As an English Learner myself, I never realized the kind of background learning that needed to take place in order for me to succeed. I understand the importance of parents in the child’s ability to grasp and comprehend the “academic language”. I always felt that there were different kinds of “Englishes” and wondered why the “academic English” was not really “taught” in school. Watching a lot of television and reading certainly helped me to learn English. The “English” that we hear spoken in the classroom, even by the teacher, is often considered colloquial and does not teach us what “academic English” is. How then does a student of English, let alone new English Learners, understand or even try to begin articulating in this form? Zwiers made a good point about cultural “common sense”. Certain students do not find it appropriate to speak in specific situations or find that they do not understand certain words or concepts that are specific to North America only. Teachers must be sensitive to these cultural differences but it is very easy to forget. Learning English for me has never proved to be too difficult, but reading this chapter has really shown me that there are many people struggling silently and who are unable to help themselves because the system here favors and works for those who are already rich in linguistic, knowledge, and social capital etc.
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