California Democrat

California High School has a 10 percent increase Hispanic population from the past years. Eric Larimore, ESL teacher at CHS, has worked six years in this district with students that speak both English and Spanish. “Working with students that speak both English and Spanish does have its challenge. Being clear in what you are trying to communicate is the biggest,” said Larimore.

“Over the years of having ESL students in class, I’ve learned that it’s one thing to have a conversation in a language not native to you, but the challenge of trying to read or take lecture notes in a course full of technical jargon is infinite,” said Christy Heimericks, classroom teacher.

ESL stands for English as a Second Language. This is a class for students who need help developing their English. In this class the students work on developing language skills to be able to do work in other classes. The students are tested every year along with the MAP test. The test is then graded or measured to see if the students still need to be in ESL class.

Larimore said, “The students are good to work with. They are a great group of kids who have the same variety as any other group in school.”