Quoted in a Being Latino Article

Hello readers,

Just wanted to share an article written by Ana Maria Trujillo about how expectations affect Latino youth.  I’m quoted in the article.  Subscribe to the newsletter if you would like to learn more about the Latino culture in the U.S.  Here is the mission pulled from the website:   Being Latino is a communication platform designed to educate, entertain and connect all peoples across the global Latino spectrum.  Our aim is to break down barriers and foster unity and empowerment through informative, thought-provoking dialogue and exchanging of ideas.  Being Latino seeks to give a unified voice to the multitude of communities that identify with the multidimensional culture that is Latino.

http://www.beinglatino.us/comunidad/how-low-expectations-title-coming/

 

Buell ECE Leadership Program

Several years ago, I decided that it was time to further my career by enrolling in a Master’s Degree program.  I had spent my post-Bachelor years in the human services field; however the focus always was on children and families.  As a matter of fact, my lifelong passion had been children and families; however, I had a specific interest for English Language Learners and the importance of maintaining individual home languages.  Nonetheless, I was at a complete loss for what type of post graduate degree I should aim for.

I knew that I wanted to help advocate for this particular community, but I had no idea what career paths were available to take.  I contemplated getting a Master’s in Bilingual Education but that never seemed to come to fruition.  As I continued my work with children and families, I started to notice a large portion of culturally insensitive practices continuing to occur in the preschool classroom.  Oftentimes these occurrences led to unnecessary IEPs and/or inappropriate goals placed on IEPs.  This led me to consider a Master’s degree in Special Ed, yet I was unaware how this would allow for a specific concentration on ELLs, nor could I imagine what path I would embark on after receiving this degree.

I continued exploring different options for obtaining an MA, that would really allow for individualization for my passion.  Eventually the perfect program came along.  They were looking for candidates for the 1^st year of the Buell Early Childhood Education Leadership Program.  I was encouraged to apply.   Again, I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure that I could embark on my desired career path from the resulting degree.

After tons of discussion with multiple mentors, I decided to go for it.  I applied, was called in for an interview and waited excruciatingly long for a response.  Unfortunately I was not accepted.  The following year, I was personally contacted with a request to reapply.  I did so begrudgingly, expecting another rejection.  Luckily this wasn’t the case.

I recall the first day, sitting in the familiar classroom setups that are so often trademarked by interactive classrooms to facilitate discussion and collaboration.  I was completely intimidated as we went round robin “telling about ourselves”.  By comparison, the breadth of knowledge all my fellow fellows (pun intended) seemed expansive.

As the year passed, and we discussed, debated and informed ourselves about the issues in the Early Childhood Field, I became more confident.  I found my voice.  I spent my year researching my passion which was centered on English Language Learners with Special Needs.  All the research culminated in a grant to develop a Toolkit for Families going through the IFSP/IEP process.  In short, I built a strong foundation that would propel me for the next stages in my career.

In the years since then, my tie to the Buell community has served me well.  Since the first year that I applied, 97 Buell Fellows from all around Colorado have completed the program.  The beauty of the program is that your learning doesn’t stop the day you end the program.  You continue participating and advocating in a variety of ways in the ECE community.  You continue growing, discovering and evolving.  You find a new sense of purpose and passion.

I signed up for the Buell ECE Leadership Program with the sole intention of getting a MA.  I got that and so, so much more.

 (…and now you can too.   Buell is currently accepting applications.   The deadline is February 22, 2013.  Apply here)

NCELA Webinar – Common Core State Standards and English Learners

Great Webinar with some nationally renowned individuals sharing how to meet the Common Core Standards with ELLs.  This should offer great strategies and tips.

<p><a href=’http://blog.colorincolorado.org/2013/01/04/ncela-webinar-common-core-state-standards-and-english-learners/’>NCELA Webinar – Common Core State Standards and English Learners</a>.</p>

Melting Pot?

I’m not sure when English became the language of commerce.  Nor am I sure when the need arose to be English-speaking while working internationally.  Furthermore, I don’t know when English became the official world language (or at least when Americans starting toting it as such).   English, no doubt, is an important language to learn.  It has become one of those languages that spans international business and trade. 

