by Chris Horst | Nov 8, 2009 | Blog |
Four months ago I found out the my master’s program was going to have an emphasis on diverse language learners. “Fancy shmancy,” I thought, “That sounds special, but really what do they have to do with teaching?” I knew what to do with diverse language learners… surround them with English, teach them some vocab, and sneak in a little grammar. Hand me that diploma, I’m good to go.
It didn’t take long until I realized that it had everything to with teaching. Everything to do with my teaching. In the last 12 years, Colorado’s public schools enrollment have grown by 12%. During that same time the amount of English Language Learners has grown by 352%.
My classroom is consistent with this growth, meaning that most of my students’ first language is something other than English. Unfortunately, many of these students have had teachers who adhered to the same beliefs I alluded to in the first paragraph. They’ve been told that their first language has no place in the classroom and the important thing for them to do is to solely focus on English. I believe that it’s critical for these students to learn English, but I’m beginning to see the social, emotional, and educational impact this approach has taken on them. Nowhere have I seen it clearer than my recent conversation with my student, Salene. It left me aching and even more committed to learning all that I can about diverse language learners.
(This conversation happened as Salene was preparing for her student-led parent-teacher conference)
Salene: I’m really nervous about my tomorrow.
Me: Why?
Salene: Well, when I lead my conference I’ll have to talk in Spanish. My parents don’t really know English and I don’t speak Spanish good anymore.
Me: Oh, I’m sure you’ll do great.
Salene: No, I really don’t remember it.
Me: Really? What do you do when you’re at home?
Salene: Well, I used to talk to them all the time when I was like three, but because school is in English I just get confused all the time. I don’t really remember Spanish anymore so I just talk to my sister because she can speak English. I just don’t really talk to my parents.
In case you’re wondering, this isn’t rare. I’m starting to hear about the loss of first language from a number of my students. Something has to change about our understanding of English Language Learners. Salene’s success in academics and English doesn’t make up for the fact that, at age nine, she’s lost her relationship with her parents.
(Alli)
by Chris Horst | Oct 22, 2009 | Blog |
I love online banking and e-commerce. I love the convenience of checking account balances, making transfers, and purchasing products in sweatpants from my living room. I’ve quickly become accustomed to the ease of doing business from home, although this luxury is unique to the past decade. It’s easy to forget that just ten years ago online banking was nothing but a dream.
Last month I visited HOPE’s work in the Dominican Republic. There, I had the privilege of meeting our clients, seeing their businesses and soaking in the culture of a country I have come to love. One of the questions I asked to a few of the community banks (groups of 15-30 clients) was “Why HOPE? Why did you choose to become a HOPE client?” Time and time again, in different communities throughout the country, our clients responded, “Because HOPE came to us.”
It’s hard to think back to what life was like ten years ago, when we had to drive to the bank or the store for just about everything. It’s even more challenging to imagine how extremely inconvenient it would be if we lived a few hours from the center of town, where a trip to the bank or to the store meant a day’s worth of travel. Yet, this is the reality for many of our clients. In Congo, our clients often live two or more hours away from the closest commercial banks, large stores, and even HOPE branch offices. To service these remote communities, our loan officers must travel two hours by bus on shoddy dirt roads or, during the rainy season, traipse hours by foot through the mud to reach these communities.
In that context, you understand why they list it as a primary reason for choosing HOPE. Our hardworking and diligent loan officers go into the communities where our clients live. This is about even more than convenience. That message—No, don’t come to us. We’ll come to you—speaks dignity, loud and clear, into the lives of our clients and into their communities. They matter. Their neighborhoods are not forgotten. When everyone tells them they aren’t, we tell them they are worth our time.
One client’s comments are still ringing in my ears. I asked him, “Why HOPE?” …and he responded, “When everybody else makes us come to them, you come to us.”
by Chris Horst | Oct 21, 2009 | Blog |
It would be inappropriate to kick off this series (“We love…”) with anything other than Southwest Airlines. Alli and I hold a deep, perhaps excessive, love of Southwest Airlines. But really, what’s not to love?
We both fly often. A few years ago we began recognizing that our flight experiences with Southwest were markedly different, in a good way, than our flights with other airlines. The whole process, from purchase to deplaning, was smoother–and even enjoyable. Our lauding should not come as a surprise. There is a reason SWA has posted a profit for 36 consecutive years (in a deeply struggling industry) and has hosted more customers than any other US airline since 2006. A recent poll (Oct 16, 2009) by Consumer Traveler echoed our feelings:
Here are a few reasons why Southwest has become like family:
- Flight attendants with personality. They are often funny, and they don’t take themselves too seriously. Here’s an example from a recent flight. “And for you, sir, hot pancakes and bacon for your in-flight breakfast meal.” – flight attendant, while handing me a bag of peanuts.
