Case Study #6

Mrs. Green’s fourth graders are experiencing an interesting year. These particular nine and ten year olds have grown up together in the community and have been classmates throughout previous school years. However, this year a new student has joined their class. Lee, is a friendly young man who is learning English as his second language. Mrs. Green has referred Lee to the school’s ESL (English as a Second Language) program director. The new system involves a “pull out” program that removes the ESL student from the regular classroom for individual tutoring. Mrs. Green has been careful to follow all of the guidelines set by the ESL director. Mrs. Green agrees that Lee needs individual attention as he acquires the English language. However, she is experiencing problems with Lee prior to his appointed tutoring time and when he returns from his individual instruction. He continues to display disruptive behavior when he is in Mrs. Green’s classroom. She considers Lee’s behavior to be distracting to the other students in her class. When she is presenting content area lesson material to the students, Lee’s outbursts and comments result in off task behavior by the other students. Mrs. Green’s frustration with Lee’s behavior has made her question the good intentions of the ESL “pull out” program.

Reflection Questions:

1. Is an ESL “pull out” program appropriate for second language learners?

2. How should Mrs. Green deal with Lee’s classroom behavior?

3. Should Mrs. Green academically accommodate Lee while he is in her classroom?