What might improve the morale of teachers of English learners around the country?
English-as-a-second-language educators are more likely than the overall teacher population to say their morale would improve with schools investing in tutoring and in curriculum that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion, according to new survey data analysis.
The EdWeek Research Center administered an online survey in September and October to a nationally representative sample of more than 2,500 teachers of all grades and subjects, and asked what it would take to boost their morale in the workplace. This analysis focused on the attitudes of teachers of English learners.
The perspectives of those teachers provide important context for the challenges they are facing, and the difficulties ahead as the federal government targets cuts for programs for English learners.
Betsy Sotomayor, a district elementary ESOL resource teacher for the Volusia County public schools in Florida, who did not participate in the survey, said the findings aren’t surprising given the complex student experiences ESL teachers often must navigate.
“The children that they tend to deal with come with trauma,” Sotomayor said. “It’s not just regular teaching math or science. They’re, at the same time, dealing with the children’s trauma and social-emotional baggage.”
The EdWeek Research Center survey also found that ESL educators were more likely than the overall teacher population to work in urban, high-poverty schools with majority Hispanic student populations, particularly in the Northeast and South.
Tutoring helps support students with interrupted learning
Though most of the nation’s growing number of English-learners are U.S.-born citizens, ESL teachers frequently work with immigrant students who may have experienced limited or interrupted education.
Tutoring can be a lifeline for these students, helping them adjust to school routines, acquire the English language, and catch up on academic content, Sotomayor said.
Still, figuring out what kind of tutoring support is needed isn’t always straightforward, Sotomayor said.
“I’ve been doing some research on that, and I’m thinking that what they need is the foundational skills, so that way we can build upon that,” she said.
Curriculum materials don’t always consider English learners’ needs
Curriculum that centers on diversity, equity, and inclusion is also a powerful support for ESL teachers, who are often helping students with additional social-emotional needs as they adapt to U.S. classrooms, Sotomayor said.
Even simple gestures that help immigrant students feel welcomed can have a big impact on their academic and linguistic success, research studies found.
Sotomayor once had a student from Venezuela who asked for a soccer ball because he and his classmates back home would play the sport during recess.
“I talked to the [physical education] coach, and she didn’t even have a soccer ball, so I went and talked to the director at the district level about incorporating soccer balls into all of our elementary schools,” she said.
Crystal Gonzales, founder and executive director of the English Learners Success Forum, said she was also not surprised by ESL teachers’ call for more curriculum that better reflects the lives of all students.
Gonzales’ national nonprofit works with curriculum developers, states, and districts to ensure English learners have access to core, grade-level subjects.
Gonzales said ESL teachers’ morale improves not just when they have better materials, but when they’re invited to help shape them.
“You’re going through a math curriculum adoption. Very seldom are our [multilingual] or ESL educators invited to that table to be part of it,” Gonzales said.
“Part of our work is elevating the voices of teachers. They know what our EL students need in math content.”