- They perform miracles. About a month ago, while traveling from Denver to the Dominican Republic (with a one-day stopover in Philadelphia), I mistakenly forgot my passport in Denver. To make a very long-story short, the Southwest crew agreed to voluntarily carry and deliver my passport to me. No other airline was willing. There was no reason for them to oblige, but they did. If they hadn’t, I would have been forced to skip the trip I was leading to the DR. Above-and-beyond.
- No seating chart. This speeds up the boarding process significantly. No looking at boarding passes while finding seats. No lag while first class passengers board. No inefficiencies. Love it.
- No bag fees. Thank you, SWA, for not nickle-and-diming me. This has many positive repercussions. For instance, passengers don’t try and carry-on six bags, resulting in the overhead bins filling up to capacity by the time the first wave of passengers has boarded.
- Cheap fares. It’s uncommon to find better fares. When you add in all the fees other airlines charge, it’s extremely rare to find better fares.
- They provide lifetime free flights to customers who write blog posts about why they love Southwest.*
*This has not yet been verified, but we’re hopeful.
by Chris Horst | Oct 13, 2009 | Blog |
Melody (student names are changed) is a friendly, out-going student. However, it’s clear that her self-confidence is struggling this year. Her mom shared that her weight has become an issue recently and her peer interaction isn’t great. Progress reports indicate that she’s a couple grade levels behind in literacy (typical for most of my students).
Melody’s grasp of English is also continuing to develop. She compensates for this by raising her hand anytime she thinks a question potentially could be asked. She might not know the answer, might not understand the question, and might not even have a thing she wants to say, but she firmly believes that a hand in the air is better than nothing. She’s willing to do just about anything to have her voice at the table, but it’s clear that she feels frustration with her comprehension and communication.
A simple interaction with her taught me a lot about the power of direct feedback. I’ve been told over and over to not just say “Great job”. “Great job” connected to a specific action carries much more weight. My co-lead teacher exemplified this beautifully earlier this semester:
Melody: I noticed there are right angles in all our classroom’s windows and doors.
Teacher: Melody, that comment was very smart. Thank you for sharing it with the class.
Melody: That was the first smart thing I’ve ever said!
What a heart-warming moment. Such a genuine response.
Defining moments happen when we directly connect our praise to specifics. I’m working on developing this skill in the classroom and relationships.
(Alli)
by Chris Horst | Oct 4, 2009 | Blog |
Living at Joshua Station is truly a joy. Alli and I have quickly accustomed ourselves to the roar of the highway, the dated exterior, the industrial neighborhood, and the fact that we’re living in a transitional housing program. We cherish the relationships we’ve built with our neighbors and truly have come to enjoy living in this converted roadside motel more than we enjoyed our hip downtown apartment where we resided previously.
Life at Joshua Station is not without its challenges, however. The most saddening aspect is the lack of dependable men in the lives of the 50 children who live here. Of the 28 resident families, there are remarkably 26 single-moms. Many of the fathers are in jail, several have restraining orders because of past abuses, and nearly all of them have completely failed their children.
A few weeks ago, we were babysitting two girls, age 5 and 6, for one of the residents, a single mom. While playing with the girls, the older sister asked, “Chris, can I call you daddy?” This was probably the saddest question I’ve ever been asked. And I honestly don’t even remember how I answered her. The truth is, I cannot fill the void of having an absentee father. And sometimes I’m not sure how much of an impact I can actually make here. I don’t know what it’s like to live in a fatherless home. I’ve never lived on the streets. There were never any doubts growing up that there would be food on the table.
In the midst of those personal insecurities, I know Alli and I have been called to be here. And we’ve been called to faithfully reflect Christ’s love to these families through small acts of tenderness and encouragement. We can’t heal the wounds that so many of these children have. We can do the little things. Alli and I hold hands when we walk to the car, make stove top popcorn together when neighbor kids drop-in and are quick with words of affirmation with children who so rarely hear them.
(Chris)
by Chris Horst | Sep 27, 2009 | Blog |
This Thursday we welcomed Graham Marc Wolgemuth into the world.
His parents, my brother and sister-in-law ha
This Thursday we welcomed Graham Marc Wolgemuth into the world. His dad and champ-of-a-mom , my brother and sister-in-law, have entered in the parenting world beautifully (as you can tell).
And this proud aunt might have already started planning the camping trip we’re going to take him on someday. I should probably hold off until he can talk… and walk… and sleep through the night.
(Alli)
