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English
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English
as a Second Language |
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 Doris
Ratenski |
Laura
Hartronft |
Children who are enrolled in the ESL program (English for Speakers of Other Languages) come to the United States from many different countries or speak a variety of languages, all hoping to participate in the curriculum of the regular classroom. To aid them in reaching this goal, students receive English instruction in a pull-out class that will enhance their English proficiency. Students may enter the program on a beginner, intermediate, or advanced level and then exit as they fully participate in the regular classroom. Instruction in English speaking, reading, writing, and listening is used as they are acquainted with both our school and American culture. Currently our students’ native languages include Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, Farsi, Korean, Armenian, Urdu, Bengali, Tagalog, Albanian, Tamil, Arabic, Hindi, Vietnamese, Dutch, German, Gujarati, Kurdish, Malayalam, Portuguese, Punjabi, Telugu, and Thai.
Doris RatenskiDoris Ratenski is the ESL specialist at
Gulledge. She received her Bacholor of Arts from Mount Mary College,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a major in Art Education K-12. In 1993 she
received her Masters of Education degree from the University of North
Texas, speciallizing in Elementary Education and English as a Second Language.
“The United States is indeed a unique country where mostly everyone came
from someplace else, trying to make their home here. In the past,
people whose native language was not English, were placed in the regular
classroom and were expected to ‘sink or swim’ on their own. As with
many other advancements in our schools, such non-English speakers are
now offered a helping hand to bridge the gap to English fluency and self-sufficiency
in the classroom. I hope I can facilitate this interim learning,
as the children are acquainted with our language and culture.”
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Laura HartronftLaura Hartronft joins Mrs. Ratenski this
year as an ESL Specialist after having taught at Gulledge in PPCD and
Kindergarten for a number of years. Laura earned her Masters degree in
Psychology from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas.
She completed the Region 10 Alternative Certification program in 1997-1998.
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