Within the English Language Learning room, different voices and languages can be heard bursting with excitement and frustration all throughout the day. ELL teacher Ms. Vicky Alves circles around the classroom checking in on students. She constantly uses Google Translate and her prior knowledge to better understand her students. 

The people Ms. Alves works with in her classroom primarily speak Spanish, Japanese, and Krio. She works to help students get a better feel of the English language. 

“The most fun I have is to help a student take it from their language in their head to English,” Ms. Alves said. “To be able to make that connection, it’s not just about learning to speak and listen in English. It’s about really understanding students.”

Ms. Alves has students from all across the world such as Puerto Rico, Africa and Australia. Sophomore Isha Jeanes, formerly Kamara before being adopted, is from Sierra Leone and has been in ELL since sixth grade.

“This is one of my favorite classes,” Jeanes said.

The students in the class seem to be brought together through their differences. The class is a safe environment for them to express their inner thoughts and feel okay messing up from time to time.

“I like the chemistry and the way this class and our teacher just brings us together,” Rosario Chronicles Tofa said.

With the day ending, Ms. Alves gets her students their homework and let’s them know the plan for tomorrow.