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Rich Jacobs, an English Language Learners teacher at Gunn High School, talks with ELL students Yilei Yu, middle, and David Selzer during a tutoring hour in January.
Classroom
(continued from page 18)
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But Jacobs, who has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) for nearly 40 years, 20 of them at Gunn, said, “Every ESL program has some illegals.� Students sometimes will share that information once they’ve developed a trust with teachers that they won’t be turned in, he said. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1982 invalidated a Texas law denying education funding for illegal immigrant children and also struck down a school district’s attempt to charge tuition for undocumented students. The National School Boards Association relied on that case in a 2009 publication — sent to every school district in the United States — summarizing legal issues surrounding the education of undocumented students. In general, the publication favors providing those students an education. It advises school districts not to
question students about their immigration status and not to report such information, if known, to federal immigration authorities. The Palo Alto school district has no official policy on undocumented students but follows a circular from the U.S. Department of Education advising that districts may not adopt policies that discourage students from participation.
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hough most teen English learners in Palo Alto live with their families, some are living largely on their own in apartments that have been rented by their parents. “Some kids live with very little supervision, and other kids live with parents who are controlling every minute of the day,� Jacobs said. In all cases, “I encourage parents to let them function as American students — let them go to school dances, football games, baseball games, homecoming activities, join clubs,� he said. “You want to expose them to as much as you can.�
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Each year a handful of kids turn up at Gunn with no English at all and are placed with Jacobs’ assistant, Kira Levina, for small-group instruction. This year, Levina is working with a student from Spain and another from China. “We start with the alphabet,� Levina said. “When they come they sometimes miss their country, and their parents in some situations, so it’s sometimes very emotional for them,� she said. “This is when it’s challenging to teach them and to make them feel comfortable. It’s very important for them to feel comfortable because we want them to be happy. That helps them learn English better.� For students who aren’t rank beginners, Jacobs said he still starts with something basic: Gunn’s student handbook. He explains to them how to find a computer at school, how to sign up for a sports team or what to do if they feel sick in class. They talk about the American con-
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