I work in an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. My students are enrolled in a dual language program. They either take Spanish or Portuguese. They face the daily challenge of learning two languages simultaneously. It is difficult for those whose parents don't speak the foreign language at home and can't assist with homework. Therefore, their instruction must be top notch! Although they face some challenges, they work hard everyday. The students have very diverse backgrounds and learning abilities. I have one student whose eye sight is debilitating gradually (almost blind), one is hearing impaired, one has Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), several with other learning disabilities, many who are average and some who are gifted. These differences pose many challenges in the classroom for a teacher who wants to reach ALL the needs of ALL the students. However, as different as they all may seem, they all have something in common: the desire to learn!
About my class
I work in an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. My students are enrolled in a dual language program. They either take Spanish or Portuguese. They face the daily challenge of learning two languages simultaneously. It is difficult for those whose parents don't speak the foreign language at home and can't assist with homework. Therefore, their instruction must be top notch! Although they face some challenges, they work hard everyday. The students have very diverse backgrounds and learning abilities. I have one student whose eye sight is debilitating gradually (almost blind), one is hearing impaired, one has Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), several with other learning disabilities, many who are average and some who are gifted. These differences pose many challenges in the classroom for a teacher who wants to reach ALL the needs of ALL the students. However, as different as they all may seem, they all have something in common: the desire to learn!