Cardboard Boxes

I read Cajas de Carton by Francisco Jimenez, and really enjoyed it. The narrator was originally the one that did not want to leave because he was comfortable with his home in Mexico. They headed off to find work elsewhere and Roberto was upset that he would no longer go to school while the narrator was able to. As soon as the narrator had become excited about schooling and the progress he was making there, they packed up to leave.

This is a good aspect on how teaching English as a secondary language can be. The teacher has to be very patient and willing to build a relationship with the student. In this story he struggled to catch up on new English grammar due to the fact that he did not hear English very often. His family spoke Spanish to each other as well. As a teacher, you have to understand that students may speak a different language in their home and you need to be able to connect and understand them. (Here's a LINK to a cute website of games for ESL children). 

Teachers need to build a relationship and be familiar with other cultures, respecting their language, and engaging them in different ways. This is mentioned in Reading, Writing, and Rising Up as well. When you scold a student's writing or speech that is practiced within their own home, you can cause a student to be silenced. Once you silence a student in their writing, it is hard to open them back up again. Being aware of different cultures and understanding that everyone comes from different backgrounds helps to bridge this gap.

This short story visited how the narrator and Mr. Lema connected. Mr. Lema took extra time to help the student to be successful because he was not as familiar with English as the other students may have been. His background was much different but Mr. Lema supported him, and even went above and beyond saying that he will teach him to play the trumpet.

Advice learned: be open, be honest, be aware, be prepared