Chapter 11: Vietnam

In her 16 years as a high school English teacher in Texas, Laurie Branham has become well acquainted with English language learners (ELLs). Laurie has taught hundreds of Spanish-speaking students over the years, and most of them do very well in her class with a little extra help. Laurie wants all of her students to feel comfortable sharing opinions and speaking out. She works hard to engage her students and takes great pride in creating a welcoming atmosphere in her classroom.

Linh’s family moved to the area from Hanoi a few months ago, and she is having problems fitting in socially and academically. Laura’s colleagues had told her that Vietnamese students could be shy, but she never expected to struggle so much with her first one. Unfortunately, Linh is just not responding to the strategies that usually work with Spanish-speaking ELL students. At first, Laurie tried to group her with some of the Chinese-American children, but Linh seemed reluctant to speak out, especially with the older students. When that failed, Laurie facilitated some student-centered games to show Linh how much fun the other ELLs have in her class. No matter what Laurie tries, Linh does not actively participate in the lessons. Instead, she sits in the front of the room with her head down, writing frantically in her notebook while the rest of the students engage in class activities or discussions.