Rosie Reid, an English and English Language Development teacher at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek, California, is the 2019 California Teacher of the Year, chosen largely for her advocacy for both English learners and equity in education. She has spearheaded a thrice-weekly support class, peer mentoring, and many other supports for English learners at her school.
What do you find most exciting about teaching English learners?
I love teaching English learners. The cultural diversity is great—finding ways to incorporate that into things we're doing in the classroom. For example, when we sing "Happy Birthday" to someone in my class, everyone sings in a different language at the same time. It's a fun thing that brings a lot of cultures into the classroom. I love the opportunity for people to come together around a common goal. These students trying to learn English—they're a team. We work together as a team.
I think English learners are a bit neglected in our K–12 system—not because people don't want to help them but because they don't know how to best help them. Often we're either too hard on them—saying we need to uphold rigor and they need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps—or we say, "They don't speak English, so I'm just going to pass them along." Finding the balance and providing appropriate support is a constant challenge. Realizing what's appropriate for this particular student in this moment is a fun challenge for me.
What are some strategies or ways of setting up the classroom that help English learners succeed?
Classroom community is essential. We start class every day with some sort of game or community-building activity. These students are going to be taking incredible risks, and it's important that they learn to like each other and to like me. We have to develop trust. Especially with long-term ELs who may not have had a tremendous amount of success, they're a little downtrodden, but may not be willing to ask for help. We have to establish that this is a safe space where they will get help, that we're going to have fun and work hard together. A lot of that can be done through a bit of play.
It's also important to use structured student talk routines. When we develop students' ability to speak—their expressive language—that also develops their ability to write. There's a whole cycle that all depends on students talking—but ELs are often fairly quiet; there may not be structures in place to support their speaking up in class. We need routines that ensure equity of participation, and we need to give students scaffolds to be able to participate. The expectation should be that they will contribute—and we'll create a safe space for them to do that.
You had an unconventional childhood in northern California. Did this influence your desire to advocate for English learners?
Yes. I come from a very rural, poor community. There were basically three demographic groups: poor whites, Native Americans, and migrant workers. I went to a tiny high school with a high dropout rate–and I noticed that most who finished were white kids. I remember being grateful that people helped me so much; many people said, let me sign you up for the SAT, I'll drive you to take the SAT, things like that. But as I grew older, I felt this tension, thinking, "If I weren't a tall, skinny white girl, would people have helped me in this way?" Because of my race, I was treated differently and given extra advantages. So I wanted to give back.
Talk about the programs you've developed for English learners at Northgate.
A few years ago, our two ELD teachers and assistant principal sat down and looked at our English learners who were struggling—or doing well. We noticed patterns in terms of what classes they were struggling in and considered whether to go in and support certain teachers. Through that review team, we realized our EL students needed more help. We started a three-times-a-week peer mentoring program (during a flexible academic-help period) for these students, run by me. That way there's one central person they all come to; I can help them with all their subjects and notice if they're struggling. I recruited students from my AP English class to be mentors for students within that support class—and they love being mentors!
Why is peer mentoring important?
It helps the student feel less isolated. The mentor doesn't even have to speak the student's native language (although that's nice), just be someone who's sharing that immigrant experience (though we also have mentors who aren't immigrants themselves). I see a lot of cross-ethnic relationships in which the students really bond in their shared struggle.
What qualities does a teacher need to have to teach English learners well?
Academic optimism is key—seeing that these students have gifts and the capacity to succeed and that we will maintain rigor for them. We believe they can do it and we're going to help them do it; we'll hold them accountable and make sure they get support. A teacher needs to be willing to differentiate. You can't just do the same thing for all your students. And you need an empathetic mindset, to be able to imagine what it would be like to be working on this assignment in another language.
To be a good teacher of ELs, you have to be willing to regularly go to additional training and learn new things for your students. Many best practices for teaching ELs are just emerging. We have some strategies, but we need to keep learning.
I want to tell educators that teaching English learners is so gratifying! Every day you see the light bulb go on. I've said that teachers have a moral obligation to work with these kids, but I also want people to work with ELs because it's a wonderful experience—professionally and personally.
Editor's note: This interview has been edited for space.
