I have quite a few students with severe speech impediments. Now I don’t just mean the regular Chinese accent of English, but actual disabilities.
My boss, (Taiwanese) also informed me that when these students talk in Chinese they are also speaking with a slur, or some other problem that makes their Chinese difficult for even native speakers to understand.
So… How do we get these kinds of children to learn English, if they seem to be physically incapable of making the correct English sounds? (They also seem incapable of hearing the differences as well) I am lucky in that the student with the most severe of this disorder has the BEST attitude, and is always eager to learn. Her written English is better than her peers.
Also, why does it seem like there are so many of these kids? Perhaps it is the fact they are learning so many languages at a young age? (Taiwanese, Mandarin and English)
Side note: I remember in the States, my friends in High School with immigrant parents often had trouble with English, even if they were born in America. They would say to me “My Chinese sucks and so does my English… I want a job where I don’t have to talk much.”
Do any other teachers notice this? Or am I just really… lucky?
Again I am NOT talking about students being lazy and saying “Ello” for the letter “L” when they damn well know how to say it properly. This is like a physical incapability with these students. It’s painful because I want these students to keep up with the rest of the class, and our system moves so damn fast it leaves little room for teachers to focus on problem students. Advice?