EQUALIZING POWER WITH TESOL STUDENTS

There are many directions this post could take. While I intend, in the future, to reflect on TESOL resources and academic articles written about working with English Language Learners (TESOL), for this first post, I wanted to discuss the impact TESOLstudents have had on me.

Some view the TESOL student and TESOL teacher relationship as a power dynamic where the student always acts as the receiver. While this happens, I found that working with students is a two way street. Power is something that is negotiated and at times needs to be surrendered.

When I learn of the obstacles students overcome to be accepted in American universities or the challenges of learning a new language as a refugee, my struggles pale in comparison. It keeps my life in perspective and helps me reflect on the things I have learned from working with these students. In many ways, I feel like what they have given me is far more valuable than the grammar and punctuation rules that I try to teach them.

It reminds me of a television show called Christy from the 1990s, about the life of Catherine Marshall, a teacher who went to the backwoods of Tennessee in the early 1900s. While the show was, for the most part, forgettable, what stayed with me was a line during the opening credits, “I came here to teach, but they show me every day that I am here to learn.” This quote encapsulates my time working with TESOL students, and I feel that I am the true beneficiary of these interactions.

At times, working with TESOL students is overwhelming. Grammatical and spelling errors may cover the page making the writing almost impossible to comprehend. It takes time, but with patience things improve. My advice though is not to counsel patience, but to recommend giving up power from time to time. Work from a place of vulnerability. I recall working with one student and we were not seeing eye-to-eye. My explanations did not satisfy her in a way that she understood.

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