In Howard County, there was been an incredible influx of Burmese refugees in the past several years- many of whom work at Coastal Sunbelt Produce. And this year, the company forged a partnership with the local Bollman Bridge Elementary School. Laurel Conran is an elementary school teacher who has volunteered her time to go to the company’s lunch break to teach about 2 dozen Burmese workers, mostly parents, some practical English skills. She has taught them how to call in sick for work, or even how to work an oven. Her philosophy is that by teaching parents English, we can build stronger ties within the school community and help educate entire families, not just the students. There is a communication breakdown between families of immigrant children and teachers because often the parents do not speak English.
I was just thinking about how this philosophy of educating parents to help the children and their families within a school system could work in Baltimore. We do have a small immigrant population, particularly at schools like Moravia Park. Many schools, including my own, have some ELL students whose parents do not speak English- thus making communicating with families extremely difficult. While we translate progress reports, report cards, and important letters home, I think about the lack of face-to-face communication with those parents of students in my class who do not speak English. When a conversation requires an interpreter, it can be easy to shy away. But by encouraging families to learn some English and with teachers working to build these ties, we can create an open and inviting atmosphere for all of our families. We can cut down on absences for unnecessary reasons, keep parents informed, and make them feel welcome to our schools. I wonder if schools with a higher ELL population will adopt such a program in their school communities.
1 comment:
The work of Laurel Conran goes above and beyond.
I believe her philosophy is correct, but I wonder what it would take to make an impact over multiple schools, let alone an entire city.
It would take dozens, if not hundreds, of Conrans to make an impact on Baltimore City Schools at large, but I believe we can all make an meaningful impact on the students we serve by taking a hint by her work and going out of our way to connect parents to the school community.
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