Students whose home language is not English often have a difficult time learning in an English speaking classroom.  My goal as a teacher of English Language Learners (ELL) is to provide students with the tools they need to communicate with teachers and peers and to understand and use academic English.  My lessons focus on the development of reading, writing, listening,and speaking skills.  The development of academic fluency can take up to 7 to 10 years.  While these skills are developing I provide students with academic support so they are able to understand the same grade level content as the English speaking students in their classroom.