ESL students speak in future tense

Juli Salatino's third-period class is a bit different from her others.

Her portable classroom at Davis High School, generally filled with teenagers learning Spanish, is instead occupied by a variety of students working through English verbs and sentence structure.

This is her English as a Second Language, or ESL, class. And, for these non-native English-speakers, it's extremely important.

"We don't know anything about this country," Liliana Saénz says in English, her second language. The 20-year-old native Spanish speaker recently came to the United States from Mexico. "We have a different culture and language, but ESL class helps us to learn more."

Also speaking in English, her second language, fellow classmate and native Spanish speaker, 21-year-old Adriana Carranza, says the ESL class is important so "we can learn the language and have a better future."

ESL 3, however, is only one period, leaving five more classes for Saénz and Carranza to tackle in their second language.

"At first, they start with two ESL classes with limited core classes like art and P.E.," their teacher explains. "Then, they will move into classes that require more cognitive skills, like math, science and social studies. By ESL 3, though, they are completely mainstreamed."

Unlike those who are only beginning to learn English words and phrases, students in ESL 3 have mastered the language well enough to engage in conversations. They're in class to learn how to express more complex thoughts and ideas.

Though classes in English do pose difficulties, ESL students, who range in age from 14 to 21, say they feel like they can ask for help.

"Here's what I do," Saénz says. "I go into my class and tell my teacher I am an ESL student, and if I need help on something, I ask them."

However, when it comes to tests, asking for help isn't always an option. Washington schools expect every graduating student to take and pass the WASL exam in English, and colleges look seriously at SAT scores, so ESL students can find school and standardized tests very much a challenge.

"The WASL was very difficult," Saénz says, adding that she believes the SAT will be equally challenging. Between school and work, she says it's hard to find time to prepare for it.

"The WASL is something that ESL kids can't compete with mainstream kids at," says another Davis ESL teacher, Jerry Cole, 50. "It's frustrating because ESL students have more trouble, and yet they still are expected to pass."

"They don't yet have the cognitive academic language proficiency for the WASL," says Salatino, adding that it takes the average person who learns a second language "seven to 10 years of immersion to have those skills."

It's not that these teachers want ESL classes to be excused from higher level test taking; what they want is more time to help students prepare for the test.

Despite difficulties, however, many ESL students are coming away with tools for their futures. Helping to set goals and helping students reach those goals is every teacher's purpose.

"Our No. 1 goal is that our students exit this class with the chance to go to college," Salatino says. She's taught ESL for 13 years; Cole, 20 years.

"We are graduating kids who are going on to college," Cole says. "We do have a great program here at Davis."

Saénz, who is studying for the SAT, already knows what career she wants to pursue.

"I would like to go to college, and I want to work, but my goal is to study," she says. "I want to be an ESL teacher because I would like to continue to help people like me."

* Colleen Fontana is a member of the Yakima Herald-Republic's Unleashed team. She attends Davis High School. Comment on this story online at unleashed.yakimablogs.com.