Expert: Debba Robinson - 9/21/2008

Question
dear Debba:
i am an English teacher for fifth grade students in an Arabic country
students are supposed to learn English from the first grade but to be honest they had very bad teachers so until now they can not differentiate between the letters
as a teacher i must give them their fifth grade  book even though  they do not know how to read so they hate the subject
i tried to start from the very beginning but without having enough time so they still find it difficult
i   decided to give them an extra free lessons in school ,i do not know if it works
please can you give me some advises how to make them willing to study and how to give them all the information they miss from the beginning beside their supposed book???
please help me and thanks in advanced
iman

Answer
Dear Iman,

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.  If students have burned out and the administration isn't supporting you in giving them materials that are appropriate for their level of learning, there is not a whole lot you can do.  

I would be getting back to the basics ... but the kids probably know that you aren't supposed to do that, and so they will be reluctant to buy into the program.

You can certainly do singing games and things like that to help them learn the letters ... I'd borrow things from the earlier grade levels if it would be permitted.  So the kids can have their 'class' books on their desks ... use them to hold appropriate worksheets from blowing off their desks - then you are USING the books.  

There are TONS of sites on the internet for ESL and emergent readers.  If you do a Google for either of those key words, you should find more than enough resources.  Someone needs to go to bat for these kids and the program but you don't sound like you are in a very flexible system, and, sad as it may be, you may have to accept that you can't change things.  I don't know.

But, you can't 'make' kids do anything.  You can present a program in the best way possible and the kids who are motivated will join in - those who, by 5th grade, don't want to - won't.

I wish I could be more help, but that's the reality.  You are not the first teacher to have run into this problem and, from what I have heard from others in schools that won't allow appropriate materials to be used, there comes a time when you either accept defeat and move on, or you stay and fight to the death.

Good luck.

Debba