Koren Martin
More than 15% of Philadelphia residents were born outside the United States, and many come from countries where English is not the primary language. As Block by Block reporter Ahmed Hassouna reports, that poses challenges for students who are learning English as a second language.
Ahmed Hassouna
For students learning English, success in school involves much more than mastering a new language, it can also mean adjusting to a new environment, building confidence, and finding a sense of belonging. At McKinley Elementary School in Philadelphia, educators work with English language learners both inside and outside the classroom to help them navigate those challenges.
April Marinell
What continent have we been learning about, or what country?
Students
Simba,
April Marinell
Zimbabwe. Where is in Africa?
Ahmed Hassouna
As a substitute teacher at McKinley School, and as someone who learned English as a second language myself, I’ve often wondered what it’s like for students learning a new language while adapting to a new school environment. To better understand that experience, I spoke with ESL teacher April Marinell.
April Marinell
Since we’re a K to eight school, I work with all of the grades. We have this year about 28 students who are identified as English learners, and so depending on their level, they either come to my classroom in small groups, or I push into their homeroom and support them there. Or students who are more advanced, the teacher and I use planning time to discuss strategies that we can use to help them.
Ahmed Hassouna
April says teaching English to students who are learning a new language isn’t just about having them memorize words and grammar rules.
April Marinell
We have speakers of other languages who might be learning a different alphabet or a totally different sound system-that’s one challenge. Sometimes feeling as though they belong, making friends, or feeling self-conscious. If they feel like they prefer to share in a smaller group or one-on-one, I think that can sometimes be hard to feel comfortable in a large group setting.
Ahmed Hassouna
Helping students feel comfortable and confident is a major part of the work.
April Marinell
When they come here in a smaller group, it seems more like a safe space where they can try things out in a smaller setting. I think that helps them feel more confident about their skills. And then I think the activities that the school plans, as a whole, that give students a chance to feel successful-not always in an academic way, but could be in an artistic way or in a music way. So they feel like there are many ways that they can contribute and feel as though they belong to the school community.
Ahmed Hassouna
Sometimes that support can lead to remarkable success.
April Marinell
One year, not too long ago, our eighth graders we had two ESL students. One was the valedictorian, and another one was the salutatorian. At their ceremony, they mentioned how they felt they. Were supported by the school and by their peers, and when they initially came, not speaking, in one case, any English, and then to be able to learn enough to be valedictorian and salutatorian.
Ahmed Hassouna
For Marinell, success is not only about language; it is also about helping students recognize the value of their own voices, cultures, and experiences. For example, there is a student she works with who is the only speaker of her native language at the school.
April Marinell
What I’ve found that she really takes pride in is when we specifically ask her, “Well, how would you say that in in your language? and get the other students interested in in her traditions and her culture and her family. When she sees that we want to learn her perspective, I think she feels as though she really has something to offer. And I have seen over time, then students will ask her, “Well, what do you do? Or is that true in your family, they need space and time to feel comfortable.
Ahmed Hassouna
Marinell says there are still misconceptions about what it means to learn a second language.
April Marinell
I think sometimes there’s a misunderstanding about the process of learning a second language, and that it’s not instant or it’s not something that you can turn on and off. I feel like something that the U.S. is lacking as a whole compared to other countries is recognizing the value of multilingualism. Many times when we meet people from Europe or Africa, it’s typical to know two or three languages, and I feel like that’s something that I wish the U.S. did a better job at teaching from a young age.
Ahmed Hassouna
For Block by Block, I’m Ahmed Hassouna.
This story was broadcast as part of the June 10, 2026 episode of Block by Block.
Note: This transcript was machine-generated and may contain some spelling errors or other inaccuracies.