What’s New in My Life: Teaching English, Teaching Literacy, Teaching in a Time of Fear
I recently started a new position as the English Language Learner (ELL) teacher at Fort Dodge Senior High School.
I love it.
And I don’t say that lightly.
I love it in the way you love something that challenges you intellectually, emotionally, and ethically. The kind of work that forces you to reflect constantly, adjust your practice, and confront the reality that education does not happen in a vacuum. It is hard—and it is hard in the best way.
Every day, I walk into a classroom filled with students who are learning English while simultaneously navigating identity, belonging, and uncertainty. Teaching them effectively requires far more than vocabulary instruction. It requires an understanding of literacy science, dyslexia, bilingual development, and trauma-informed practice—all at once.
Dyslexia Is a Neurological Condition Across Languages
Dyslexia is a neurobiological learning difference, not a language-specific disorder (Shaywitz, 2003). Research consistently demonstrates that dyslexia exists across alphabetic languages, including Spanish, though its manifestations vary depending on the transparency of the writing system (Ziegler & Goswami, 2005).
Spanish is considered a transparent orthography, meaning that letters generally correspond to consistent sounds. This transparency often allows students with dyslexia to learn basic decoding skills more easily than they would in English (Serrano & Defior, 2004). However, ease of decoding does not eliminate dyslexia—it simply changes how it appears.
In Spanish-speaking students, dyslexia often presents as:
Reduced reading fluency
Slow or effortful reading
Difficulty with spelling and written expression
Weak working memory and rapid naming
Fatigue during extended reading tasks
These challenges frequently go unnoticed because students may still read accurately, particularly in early grades. As a result, dyslexia in Spanish speakers is often under-identified or identified later, especially in multilingual populations (López-Escribano, Sánchez-Hipola, & Suro Sánchez, 2018).
Why English Magnifies Undiagnosed Dyslexia
English is one of the most orthographically complex alphabetic languages in the world. It contains inconsistent spelling patterns, multiple phonemes for the same grapheme, and numerous exceptions to phonics rules (Joshi & Aaron, 2006).
For a student with undiagnosed dyslexia, learning English dramatically increases cognitive load. Difficulties with phonological processing, orthographic mapping, and automatic word recognition—already present—are intensified in English (Katzir et al., 2004).
As a result, many multilingual students experience a sharp academic decline upon entering English-dominant instruction, not because they “lack English,” but because their underlying literacy needs were never addressed.
The Misidentification of Dyslexia as an “ELL Problem”
One of the most persistent equity issues in education is the misidentification of literacy-based learning disabilities as language acquisition delays.
Research shows that English learners with dyslexia are frequently:
Over-exposed to language-only interventions
Under-referred for special education evaluations
Incorrectly assumed to be struggling solely due to limited English proficiency
(Klingner, Artiles, & Barletta, 2006)
Without proper identification, these students may receive accommodations rather than explicit, structured literacy intervention, which is the evidence-based approach for dyslexia (International Dyslexia Association, 2019).
This misidentification delays intervention, widens academic gaps, and significantly impacts students’ academic self-concept.
The Critical Importance of Spanish Literacy Screening
Best practice in multilingual education requires assessing literacy skills in a student’s first language whenever possible (ASHA, 2017). Spanish literacy screening allows educators to distinguish between:
Language acquisition differences
Literacy-based learning disabilities
Combined profiles requiring dual-support instruction
Screening only in English provides incomplete—and often misleading—data (August & Shanahan, 2006).
When educators screen literacy skills in Spanish, they gain critical insight into:
Phonological awareness
Decoding skills
Fluency development
Orthographic knowledge
This data allows for targeted, effective intervention, rather than guesswork. Literacy screening in Spanish is not a courtesy—it is a necessary equity practice.
The Elephant in the Room: Motivation in a Climate of Fear
No literacy framework exists in isolation from lived experience.
Many of my students are Hispanic. Many are immigrants. Many are U.S. citizens with undocumented family members. Research consistently shows that immigration enforcement climates—regardless of individual legal status—create widespread fear, anxiety, and psychological distress within Hispanic communities (Perreira & Pedroza, 2019).
Students living in these environments experience:
Heightened anxiety
Chronic stress
Fear of family separation
Distrust of institutions
These stressors directly impact academic engagement and motivation (Yoshikawa et al., 2020).
So when educators ask, “Why don’t they care?” the answer is often painful but clear:
Students cannot prioritize academic success when safety feels uncertain.
Trauma’s Direct Impact on Learning and Literacy
Trauma alters brain functioning. Chronic stress disrupts the neural systems responsible for attention, memory, and executive functioning—core components of literacy development (McEwen & Morrison, 2013).
Research demonstrates that trauma exposure negatively affects:
Reading comprehension
Working memory
Language processing
Self-regulation
(De Bellis & Zisk, 2014)
Expecting students to engage deeply in literacy instruction without addressing safety and emotional well-being is both ineffective and unethical.
Teaching English as a Tool for Agency, Not Assimilation
Teaching English is not about erasing students’ identities.
Research in bilingual education consistently demonstrates that strong first-language literacy supports second-language acquisition, not the opposite (Cummins, 1979; Goldenberg, 2008).
My role is not to replace Spanish with English, but to help students leverage their full linguistic repertoire. Bilingualism is a cognitive, academic, and cultural asset.
English, taught ethically, becomes a tool for:
Advocacy
Access
Critical literacy
Self-determination
Why I Stay
This work is demanding.
It is emotional.
It requires constant reflection and humility.
And I love it.
Because literacy is liberation.
Because multilingual students deserve precision, not assumptions.
Because education rooted in truth and compassion matters—especially now.
This is what’s new in my life.
And it is work worth doing.
References (APA Style)
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August, D., & Shanahan, T. (2006). Developing literacy in second-language learners. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Cummins, J. (1979). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research, 49(2), 222–251.
De Bellis, M. D., & Zisk, A. (2014). The biological effects of childhood trauma. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 23(2), 185–222.
Goldenberg, C. (2008). Teaching English language learners. American Educator, 32(2), 8–44.
International Dyslexia Association. (2019). Structured literacy: Effective instruction for students with dyslexia.
Joshi, R. M., & Aaron, P. G. (2006). The component model of reading. Learning and Individual Differences, 16(4), 239–255.
Katzir, T., et al. (2004). Reading self-concept and literacy development. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(1), 33–46.
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López-Escribano, C., Sánchez-Hipola, P., & Suro Sánchez, J. (2018). Dyslexia in Spanish-speaking populations. Annals of Dyslexia, 68(2), 1–19.
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Serrano, F., & Defior, S. (2004). Dyslexia speed problems in transparent orthographies. Dyslexia, 10(1), 1–17.
Shaywitz, S. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia. Knopf.
Yoshikawa, H., et al. (2020). Immigration policies and child development. American Psychologist, 75(2), 187–200.
Ziegler, J. C., & Goswami, U. (2005). Reading acquisition across languages. Psychological Bulletin, 131(1), 3–29.