Controlling Book Availability Creates Challenges

A recent experience in the ELL classroom had me stumped. I was asked to assist a student with an algebra assignment. It has been over 6 years since I had this type of assignment and I wanted to check my reasoning to make sure I was correct. The students in the classroom are getting used to us and are asking for help. The authors of our text book refer to this as affiliation – or a way to of evaluating a person’s willingness to approach or avoid. I would say approach is more like it right now. I asked the student to show me his book so I could check my solution. The student looked puzzled and I felt I was missing something. He then shared books don’t leave the classrooms. He had a packet, but nothing to verify this is correct. I viewed this as a control issue. I also recognize economics play a role, textbooks are expensive. However, the school system gives indications they want the students to succeed, but yet there are no textbooks to aid in their work. Other students who “know the system” might be better equipped to ask for help or borrow a book in order to do the assignment. Many of the ELL students are not yet comfortable in speaking up. The instructor understood the predicament, but didn’t have a viable solution. In the future, I will assist students to find a book. I will encourage students to ask teachers to borrow a book or make a copy of the page.