Mining For Hidden Gems

I ran into a former student at the office supply store the other day. She greeted me with her sweet smile and let me know that she remembers her fourth grade year and me fondly. She also let me know that she is graduating as a dental hygienist soon and will be looking for a job in her field. I was not surprised. I remember her as a serious student, diligent, hard working and conscientious  - all the qualities that I knew would allow her to succeed in school and in life. On top of that she was kind, well-mannered and always wore a smile on her face. "Jesse" was my student ten years ago while we still offered transitional bilingual services to our students that came from Spanish speaking homes. The goal of a transitional program was to strengthen a student's English proficiency enough so that they could transition to a monolingual classroom. It was a remedial model that looked at students' multiple languages as a handicap and not an asset. That year "Jesse" ...