For the love of Pete...you figure this out.
Peruse the following list of names. Where might you find them?
Ming, Julio, Rashid, Erin, Grace, Diego, Deja, Zoe, Reggie, Gina, Yin, Jun, Javier, Manual, Nia, Abby & Carmen.
I'll TELL YOU WHERE!!!!!!!!!!!! A 1st grade Math Assessment test!
I was asked to assist a boy who had been absent in completing the test...i.e. answer "word" questions assuming he needed help reading. The poor boy couldn't even get through the word problems because: a) he's still learning the ENGLISH language and b) didn't know that a "J" was an "H" in Spanish!
Oh, man. I am so on fire, here. I don't consider myself to be prejudice, but how I watched this little boy struggle through this test because of the names. He didn't know what a "Ming", "Jun" or "Javier" was...so it was difficult for him to focus on the math aspect of the test. This made me think of my poor son. While a decent reader, we're still grasping the English language and all its idiosyncracies on a good day, let alone combining it with algebra word problems.
I don't know, but I'm just sayin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 comments:
Wait, those are the names of the students or the names in the examples? If they are in the examples, I would have failed too! Seriously, if the kids can't do "of" how are they going to do Javier?!
I'm with ya!
Dude, I am TOTALLY with you on this one Debs.
So a few years back I volunteered to teach a classroom full of third graders, thru the Junior Achievement Program. I will never forget- in the class was a little boy who did not speak a lick of English. So the school had a fellow third grader in his class, a little girl who spoke English and Spanish translate to him the ENTIRE class. This happens on an EVERY DAY BASIS. Tell me now, how is he or the little girl who spends her day translating, learning anything?!?!?!?!? Don't get me started.
I noticed this the last time I was helping my son with his math homework, I don't know how to pronouce most of the names on those either.
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