Home Sweet Home

I totally identified with Freeman's observation that Second Language Learners who anticipate leaving the country of the L2 have a more difficult time learning the language. I have a young man in my 6th grade class who has been in the ELL center for 2 years but still lags behind most of the students in language acquisition. He hesitates to speak in English, he still didn't know the word for bread after attending Kansas schools for two years. Part of this explanation can be that he desperately wants to return to Mexico and anticipates that his parents will send him there eventually. Other students who have been in the program for less time than him, have surpassed him with their skills. They like being in the US and are planning a future here. That part of Freeman's ppt really jumped out at me. Attitude is everything!