A.Z. / Elementary School

When and where did you first start learning English?

• I began learning English when I was around three years old. Because my parents primarily spoke Mandarin Chinese around me, I am native speaker/heritage speaker and I would only speak Mandarin. I mostly learned English from other children. My mom would drop me off at the park, filled with English speaking children, and tell me to go play with them.

Could you tell us a little about your ESL experience?

• Although I do not remember much, I was pulled out of class several times in one year to be tested for my English fluency. Sometimes it was to take the CELT exam, and other times it was to speak to a counselor who spoke in both Mandarin and English. Once I was asked to attend a class with a small group of students to learn English. I was very bored with these classes, as I did not believe I should be there. Most concepts they addressed were very basic, such as identifying animals or plants. I attempted to leave early multiple times, with varying success.

Do you think the ESL program helped you in any way (or how did your time in ESL impact your development)? If so, how? If not, why?

• I do not think the program helped me in any significant way. The only impact the program left me was making me feel relatively isolated from my peers, especially my Asian-American friends, who did not have to take the tests. Most concepts the program addressed were very simple, and by kindergarten, I was already able to form more complex English sentences than them.

Do you think you would have been better off with/without the program?

• I cannot give an accurate assessment because my ESL experience had occured while I was still relatively young. However, I think I would have been the same with or without the program. Because the program met so infrequently, it did not leave a significant impact on my life.

Do you think ESL had an integrative effect (i.e. do you feel included/excluded from your classmates who are not in the ESL program)?

• Each year, until third grade, I was called out of class. I usually remember being called out during an activity. However, because the other students were not aware of why I was being called to leave and the CELT tests were so infrequent, I was always assumed to be in some kind of trouble. My English was at the same level as my classmates, in my opinion, so I always felt slightly isolated.

Would you recommend your ESL program to others? Why or why not?

• I cannot give a recommendation because I remember so little. However, because of how thoroughly they tested me, I would assume the ESL program I underwent was relatively thorough. If a student had English as a second language, then I believe the program should be comprehensive. I would want the option to not attend, or a better screening process for English speakers like me. Despite this, I would not recommend the program to any students in a similar situation as I was in elementary school.

How was your process of joining the program?

• Because my mother marked me as a Mandarin native speaker, we were both required to take a test to determine our English fluency. I scored well, but my mother did not pass. As a result, I was required to take the CELT exam annually for three to four years.

If it was by force, did you have the option to opt-out?

• I did not have the option to opt-out. I did not even know the date of the exam in advance, or that I was enrolled in an ESL program. From my perspective, I was just randomly pulled out of class at consistent intervals each year and asked about my English language abilities. Usually, I was able to leave early and go back to class because the teacher felt that I did not need to be there and I did not want to be there.