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Nearly 30 Decorah students are classified "English Language Learners"

Posted: Mon, Jan 11, 2016 8:58 PM

It's tough enough to handle classes without having to learn a new language at the same time.  But 29 students in the Decorah Community School District get help from the district's "English Language Learners" program.

Coordinator Julia Benson says, "We want to do right by these kids."  She says the youngest students are fast learners and teenaged students work hard to learn English because they want to fit in.

Benson says some years the program has some students who speak no English at all--although this school year isn't one of those years.  "You start simple," she says, showing pictures to students and pronouncing the word in English.

Spanish, of course, is the most common foreign language spoken, but Benson also has students who come from India, China and Laos.  She tries to concentrate not just on teaching English, but teaching students about the American culture--so they can fit in with other students at school.