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(Above) teacher Gina Stevens believes in her students and fosters biliteracy.  

“You shouldn’t go into teaching. You’d have to retake the ACT, and you just don’t have the grades.” It wasn’t easy hearing this from a college guidance counselor, especially when I had spent the majority of my life aspiring to be a teacher. I was devastated.

Can you think of a time at some point in your life when you felt doubted or discouraged? How has this experience impacted you?

One of the most important things to remember when working in a school, is to believe in the dreams that students share with you. The reality is, students will remember their teachers as someone who inspired them or someone who discouraged them. Which do you want to be remembered for? 

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)3 shows the amount of Multilingual Learner (ML) students in US public schools has been steadily increasing. Now more than ever, it is imperative for teachers to ensure their teaching is supportive of ML students. When I see my ML students, I don’t doubt their dreams. I see them through the lens of what they can do instead of what they cannot do. I understand what it’s like for my dreams to be doubted, and I would never do that to another person. Read on to learn five important tips for working with ML students to ensure they are living to their full potential.

1. Involve The Families 

There is a correlation between family involvement and student achievement. According to a 2019 American Psychological Association review of 448 independent studies on parent involvement1, involving families in the student’s schooling results in higher academic achievement. Students are coming into schools with different ideas of what “family” means to them. For some, a grandparent is their family. Perhaps a sibling. Some students have two moms. No moms. A stepdad. This brings up the importance of not assuming all students have “parents”. We can be mindful and say things like “bring this home to your adult” instead of “bring this home to mom or dad.”  

Further, it is crucial to involve families in the student’s schooling. Particularly with ML students, many families may be living in the US after moving from an entirely different country. Different countries have different ways of doing school. Families may be used to being involved in school events, homework, and communication in a much different way than their new school expects. Get to know what your families are used to, and what they are comfortable with as far as engagement goes. Encourage your school to host family events such as a Cultural Family Night, where families can come into the school and share their culture with others.

2. Know Your State’s Policies 

Multilingual services can look different in each state. Knowing your state’s policies surrounding ML students and programming will help set you up for success. Many families might have questions surrounding the program model(s) available at your school, so it is crucial to be able to speak about the various programs. Students and staff may also need guidance on what type of support you will be providing as an ML teacher. Will you be pushing into the student’s classroom to support students? Will you be pulling small groups to your room? Will it be different depending on the group? There are many options, it is best to remain flexible and do what works for the student’s success.

3. Listen To The Students 

No, literally.  

Classrooms need to move away from lecturing and more toward students speaking and working with others. If students, especially those learning a new language, are not given opportunities to practice speaking, how will they be expected to develop those skills? As Krashen2 hypothesizes, emotions can act as a filter that harm or help language learning. Thus, ML students need to practice speaking in environments that they feel comfortable taking linguistic risks in.

4. Collaborate With The Staff In Your School 

As a Multilingual Learner teacher, it will be essential to collaborate with staff and teachers in your building. You will be the one-stop-shop for all things ML related in your school. This is quickly going to become a leadership role for you as your experience and expertise grow. You have an important role in educating your fellow colleagues about the ML students, as well as working together to provide the best support for the students. Try to find some common time to plan together each week, making student language goals a focus. As an ML teacher, you will be able to offer some excellent strategies and ideas that are beneficial for all learners in the classroom. If your school does not have these resources, it will be crucial to find outside support. There are many blogs, websites, podcasts, books, and more that can help you support and advocate for your ML students.

5. Believe In Your Students  

Remember at the beginning of this article when you reflected on a time in your life when you felt doubted or discouraged?  

ML students are future global leaders. Students who understand or speak multiple languages gain access to communities and parts of the world that others cannot. While it is alright to be realistic about steps necessary for that student of yours to become an astronaut, lawyer, etc, it is important to encourage them to follow their passions.  

Whether you are a first-year teacher or on year twenty, it is increasingly likely that you will be working with Multilingual Learner students. Remember to involve their families, know your state’s policies, get your students speaking, collaborate with the other staff in your school, and most importantly always remember to believe in your students. It is important now more than ever to support ML students with intention so that they can make meaningful contributions with their peers, in their classes, and in their communities. 

Be remembered as the teacher who inspires students.  

References 

Barger, Michael M., Elizabeth Moorman Kim, Nathan R. Kuncel, and Eva M. Pomerantz. “The Relation Between Parents’ Involvement in Children’s Schooling and Children’s Adjustment: A Meta-Analysis.” Psychological Bulletin 145, no. 9 (September 2019): 855–90. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000201.

Krashen, Stephen D. “Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition.” Stephen D. Krashen. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1982.

National Center for Education Statistics. “English Learners in Public Schools.” (2024). Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved 2025, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgf. 

Mrs. Stevens is a Multilingual Learner Teacher at D47 Crystal Lake.