The ELL student, that I have the privilege of working with this semester, moved to the United States from Ghana this past Summer (2016). For confidentiality purposes, I will refer the student as B.
During my first meeting with B, I was able to make meaningful dialogue. B explained where they are from and how they are adjusting to living in Vermont.
Before this placement, I must admit I knew very little about Ghana except that it is an African country. In doing my research I learned that Ghana is a country on the west coast of Africa, where English is the official language. In our first tutoring session B shared their frustration with some other students' questions about where they are from. B is understandably annoyed when Africa is mistakenly referred to as a country and not a continent. Moreover, they ask B questions such as, "If you're from Africa, why is your English so good?" Despite these sharp inquiries, B patiently explains that Ghana was a colony of Britain which is why English is the official language and politely corrects their geography, also.
Ultimately, my goal, as their tutor, is to supplement student learning and to be a resource for them. This includes helping with cultural adaptation as well as academic enrichment. Each Tuesday of the semester I will work with B to make their transition as smooth as possible. In so doing, I look forward to finding out more about the student and reflecting further on what I learn.
