I am writing to comment on the Nov. 7 column (by Joe Guzzardi) about ESL teacherss. The tone of the article is not surprisingly a criticism of the money spent on “illegal aliens,” as Guzzardi fondly refers to them.  I was an ESL teacher when Vietnamese as well as Iranians came here seeking safe lives. These students, along with French, Mexican and others worked together to learn English. I had one educational aide in my class who spoke French and Spanish, and because she was trained in the method we used, she could help all students as could I. While the students’ target language was English, they spoke different languages, and my instruction was in English, using many strategies including pictures, oral exercises etc. Perhaps Guzzardi is not aware of the many strategies used by ESL teachers that enable students to understand and speak the target language. Teachers do not have to speak the native language of the student in order for the students to learn the target language. Credentialed teachers along with trained aides can do the job.   When students were forced to take the short-lived High School Exit Exam, my high school students, many of whom had little education in their primary language, passed the rigorous literature, grammar, reading, writing and speaking English portions of the exam. Teachers speaking English, along with an aide in some classrooms, got those students through that. Of course, the exam was eliminated from graduation requirements years ago.   Now that I’m retired, I volunteer at a Title 1 elementary school where I run into former students who are picking up their own children and volunteering or working in that same school. Other former students are owners of successful businesses, and employees in all kinds of local businesses. I run into them when they are dining in local restaurants, or when I am shopping, or otherwise doing things in our community. These former ESL students are part of our community and make it richer by sharing their culture with us and embracing our culture.  No U.S. students “missed out on important classroom time” (Guzzardi’s statement) in our school district. I, among many others I know, have been blessed by teaching and becoming acquainted with the “illegal aliens” referred to by Guzzardi. Perhaps he can consider using a different method of educating ESL students so that he, too, can appreciate their worth and assist them in becoming part of the community they live in. Or perhaps he will find a place in the office of our recently elected president whose opinion of people from other countries match his own.  Diane Duarte Babko  Valencia The post Diane Duarte Babko | A Lesson on ESL Teachers appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.