My roots (and my heart) are in the classroom with the children who come to school excited to learn every day.  Currently I work in an international curriculum design company.  I have always been an advocate for maintaining home language, regardless of where you are or where you come from.  However, as my work community has expanded, I have come to realize that the threat to languages other than English is not just an American problem.  

Every so often, I have come across an article highlighting a newly extinct language that was preceded by the death of the last known speaker.   I mourn those losses deeply.   Culture is so inextricably linked to language that once a language is lost, undeniably the culture is as well.  There is so much richness, history and anthropological knowledge in each lost language, that the world will never be the same.   The death of a language is equivalent in my opinion to the extinction of a species.  

I came across this article today “Namibia: English Not a Threat to Indigenous Languages”.  I felt the writer’s passion and concern for the imminent loss of indigenous languages and cultures through the adoption of English and the desire to feel more American.  

It seems as though, this low sense of worth about your language eventually becomes a type of oppression.  Who says that the way Americans live is the ideal?  We rank 11^th in life satisfaction.  We aren’t even in the top ranking educational systems in the world, and haven’t been there for 20 years.    In 2010, we ranked 37^th in health care.   However, we can boast that we are in the top rankings for the countries with the least amount of languages spoken by their population.   Woohoo?  

I won’t get into all the details surrounding the benefits of multilingualism (subscribe to my blog if you would like to learn).  However the benefits clearly outweigh the risk.  I know America is the melting pot, but I always envision a rich mixture of all the different cultures we represent.  Instead we have people diving into the melting pot and coming out looking just like the first one who went in.               

Finding your Voice

I have a one track mind these days. Every day as soon as I enter my office I look at the numbers….poll numbers that is. Yes, I’m highly dedicated to this election. I’ve gotten into so many arguments that I can’t even count them.  I’ve debated pros with the cons.  I’ve even been asked if I’m getting paid on behalf of the election. The election is so close, in days and numbers that my sense of urgency is compounded.  If you pay attention to me on Facebook, LinkedIn or even my blog, you know which way I’m leaning, so I won’t go into that here.  What I will say is we all need to get involved.  We need to be informed and make our own choices about what we believe in and how we will vote.  If we don’t, we will all lose.

I know many voters have been disenchanted with the whole governmental process the last several years.  It often seems as though politicians are working for themselves rather than the people.  It seems as though there is a lot of talk and not a whole lot of action.  I know that at times it seems hopeless, but I wonder how many of my readers, have actually contacted their local officials.  How many of you have called to voice your opinion on the issues that matter to you.  I have attended many a “Day on the Hill”, events dedicated to engage different communities in the political process, and every time I hear the same thing straight from the politician’s mouth, “For every new bill on the table I get maybe 3 or 4 calls from my constituents.”

Hmm…that can’t be good.  When a politician doesn’t hear from his or her constituents, it leaves the decision it up to themselves and the lobbyists. Politicians are only as good as their community.  We need to be involved.  We need to make our voices heard.

Times are scary.  I don’t like all the anger and hate associated with politics.  People are either apathetic or extremists.  I will never forget a grandparent of one of the families I used to work with.  It was during the primaries of 2008.  He had just become a U.S. citizen and had wanted to know if I had participated the night before.  I wanted to, but was uninformed; I had moved since the last election and was ineligible to vote.  He looked at me and shook his head, “I don’t understand how Americans don’t care.  Being part of the process is an honor and an obligation.  I was there for my first vote as an American.”  He stood up tall and his eyes shone with pride.

We seem to have forgotten all those people who have given up their lives to give us the right to vote.  I charge each of you today to do your research, look at the issues that are important to you.  Then do some research on a non-partisan site such as www.factcheck.org, www.politifact.org or www.votesmart.org. We do have a voice, but it only works when we use it.

Hardworking, Contributing Members

I’ve read several articles this week about the benefit of maintaining the home language and how to encourage parent involvement from English Language Learners.  I then made the HUGE mistake of reading the comments.  There were so many cold-hearted, mean-spirited people on the thread that the warm fuzzies I gained from reading what great programs these schools were running, immediately vanished.

How do you get people to understand that regardless of the citizenship status of the parents, these children deserve a quality education?  Currently the United States is ranked 31^st in education according to this Education Week Blog dated September 27^th, 2012.  In my humble opinion, education is linked to economic success and we are tumbling faster than anyone would like to admit.   These children (76% citizens according to this 2008 NEA Policy Brief) will eventually enter our workforce.  As a strong believing patriot, wouldn’t you want a well educated workforce?

