CLD Students: Asset or Liability?

I am currently reading the book, "Mastering ESL And Bilingual Methods." I am not the type of person who enjoys reading textbooks, however there is a lot of valuable information in this book. When reading, there was a section that really stuck with me. It was named "The CLD: Asset or Liability." It says "You might well ask, Why assets and liablities? The sad fact is some of our schools continue to perceive the CLD student as a liability- a student who is liable to fail because he or she cannot understand or speak the language of instruction" (7). This statement honestly bothers me. In schools there are many students who struggle to understand the content and instruction. But that's our job as teachers. It says "educators are responsible for educating all students" (10). It is our job- we need to find a way to deconstruct and help these students understand the content. No child should ever be seen as a liability. Schools need to see the assets these students bring. These assets include:

multilingualism, experiences and schooling in another country, and familiarity with multiple cultures and ethnicities. These assets should be used as an enhancement. The stereotype of ELL students being a liability because they don't understand the language needs to end. Teachers need to recognize there is more to it than language development. It also includes cognitive and academic development for CLD students to be successful.

 

Herrera, Socorro G., & Murry, Kevin G.  (2011). Mastering ESL and bilingual methods         differentiated instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.