Our newcomer students deserve better

Courtesy: Jenna Hewitt-King

Jenna Hewitt-King teaches English learner students who have recently arrived in the United States as part of her high school's newcomer program.

Courtesy: Jenna Hewitt-King

Jenna Hewitt-King teaches English learner students who have recently arrived in the United States as part of her high school's newcomer program.

Jenna Hewitt King

March 28, 2023

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Fifteen sets of teenage eyes stared blankly at me as I introduced myself on the first day of school. I was teaching a course that was part of a brand-new program in my district. I knew the students in front of me were seniors slated to graduate in the spring. I knew that I was providing instruction to English learners.

What I didn’t know was that these students were “newcomers,” a term that refers to a student who has only been in the U.S. for three years or less. I’d come to learn that some of the students in my classroom had only been here for mere months.

What became clear at this moment was that the expectation to simply “teach what I would normally teach seniors” was not only unrealistic, but inequitable and — frankly — problematic. I walked into that class believing that these students already had some foundational English language skills. Most did not.

I was overwhelmed, and I could only imagine how the students were feeling. When I asked them, Carlos, a student from Mexico, said: “I feel very uncomfortable without words to talk.” Sergio, another student from Mexico, described feeling “very strange and sad.” Danny — a student from Guatemala who hadn’t been in school since the fourth grade — shared that he “[did not] understand and can’t learn English very quickly.” Danny, like every other student in the class, was relying solely on Google Translate for his education, which was particularly difficult for him because his home language literacy level was also low. (The students are real and their quotes verbatim, but I have changed their names to protect their privacy.)

I felt as if I had been set up for failure. And the worst part is that despite my feeling that I was not qualified to teach this class, I technically am because I have an English Learner Authorization with my teaching credential. Yet, I was nowhere near prepared to lead this group of students toward proficiency in the 12th grade English language arts standards. Danny needed a teacher familiar with teaching strategies that are effective in foundational language acquisition; someone who can break down the language in a way that is clear and intentional. Not only was I not well versed at this level of teaching literacy, but I only speak English and have zero experience in translation.

In California, teachers like me are placed in schools and assigned English language development courses without having much professional development or hands-on experience applying the skills we learned with students. For example, during my credential program, I took a one-semester course about teaching strategies for language-learning students. I have very little memory of this course. Maybe because it was one of seven courses I took at once; or because I was also teaching in a classroom for the first time ever; or because I was overwhelmed by the pressure to pass my teaching exams. Whatever it is, I know that a single course offering was not enough for me to feel confident in my ability to teach students like Danny.

Since I’ve started teaching, it has become abundantly clear to me that we need more direct policies and specific guidance from the state for budding newcomer programs like the one at my school. These policies must start by defining what “newcomer” means so that data can be better disaggregated to determine the needs of language-learning students. Additionally, state policy should determine what curriculum and/or best practices should be used in these programs to ensure that teachers like me are equipped with the tools we need to teach these courses. I am thrilled to see that Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento, has introduced Assembly Bill 714 to do just that.

Finally, I believe that without changes made to the English learner instructional authorization process, teachers like me will continue to be placed in classrooms with newcomer students without adequate professional development or support. This current process allows districts to check the box for having a groundbreaking “newcomer program” without any accountability that the program is being led effectively, equitably or, as the California English Learner Roadmap mandates, provides meaningful access for students.

Without more explicit guidance, expectations and support from the state, how can we expect schools and districts to build programs up to the capacity that will best serve some of our most vulnerable students in California?

When I see Carlos, Sergio, and Danny each day in my class, I know they deserve better than what I am offering them at this moment; it is time for our state leaders to see this too.

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Jenna Hewitt King is a high school English teacher at San Leandro High School in San Leandro, California. She is a 2022-23 Teach Plus California Senior Policy Fellow. 

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