ELL teacher Karen Hales- Mecham sits at a table with her students, patiently teaching them English, American history, and American culture. These students are all English language learners and are part of a program called ELL.

This year, the ELL students represent China, Tajikistan, Sudan, Zambia, India, Korea, and Lebanon. And although all there are ELL students in every single grade, most of the students in the class are in 9th grade.

The schools that these students went to in their home countries are quite different.

“I attended Chaminade College Preparatory during my 7th and 8th grade year,” said Franco Tong, a 9th grade ELL student from Hong Kong. “The main difference between Chaminade and Clayton is that Clayton has more clubs and classes to choose. At Chaminade, also, each day, we only had 4 periods which meant that the teachers taught for a longer time. Since I had longer periods of class, I often had more relax time than in Clayton. Also, the school won’t give you credit for sports unless you are in the top of it.”

ELL students, as the name suggests, learn English at school because they are not strong in it and because it is so different from their native language.

“This [English] is my 3rd language, and even though I speak 2 complicated languages, it was hard to learn English,” Giyun said. “The grammar and the accents are really different than Korean or Japanese.”

Because the ELL students can not the speak English very well, it is hard for them to make friends.

“Language is the currency of friendship, and if you don’t speak the language, it is hard to make friends,” said Hales- Mecham. “Cultural assimilation takes a little help from family, teachers, school counselors, parents, and friends. Our teachers go out of their way to help our international students make a smooth transition to a new school environment.

In conclusion, ELL students are the members of the high school that have the hardest time.

“Students who move to a new country and attend school where the language of instruction is not their first language are the bravest people I know, said Hales- Mecham. “It is a rewarding experience, but more challenging than anyone knows – except for those who actually do it! I think these international, multi-lingual students are amazing young people.”

**For those who don’t know what the ELL program is, the program is basically a class offered to students who come from different country who don’t speak English. It’s kind of like a foreign language class like Spanish, French, or Chinese. In the class, the students learn the English language by studying vocabulary, studying grammar rules, speaking, listening, reading, practicing language patterns and writing. The students learn about the American culture, school customs and traditions. The one difference between the foreign language classes and the ELL classes is the fact that the ELL students also learn about the college application process in the U.S.**