English as a second language

Reyes, Dalia

Instr. Gross

English 103

February 15, 2011

English as a Second Language

            It was third grade when I first realized that I had a huge disadvantage in the language known as English.  Coming from a Spanish speaking household, reading, writing and speech were my weakest areas.  I was no ordinary child, the daughter of a single mother, my younger sister’s role model, and with no other family to depend on, asking for help and receiving that help was never easy.  My mother worked a full time job and would normally arrive around six or seven a clock at night.  We would have dinner and then I would work on any remaining homework I had not yet completed.  It was very difficult for my mother to provide any assistance with school, although she would always do her best to help with whatever little she could.  She attempted to help me with math, but unfortunately reading and writing was always left for me to do on my own since we were both facing a language barrier.  Regrettably there were no cousins, uncles, or a father for that matter that could be of any assistance.  I faced a learning barrier, one which I would have to overcome all by my self.  With the help of the education system, I knew that I had to continue to give school my best effort, as it was my only survival method.  Shortly after I was placed in ESL classes, which helped simplify and allow me to understand the material that was being taught in class.  Looking back now, it is no surprise that as an elementary student, I would completely forget all the information and instructions given to me in order to complete a homework assignment.  School was not a big interest.

            I disliked going to school everyday, due to the fact that I was unable to complete all my homework because of lack of understanding or fear of not being able to accomplish what was asked of me.  I was never successful with any writing assignment given in class.  My grammar was horrible and the shame of receiving a bleeding red ink paper was unbearable, as it was a reoccurring matter.  One of the things that I am truly grateful for, is my mother’s efforts to help improve my grammar.  She would take all the misspelled words and have me write each word a minimum of ten times.  Homework, including the extra work that I would receive from my mother was awful.  I became very jealous of my younger sister's freedom and care free life.  I became very shy when chosen to share my written work with the class.  My pronunciation was terrible, writing skill was very minimal and I became discouraged as my writing assignments were never on the excellence boards.  I can relate to the short story by Leonard Michaels, My Yiddish, because of the struggle the character faces in school with English being his second language.  Originally, his mother was unable to help him with his schooling due to the language barrier.  Living the similar situation with my mother, it brings vivid memories of long and endless nights sitting at the kitchen table attempting to accomplish homework.  It is also very relatable in the sense that English later became his primary language and Yiddish becoming his second, began diminishing.  By the fifth grade, the ESL classes no longer needed, Spanish had also become my second language as I began to show great improvement in my reading and writing skills.