The children in one dual language school, surprisingly do better than their monolingual counterparts in the same school.  I have never understood why Americans are so caught up in the English Only sentiments that run rampant.  Over the years, I have met several people from other countries who speak up to 9 languages.  But in America we stress over and over that ENGLISH is the language to know.   I am befuddled by that argument.  Yes, English is important to learn, but it shouldn’t be the only language to learn.

Furthermore, on these threads people go on and on about how “these people abuse the system”.  Fact is they don’t, particularly if the parent is undocumented.  Furthermore, shouldn’t we want to break this supposed cycle by offering their children an education that allows them to be economically self-sufficient?

It’s frustrating to me that people can be so close-minded and insensitive to children.  However, I’ll step down from my soapbox now and just remind others that like it or not, these children will be part of our great nation, we have a responsibility, if not to them, then to ourselves to ensure that these children can be “hard working, contributing members of society”.

Tough Battles, Tougher Choices

I read an article just the other day about a GOP congressman who was quoted as saying, “They don’t even know their own language. So that’s why you’ve got these teachers coming in helping them to try and get them better with their own language and then kind of teach them. It’s a pretty tough battle.”

Hmm…my feelings ranged from immediate rage, to irritation and finally the utter sigh that his statement was misguided but not too far off the mark. Wait, before I get a barrage of hate mail, let me explain.
The rhetoric in America has unfortunately pushed immigrants to believe that the only way that their children can succeed is to learn English. More often than not though, learning English means sacrificing home language and ultimately culture.

I’ve worked for over 10 years with parents from all different types of backgrounds. Parents who make the “English Only” decision, are just trying to give their child the easiest route to success. Especially once the child enters school. Unfortunately, they just don’t see the benefit to maintaining the home language. No one has sat down and explained it to them the benefits, nor has anyone explained the cost in losing the language.

For example, parents are the language model for their child. Unless they are completely fluent in English, the child experiences an incomplete model of the intricacies of language and conversation. Ultimately, this can lead to learning problems. Until a child has a strong base knowledge in language, any language, they cannot follow directions, understand lectures or even have the simplest of conversations. Children who are given a strong base in their home language, on the other hand, have everything readily available, they just need to learn the label in the new language.

When parents make the difficult decision to forsake their home language in order to help their child “be successful”, they don’t realize the unintended consequence to their child’s growth and development. Language is so intertwined with culture that once a child loses their home language, they lose the link to their past and their identity. This often leads to a sense of isolation. They don’t have a tie to their family, but they don’t necessarily fit the typical “american” role either. In fact, there is research out there that links gang involvement to lost home language.

On the other hand, English Language Learners who have a strong base in their home language tend to fare better in school, at home and in life. As an Early Childhood Educator, I believe it is my responsibility to inform parents of their choices and their consequences. In the end, the parent can make their own decisions, but it is my job to ensure that they are well informed before making a life changing decision.

Parents Preparing ELLs for the Classroom

In our ever changing world, culture is one way that we all have to help us feel grounded and comfortable.  Each child and family that enters your classroom has a different culture.  Their traditions vary.  Expectations are vastly different.  These variations can truly influence a child’s role (and ultimately the parents and teacher) in the classroom.

In the past several weeks I have come across two different articles that address just this issue.  When our children and families walk through our doors, it is important to start understanding each family’s culture so we can use that information to help individualize for children.   For example the National Center for Education Statistics’ Early Childhood Longitudinal Study has shown that Mexican immigrant children come in with strong social emotional development, however while parents see the importance of developing a strong sense of self, they often neglect preparing their children academically, leaving this work for “qualified” individuals such as teachers.  Consequently, Chinese mothers tend to fare better in preparing their children academically but neglect developing those social emotional skills.  This often leads into conflict with American expectations of raising “school ready” children and the expectations of other cultures.

It then becomes the role of the teacher to understand the discrepancies between these two expectations and figure out what each child needs in order to have the most successful school experience.  Meeting children where they are at and giving them the tools they need; will provide children with a strong holistic foundation to set them on a path to a bright future.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2012/09/early_learning_practices_in_im.html

ELL Ready Classrooms

Now that you have been at school a few weeks, how do you plan to continue to engage the ELLs in your classroom?   What sort of things have you been doing already?   As the days have worn into weeks, your classroom has settled into the ease of the school year.  But how can you ensure that your ELL children are feeling safe and secure in their new world?

