English Learners

So:
I need to learn Spanish.
According to the official data, there are 877 children at my school, 677 of whom are classified as English Learners. The majority of the staff is bilingual and a handful of the classrooms are taught almost expressly in Spanish. The chart paper with brainstorming sessions about Astronomy is covered with words I don’t know. The work stapled to the bulletin boards outside of the class is much the same. Kids ask questions in Spanish and the teacher answers in English. And I love it. But I also have questions.

“Fair play”, my fellow intern N. would say, as she is from Australia and her speech is peppered with a number of other such charming expressions. These kids need the opportunity to learn problem-solving skills and pull apart concepts as much as they can. Not knowing English doesn’t make them stupid. Nevertheless, their tests are in English, they are effectively judged based on their English proficiency, and I wonder when and where that transition is made. I want to talk with the kiddos in Spanish, and in my head I begin to try, but I stop myself from speaking because I don’t remember any more than my numbers, colors, and names of some barnyard animals. This is obviously a problem. I’m realizing that my French is actually more present and accessible than I thought possible, which is a pleasant surprise, but it’s not as if that really helps me in this context. I started a list of phrases/words I’d like to pick up as soon as possible. (“good thinking”, “I like the way you. . . “, “good listening”, “I need you to keep your chair flat”. . . .) Is this going to be enough?

Random sort-of thoughts relating to English Learners in the context of schooling:

• How to approach the subject of difference -- particularly culture and specifically language -- within the context of individual, as well as group sessions

• My thoughts and experiences as a white, monolingual, young woman working in a bilingual school setting
  

• When I'm teaching a lesson in the classroom and a student is reluctant to participate, is it because he/she is shy, does not relate to the subject at hand, isn't listening or does he/she not understand. And if the child does not understand, is it because of my volume, my pacing, my word choice, or is it a language-related barrier? This last bit is a completely new experience for me.
  

• I'm taking a Spanish class at the city college beginning next week and I ask the impressionables to help me at every turn. This builds rapport and trust, but is it going to be enough to really improve my conversational skills?