When I think of Evelyn, who had been a quiet, shy, skinny girl back in sixth grade--a high acheiver, a smarty who was also a sweetie-pie, I think of the girl in eighth grade, sitting with the other advanced English students, showing off her little portable DVD player which she used on her long bus ride to and from school.

"What's up, Miss?" she'd say.  And I'd answer "The sky."

"Guess what?" she'd ask.  

"I dunno."

"Chicken butt!"

The only other person I ever knew who thought this was a hoot was a NASA rocket scientist friend of my ex-husband's.  He was from Poland and learned English in middle school.  To him, "Guess what?--Chicken butt" was hilarious.  (He also answered the phone "Howdy Doo-dy" but I don't know if he was being intentially funny or not.)

The first year I taught ESL at my school was the first year I taught exclusively ESL.  Before that year I'd always had mixed groups of English speaking students--native and non-native, who served as bridges over the grand communication gap (the kids were willing translators.)

The year Evelyn came I had a class of 36 beginning ESL students from mostly Mexico, El Salvador and Guatamala, but also Ethiopia, Korea and Peru.  Most were sixth graders.  Some of the kids had met during their journeys.  They all started out innocent and cute, but by the end of the year we'd expelled one who got involved in a low-down Salvadorian gang.  By eighth grade, one of my favoriites, a bright boy who drew wonderful pictures and caught on to basic English quickly also went the way of gengs.  But most, like Evelyn studied hard got reasonble grades, stayed out of trouble and eventually ended up in my class again in eigth grade for their final official ESL course.  

Onee during those early days of ESL, tired and stressed, I'd heard a bell ring, and forgot that I had another period with the same students.  Now, they, being intelligent and young (with newer model brains), knew that the class was two periods long, but they couldn't tell me--although I recall they tried--but I had no idea what they were trying to say!  So  I shooed them out and they wandered the campus.  I doubt there was but one or two other bilingual teachers on campus that year--so the kids wandered all over and eventually an assistant principal rounded them up and brought them back to me.  It was embarrassing, but I forgave myself.  Evelyn was in that group.

Evelyn reminds me of the Polish rocket scientist.  Such a bright girl!  And sensitive.  She'd written about her grandfathers for a writting assigment.   Her appreication for their interest in her, their love, and her love for them touched me.  She was an A student in every subject.  She, and those other kids, if they are they are still here, and if they've completed high school, will be graduating next year just like my own son.  Tomorrow night I'll be attending a workshop hosted by UCLA about how to get your kid into college.  I wish I'd see Evelyn's family there--but I doubt it.  I hope the counselors and adults around her help her--help those little sweeties I had in sixth grade so that they can earn their American Dreams.