Many Paths

[Unkotare]

Every year the guidance counselors for ELs put on a display of video and photo stories of select students showing their path to the city, state, and/or country and telling their stories about adjusting to a new language and culture. Since these are EL students, naturally a number of them are my students. It's pretty moving to learn new things about their journeys leading to our school and things about them I might not have known. Good kids, and often very brave considering what they have gone through.


And no, it has nothing to do with immigration status.

 

[Unkotare]

I had meant to update this thread but I forgot about it for a while. Anyway, the presentations were amazing. There was one walk-through area with photos and captions explaining some students' journeys. Then everyone went into the auditorium for video segments of selected students and their paths to the country, the city, and the school. Some were sad, some were inspirational, and some were downright amazing.

Do you remember that video they always show of the last transport leaving the Kabul airport during Biden's disastrous pullout? The one showing all those poor people trying to hang onto the outside of the plane as it took off? Well one of our students was on THAT plane! He said there were no seats at all, just people jammed in like sardines. No wonder why the poor kid looked so terrified and overwhelmed when he first arrived. Now he's much more confident with English and with himself. He will graduate soon.

It turns out that one student who had been in my class two years ago has an amazing singing voice, as demonstrated in her video segment.

After the presentations, one of my Haitian students grabbed me by the hand and took me over to meet her stepmother, who had raised her for years. An impressive woman.

There were at least a dozen more presentations.

All in all a pretty moving evening.