The New York Sun reports today that foreign-born students are doing better in school than those of us who were born here. There are a number of factors at work here. One of the reasons I so enjoy teaching ESL is that the kids are so motivated. The overwhelming majority of kids who I teach know the importance of learning English, and it's really a joy to help them acquire such a fundamental and necessary skill.
Also, of course, imagine you are a parent who decided to move to another country. After having gone to all that trouble, leaving your home, your family, your career, and everything else you've known all your life, it's almost certainly your intention to see your kids excel in school. When I contact parents, I usually find them very concerned about their kids. My colleagues run into indifferent or unhelpful parents more frequently than I do.
Naturally, since Mayor Bloomberg is such a great proponent of merit pay, I fully expect him to give us ESL teachers a substantial bonus. I'm hoping he just slips us envelopes full of cash so we don't have to deal with all those taxes politicians are always complaining about. I'm thinking low six figures. Frankly, nothing reflects appreciation quite like a realistic down payment on a second home.
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