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  Case: Silent Period
Grigor is in my 4th grade classroom. He came to the US last year with his family from Bulgaria. He was in 4th grade at our school last year as well. He was retained in 4th grade because he did not develop his English language skills. I learned about a "silent period" that children go through when they learn a new language. My guess is that Grigor is in the silent period. But it does not make sense to me that he would be in the silent period for almost two years. He does not say anything in class. He does not socialize with his classmates either. He can read and write in simple English though. His parents tell me that he acts completely normal at home and he is able to communicate with English speaking people at home when they have guests. This is really puzzling. I have to find a way to communicate with Grigor and discover what is holding him back from communicating with people at school. I need some help.
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
You need to develop a personal relationship with Grigor to be able to effectively communicate with him. My suggestion is to set up a parent conference and also have the school counselor present as well. Address your concerns to your parents and the counselor and then together, formulate a plan that you can use. In this meeting, it might be helpful to try to get to know Grigor, his interests, hobbies, favorite foods and subjects. Once you can learn more about him, you can begin to differentiate your instruction towards him. It might also be helpful to address to the class (without him in the room) your concerns about him and suggest to them making him feel more welcome by inviting him to their lunch table to recess with him. The key is to make him comfortable. It seems like he is simply uncomfortable in school.