Multilingual learners often bring unusual insight to a book like Romulus, My Father. Many have lived through migration, language loss, or family displacement themselves, and they read Gaita's account of a father making a life in a new country with real recognition. Yet when asked to write a formal literary essay in English, their ideas may be buried under grammar and vocabulary challenges. Teachers have to find ways to see and reward the thinking while still building language skills.

The most important grading decision is to separate content from language conventions. If a single score combines both, a student with sophisticated ideas and frequent errors may receive the same grade as a student with simple ideas and clean prose. A rubric with distinct criteria allows you to report accurately on each dimension. It also makes feedback clearer, since students can see what is strong and what needs work.

Consider the level of English proficiency when setting expectations. A student in the early stages of language acquisition may need accommodations such as extra time, bilingual glossaries, or sentence frames. These supports do not lower the intellectual standard; they provide access to it. Check school and district guidelines for what accommodations are available and appropriate.

Feedback that targets patterns, not every error

Marking every grammar error overwhelms students and rarely leads to improvement. A more effective approach is to identify two or three patterns that recur, such as article use, verb tense consistency, or sentence boundaries. Explain each pattern briefly and mark a few examples. Students can then apply the lesson across the essay rather than correcting isolated mistakes.

• Acknowledge strong ideas and insights before addressing language issues
• Select two or three recurring language patterns to focus on
• Provide model sentences that show correct usage in context
• Offer sentence frames for analytical moves such as introducing and explaining a quotation
• Allow revision so students can apply feedback and demonstrate growth

Building access to the text

Gaita's prose is plain but his ideas are subtle, and the vocabulary around morality and dignity can be challenging. Pre-teaching key terms and discussing difficult passages in class helps all students, especially multilingual learners. Allowing discussion in home languages before writing can also clarify thinking. Students who have talked through an idea are better equipped to write about it.

Sentence frames for analytical writing provide a scaffold without dictating content. A frame such as this quotation suggests that Romulus because the word choice shows gives structure while leaving the interpretation to the student. Over time, students internalize the patterns and need the frames less. Gradually fading the support helps them move toward independence.

Fairness and consistency in grading

Unconscious bias can creep in when graders encounter unfamiliar phrasing or unconventional structure. Reading for ideas first, and conventions second, helps counter this. Applying a consistent rubric to every essay also reduces the influence of impressions. Teachers who reflect on their own grading patterns often discover that surface errors have been affecting their perception of quality.

AI grading tools can support this by evaluating each essay against the same criteria, separating idea-level feedback from language-level feedback. Teachers can review the output to ensure that strong thinking is recognized even when the language needs polish. As always, human review is essential, particularly for students whose writing styles may be influenced by other languages. The tool is a starting point for a fair evaluation.

Celebrating progress

Language growth takes time, and progress can be hard for students to see. Keep early drafts and compare them with later ones, pointing out specific improvements in vocabulary, structure, or accuracy. Students gain confidence when they see evidence of their own development. Small victories sustain motivation over the long process of acquiring academic English.

Also recognize the cultural and linguistic knowledge that multilingual students bring to the class. Their insights about migration, belonging, and language enrich discussions for everyone. Inviting them to share perspectives, in whatever form feels comfortable, strengthens the learning community. It also reflects the humane spirit that Gaita's memoir invites readers to practice.