His family has abandoned the tradition here because people would question their sanity, he says. On a recent Thursday, teacher Danita Falcone's morning class resembled a United Nations of sorts, with students representing such countries as Iran, Russia, Haiti and Turkey. The students who take the ESL classes also take mainstream courses with their American-born peers, Falcone says. The foreign-born students tend to do well in their courses, particularly in math, but have the toughest time with American history classes because of the large amount of required reading, she says. The school offers after-school tutoring for all students, including those taking ESL classes, Falcone says.
Students can get lessons from teachers or their peers.
Recently, Falcone asked her students to write a holiday story for presentation in class. The idea behind the assignment was to allow students to practice their writing and oral skills, but also to allow them to discuss a topic that is close to their hearts, Falcone says. Abdurrahim Kaygisiz, a freshman who is a native of Turkey, wrote about the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, during which observers fast from dawn to dusk and concentrate on faith, family and friends. The ESL students who are usually shy and quiet during their other classes tend to come alive during Falcone's class. In their ESL classes, they speak out loud because they feel safe here.