Davis ESL classes give students tools for their futures

Elvia Ramirez raises her hand in response to a question posed by her teacher, Juli Salatino, during her ESL class at Davis High School on Wed. Nov. 5th, 2008. Photo by Alex Braman of Davis High School.

By COLLEEN FONTANA
UNLEASHED STAFF

Juli Salatino’s third period class is a bit different from her others.
Her portable classroom at Davis High, generally filled with teenagers learning Spanish, is instead occupied by a variety of students working through English verbs and sentence structure.
This is her English as a Second Language, or ESL, class. And, for these non-native English-speakers, it’s extremely important.
“We don’t know anything about this country,” Liliana Saénz says in English, her second language. The 20-year-old native Spanish speaker recently came to the United States from Mexico. “We have a different culture and language, but ESL class helps us to learn more.”
Also speaking in English, her second language, fellow classmate and native Spanish speaker, 21-year-old Adriana Carranza, says the ESL class is important so “we can learn the language and have a better future.”
ESL 3, however, is only one period, leaving five more classes for Saénz and Carranza to tackle in their second language.
“At first, they start with two ESL classes with limited core classes like art and P.E.,” their teacher explains. “Then, they will move into classes that require more cognitive skills, like math, science, and social studies. By ESL 3, though, they are completely mainstreamed.”
Unlike those who are only beginning to learn English words and phrases, students in ESL 3 have mastered the language well enough to engage in conversations. They’re in class to learn how to express more complex thoughts and ideas.
Though classes in English do pose difficulties, ESL students, who range in age from 14 to 21, say they feel like they can ask for help.
“Here’s what I do,” Saénz says. “I go into my class and tell my teacher I am an ESL student, and if I need help on something, I ask them.”
However, when it comes to tests, asking for help isn’t always an option. Washington schools expect every graduating student to take and pass the WASL exam in English, and colleges look seriously at SAT scores, so ESL students can find school and standardized tests very much a challenge.
“The WASL was very difficult,” Saénz says, adding that she believes the SAT will be equally challenging. Between school and work, she says it’s hard to find time to prepare for it.
“The WASL is something that ESL kids can’t compete with mainstream kids at,” says another Davis ESL teacher, Jerry Cole, 50. “It’s frustrating because ESL students have more trouble, and yet they still are expected to pass.”
“They don’t yet have the cognitive academic language proficiency for the WASL,” says Salatino, adding that it takes the average person who learns a second language “seven to 10 years of immersion to have those skills.”
It’s not that these teachers want ESL classes to be excused from higher level test taking; what they want is more time to help students prepare for the test.
“As with any second language, students need time to do well with it,” Cole says.
Despite difficulties, however, many ESL students are coming away with tools for their futures. Helping to set goals and helping students reach those goals is every teacher’s purpose.
“Our number one goal is that our students exit this class with the chance to go to college,” Salatino says. She’s taught ESL for 13 years; Cole, 20 years.
“We are graduating kids who are going on to college,” Cole says. “We do have a great program here at Davis.”
Saénz, who is studying for the SAT, already knows what career she wants to pursue.
“I would like to go to college, and I want to work, but my goal is to study,” she says. “I want to be an ESL teacher because I would like to continue to help people like me.”

— Colleen Fontana is a member of the Yakima Herald-Republic’s Unleashed team. She attends Davis High School.

Arturo Jaime watches as his teacher, Juli Salantino, writes students’ answers on the board during an ESL class at Davis High School on Wed. Nov. 5th, 2008. Photo by Alex Braman of Davis High School.

Taking a Stab at the SAT

By ANDY CARROLL
LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL

When I finished my final exams in June, the last thing on my mind was sitting down and taking another test.

But as it was, I had the biggest of all high school tests coming the next day: the SAT Reasoning Test.

There are few things that can strike fear into the hearts of high school students like the acronym SAT. As if maintaining a good GPA and rounding up a healthy list of activities wasn’t challenging enough, a good SAT score must also show up on a college application.

I keep hearing different takes on the importance of SAT scores in admission decisions. Some say they play a huge part, while others say they’re not as important as other factors.

Given the 1 3/4-inch thick study books and private tutoring some receive, I’m more ready to believe the former.

Like millions before me, I did my best to prepare. While some study and practice for months on end, my “best” was one night with the Princeton Review-published “Cracking the SAT.” Like a procrastinator trying to make the best of such little time, I skimmed through the enormous book.

The first thing I came across was an introduction to “Joe Bloggs,” the Princeton Review’s personification of the average SAT taker: impulsive enough to fall into any of the traps set up by the test makers.

During the next few hours, I did everything to ensure that I wouldn’t go down the Joe Bloggs route. This included skimming through practice tests, eliminating obviously incorrect answers, and trying to think as if I was trying to outsmart another person with the same question.

The next morning, I arrived at Eisenhower High School at 7:45 a.m. and proceeded to the room designated for all those whose last names started with “Ca,” none of whom I knew. I took my seat and ready or not, it was time to begin.

The test itself, which kept me there for nearly five hours, was both like and unlike the practice tests in the book. While the content hardly matched up with that of the book, the format and types of questions were all too familiar.

Before the halfway mark, I was already drained by the frustratingly repetitive nature of the test. While there was only one essay section, there were multiple sections for reading, writing and math skills.

The reading questions tackled a broad range of topics, including vocabulary, symbolism and writers’ intentions. Despite that variety, they seemed the most tiring.

With quite a few of the questions, I wished there had been an option of “Sorry, but I’m not an extreme overachiever who spent years studying for this test.”

All said, I feel the SAT is as necessary a pain as one is going to find in the high school years. It’s needed to get into college, but at the end of the day, it tests a person less on his or her knowledge and more on his or her ability to think.

As I exited Eisenhower that afternoon, I was glad to be finished with the test. But the test wasn’t finished with me, as filling in those dreaded ovals followed me straight to my dreams.