As we all know, several things must be in place to support all children but they need to be modified for ELLs. For example, let’s start with the classroom environment.   What sort of environmental features need to be in place to ensure that a child learning English feels successful in their new environment?

In my last blog, I spoke about a space for the child to feel safe, but he or she also needs to be able to take a break from the arduous task of learning a second language (in conjunction with the first).  This could be accommodated by their cubby, their cot readily available or even the cozy area (when it’s not already in use).  Furthermore, picture cards can be helpful to support children in attempts at communication.

Another important feature is to ensure that you are including the child’s culture in the classroom in any way possible.  Books written in their home language or feature children who look like them will help a child feel that they belong.  There is also the potential for a family member or cultural guide to be recorded reading a book in the home language.  Sometimes finding books in home languages can present an issue, however, parents can tell a family story, a folk tale, or even “read” the pictures of an inviting book.  This would be a great “break time” activity for the child (and a wonderful introduction of a different language and culture for all the other children).

If a child eats sushi at home, remember to include plastic sushi in the dramatic play area.  Please ensure that you are accurately depicting the child’s home culture.   For example, if you decide to include sushi in the dramatic play area, make sure this is a food the child’s family eats.  Don’t make the mistake of assuming that because she is Japanese, they eat sushi.  Ensure you are making appropriate choices by consulting with family first.   (On that note children from Japan typically wear clothes similar to the clothes worn by children in the US.  You don’t need to include a Kimono because that is what you think you need to include to make the Japanese child feel more comfortable).

Well, we have some great starting elements for the environment.  Tune in to my next blog where I’ll talk a little about interactions with ELLs for both children and adults.

ELLs and the New Year

The beginning of the school year, the air vibrates with excitement and new possibilities.  Children arrive with stiff, new clothes and the classroom, sparkling and organized, awaits.  As children walk in tentatively and shy, it is a teacher’s role to make that child feel comfortable and find their place in the classroom.   This task becomes especially difficult when the child is walking in to a room of strangers, with strange new customs and particularly a strange new language.  Wow, what brave little souls they are!  What can we do to ease that BIG transition into the classroom? 

1. As we do for all children, we must prepare a space for each child to ensure that they have somewhere that belongs to them when they start feeling uncomfortable or overwhelmed.  This usually means a cubby with a name and picture of the child.  Why not attempt to write the child’s name correctly (accents and all) or sometimes it might even be appropriate to have the parent write the child’s name in their language with the correct alphabet. 
2. To go along with making the children feel comfortable, please please PLEASE show each of your children the respect they deserve by pronouncing their name properly.  Shortening or anglicizing a name just to make it easier on you, does not make it easier on the child.  It just adds to the overwhelming feelings of not belonging.   
3. Some classrooms might be lucky enough to have a bilingual teacher who can help support the non-English speaking children.  However as our demographics continue to shift; it is impossible to provide a native language speaker for all children.  However, it is possible to learn some key phrases and sayings to support children.   Things such as bathroom, it’s ok, hello, goodbye, eat, more can go a long way to make a child feel more comfortable.  Learn these words from parents, as different dialects often have different versions of the phrases and you could even print pictures in a little book so children can try to communicate when they have the need.
4. Understand the process of learning another language, and understand that each child will go through stages individually.  For example, I once worked with a child from Eritrea who within a matter of days was attempting regular communication.  Another child spent an entire year in the silent phase before she started communicating in full English sentences.  The child who waited a year was much more introverted than the other, and had there not been a native language speaker in the classroom, she would have been at risk for being referred for special needs. 
5. Along with communication, there has been studies that have shown that teachers unintentionally “ignore” children who don’t speak English.  Usually it is a feeble attempt to not make the child any more uncomfortable, however this just does the opposite.  Children learn based on relationships and children learn another language the same way they learn the first, by lots of practice and interaction. 

These are just a few of my suggestions on how to make a non-English speaking child feel comfortable those first couple days of school.  Starting out small, yet intentionally can set the stage for a great year.