“Katia is a student in Mr. Roberson's 7th grade English class in Caldwell, Idaho.

She is a
bright, energetic girl who recently emigrated from Chiapas, Mexico. She has quickly
ensconced herself as the Queen B of the class. Many of the girls follow her lead in terms
of her dress, hairstyle, and which boy to chase after. Unfortunately, she also tends to
only speak in Spanish, which means that many of the other latinas in your classroom do
the same. You really need the girls in your class to improve their English skills, and your
principal has suggested that you enforce an "English Only" rule during class time. You've
tried to enforce that rule by reminding her privately and in front of the entire class to
speak in the target language. Katia obeys for a minute or two, but then continues
speaking Spanish once your back is turned.”

If I were Mr. Roberson, and had already tried talking with her in private and in
front of the class, I would need to take a step up. Seeing that she does try for a few
minutes tells me it isn’t done out of disrespect, but she is just so social and genuinely just
flows into it I’m sure. One thing I could start with is a short pause and stare. So, when
she starts talking in class or if you hear her go into Spanish, you can pause your teaching
and look at her until she realizes what’s going on and then continue. I could even invite
her to share her thoughts with the class in English.

Sometimes, set up also makes a difference. Perhaps Katia is too close to her gal
pals and needs to be moved away from the distractions. I think this could help her since,
again, she seems like she wants to be a good student but is overcome by being a social
butterfly. Also, maybe her Spanish stems from a lack of confidence in her English, she
may be too scared to attempt English and just try to get by in class. I may need to up the
amount of speaking and listening lessons to help boost her confidence.

I might be able to see if it’s a confidence struggle if I meet with her after class next
time she keeps talking. This could be an opportunity to try and clarify my expectations of
her or see if there is something beyond that needs some help. However, in the event this
turns into a talking during class problem rather than simply not speaking the target
language, the consequences may need to be more severe. If her talking persists no
matter the blue cards I give her, maybe she needs a visit with an administrator in the ELL
program alongside the principal. Perhaps we need to set up a teacher parent conference
with an interpreter to form a plan how to help her talking too much in class or being a
distraction for other students. I hope it doesn’t have to get to this point because I really
think she’s just enjoying being here and getting innocently distracted, but I want to help
her enjoy being here even more once she picks up the language.