Chapter 2: Today's Students

In chapter 2 of "The Joy of Teaching" the authors address the growing number of students in the school system that speak a language other than English in their homes. The increased number of English Language Learners is due to immigration from other parts of the world for a variety of reasons, the most common being political oppression, famine, or employment. While immigrants come from all over the world to be in America the biggest populations are from other North American countries and Asia. The education level of the immigrant children varies from very well educated to a child who has never attended school, however the American public school system draws no distinction and allows all children the right to be in school. The authors argue that students who are able to speak more than one language will have an advantage in the global economy. While the students may present a challenge to the teacher because of their lack of English speaking ability, that is in no way an indicator of their capacity to learn. English language learners should be taught like all other students whenever possible.