Program aids ESL students

Melody Ortega stood before her Portales Junior High School classroom, laughing at the banter between her students as they reflected back on the school year that was coming to an end.

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

Melody Ortega shares a laugh with her English class Thursday morning at Portales Junior High School. As the school year comes to an end, Ortega said she was amazed with growth she has seen from this class. She credits the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program techniques she used with them as a contribution to their growth academically.

But Ortega also focused on self-reflection and where she was as a teacher two years ago.

Of the 19 years Ortega's been teaching, she never questioned her love for it. But two years ago she got involved in a program that has changed her life as a teacher and how she works with students, especially those that speak English as a second language.

Ortega is one of many teachers who has used skills from the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program to work with English as a Second Language (ESL) students.

Ortega praises TESOL and what it has done to her process as a teacher, saying it has made her more aware of the struggles ESL students face in the public school system.

"It's been a whole paradigm shift for me, I was like, 'Whoa'," Ortega said about her completion of the TESOL program. "I didn't understand their needs, and now I understand their needs."

In May, Eastern New Mexico University received a $1.5 million grant from the Office of English Acquisition to fund Project Maestros, which will allow ENMU to help teachers, similar to Ortega, close the achievement gap of their English learners using TESOL techniques.

Teachers who complete Project Maestros will receive 30 hours towards obtaining their Master degree and a TESOL endorsement that recommends they can work with ESL students.

"Many teachers don't know how to work specifically with ESL learners," said Trina Lujan, project director of Project Maestros. "Through the program, teachers will apply the best strategies that are available to help students learn English in a matter that will assist them to be successful in the academic world."

Geni Flores taught for 12 years in Lovington before joining the ENMU faculty to coordinate the TESOL endorsement program. Flores, who has worked with TESOL for 14 years, says the program is beneficial for teachers and students of all backgrounds including those who speak English as a first language.

"Our aim is to train teachers to turn regular classrooms into an English enhancement classrooms so that students aren't separated while learning," Flores said.

She said a common misconception that teachers have about ESL students is that because they can speak English well socially with friends, that means they understand the language academically.

"Research proves it takes five to seven years to master a language academically," said Flores, citing difficult vocabulary and the comprehension of word problems in math as examples of academic concepts ESL learners have trouble grasping.

That was one of the misconceptions Ortega believed. Now Ortega swears by what she's learned through her TESOL training and strongly encourages other teachers to consider taking the two-year course.

"I found the strategies that TESOL suggested has been benefiting my kids and building their vocabulary and comprehension," Ortega said.

She admitted before the training, she didn't have as much compassion for students who were struggling with English and realizes sometimes the can get overlooked in the classroom.

"(TESOL) has helped me change my attitude in working with those students and working closely with them," Ortega said. "Going through TESOL helped me understand their perspective on language that I didn't understand before."

Elena Ceniceros, one of Ortega's students, said she loves being in Ortega's class and feels the way she teaches enhances her learning and understanding of English and literature.

"Whenever we read, she gives us vocabulary sheets and she teaches us how to write better," said Ceniceros, a native of Chihuahua, Mexico.

Xsara Gay has also benefited from Ortega's TESOL techniques. She originally came to the U.S. from Germany.

"This class did a lot of writing, Ortega encouraged us to be creative," Gay said.