for my first day’s classes. I had to decipher that Carsamba, indeed, was Wednesday and this, my first day. I would begin teaching second grade, followed by third and fifth grades before lunch. The yellow, black, and white school bus approached with the driver smoking a cigarette—no children on board yet. I sat in the front seat next to him, reading my textbooks as he navigated the mountainous terrain, collecting students of varying ages and social classes. One stop would be a shack with barred windows where a little girl with torn jeans and a tattered Sponge Bob lunch box would enter with a smile. I wondered how her family could scrape up the money to send her to a private school. I'm sure their hope was that she would grow up knowing how to make a better life for herself. The next stop would be the polar opposite: a pre-teen boy sent off frowning by his maid. Social class and corresponding attitudes are something I have yet to figure out in Turkish society. 

Perception Turns to Reality

Outside the main school entrance, I was met by the school's principal and the overlooking statue of Mustafa Kamal, the founder of the Turkish Republic. Before we were to discuss my first classes, he escorted me to the auditorium. After chastising me for wearing my hat, we stood at attention for the national anthem. Then he led me to my first class (second grade) and commanded the students to stand by their desk as he introduced me. The children were so well-behaved while he was there. However, once he left, they did not seem like the same children. I tried to direct the class to sit down in English, which was met with laughter. Next, I tried to command the class to sit in Turkish, and was met with even more laughter. I was unable to write to their parents in the student logbooks because the kids hid the books under their shirts. Unfortunately, I received no help from the school administration. From this point on, I realized that I had to rely on my management skills to help me with discipline.

Turning the Tables on the Students

My subsequent classes posed the same problems with different flavors. Third grade was more of the same, but the level of sophistication was higher in the way that they wanted to avoid discipline at all cost. Additionally, the school made it perfectly clear that discipline was entirely my responsibility. Therefore, I had to find something of interest to keep my pupils composed and quiet. I decided to simply attempt vocabulary practice. As it turned out, it was a matter of letting my students become my teacher. This technique of turning the tables worked well. My young scholars were interested in how a real American school was conducted. I started to explain the pledge of allegiance that I had to recite as a child, and discovered that this was a good way to demonstrate how children would stand at attention. It also taught respect for one's country, which I attempted to align with respect for Turkey and their teachers (namely, me). By discussing allegiance, respect, and different cultures, I was surprised at the quick connection that we were able to make. This class was only third grade, but it is amazing how we could engender questions, feelings, and respect for one another. Since I had this much success with third grade, I tried the same approach with the other grades. I found that as the grade level changed, so did my learners' interests and desires. I also noticed that certain topics were more engaging for one gender than the other, or for kids from certain social classes. However, the general principle worked across the grade-level spectrum: translation and discussion of culture was always a good way to get mutual understanding and respect.

Separating the Institution from the Students' Needs

I was never very happy with the way that particular school managed their institution. They allowed someone with no experience to teach children. They gave little guidance to their teachers, and I was left on my own far too often. Additionally, there was not really any support with discipline issues. There was no real curriculum and I had to constantly improvise. Nevertheless, it was a good opportunity to learn those improvisation techniques, and I feel that both the students and I learned a lot. I would say that one of the most important things I learned was to keep myself focused on educating the kids. After all, they deserved the best education I could offer them, despite my lack of training. In my next article, I will discuss the adult educational system in Turkey. This was a whole new world, where I learned even more lessons and teaching techniques for separating education and institution.

Further Reading:

Using Google Translate

Here is a great app to have handy on your phone or tablet if you are working in a classroom with English language learners. Ideally, you explain a word's meaning by using other English words and ideas. But sometimes, comparisons fail, and you just need a translator!

Comparing Cultures

While this resource is geared toward younger grades, it will give you some ideas as to how to structure cultural comparisons in a class of English language learners.