Bilingual education in the Newcomer Center at Belmont High School

by Nereida Hernandez

Introduction Bilingual education is a necessity in a multicultural society whose majority is made up of minorities. It helps students to deal with the trauma of not understanding what it's being said in a classroom. Teaching students in their native language accomplishes two tasks: first, students understand the concepts well, and second, students are motivated to understand both languages well through the process of translation. In addition, those who speak more than one language have more than one world to inhabit. Students' minds are open to more than one culture and to wider perspectives of life. Teaching students in their native language creates an atmosphere of respect for the American society that allows it, in addition to the eventual and logical understanding of English as well. The immigrant community that surrounds Belmont High School in Los Angeles is a community plagued by innumerable, vast, and complex problems. The problems are the following: poverty, with all its limitations and the frustrations that it provokes in a capitalist country like ours, where you are valued based on what you have. Drugs, and all the violence that is needed to obtain such drugs, and the impotence of individuals who are already addicts and who have to rob and/or kill in order to keep their vice. Overpopulation, as a result of the lack of information, or as a continuation of the abusive use of Welfare, adopting it as a lifestyle that has survived for generations. The initiation of young and not so young people into gangs as a desperate scream for attention. Attention that often parents cannot provide to their children for they do not have the time, nor the desire, after a long work day, to establish the bonds of love and confidence that a child should grow up with. But despite these facts that make this community a hard place to live, there is something positive in its midst. Something that has offered, and still offers immigrants a way out. This is like a ray of hope that rises every day for the ones who are well disposed to be illuminated by knowledge. This ray of hope and comfort is offered by a small community of dedicated professionals and respectful students who make up the body of Belmont High School right in the heart of this troubled community that encloses so much suffering for so many misplaced individuals. These individuals belong to groups of families who had to leave what they knew and the environment they felt comfortable in simply because they wanted a better opportunity for themselves and their children. Unfortunately such good intentions many times entail the future breakdown of the family unit. Thus the problem is made worse. But proven by sporadic successes, the existence of Belmont High School, and more specifically, the Newcomer Center at Belmont High School, stands in the community as a monument to hope, and to the great benefits that education offers to those who are willing to embrace its all-giving and invigorating arms. Tragically, this heaven, once a great source of hope, is quickly disappearing due to new laws. A great example of this is Proposition 227, a law that prohibits the teaching in Californian public schools, of classes in any language that is not English, besides the classes of foreign language taught in High School. If the wrong decisions are continued to be made by a deluded public, and nothing is done to help these young people, we might face chaos and a worsening of the situation for all of us. BOUNDARIES Belmont High School is located a half-mile west of City hall and the Civic Center of Los Angeles, and about a mile South of Dodger Stadium. It is on 1575 West Second Street, to be exact.. The student body lives within the area bordered by Alvarado St, Stadium way, Spring, First St, Spring again, Washington Blvd, Venice, Pico Blvd., Kingsley and Temple. (See the map next page) THE NEWCOMERS The Belmont community is mainly composed of new immigrants. The group I will study and analyze are the newcomers. The Newcomer Center at Belmont High School is a program in the school that functions as a school within the school. The center accommodates approximately 450 students who are new arrivals in this country. The Newcomer program was designed to ease immigrant students into this new environment. The program offers mainly English as a Second Language ESL classes; it also provides Spanish-speaking students the opportunity to take classes in their primary language. The Spanish language classes are: Health, Educational Career Planning ECP, Math, Biology, Physical Education PE, and Language and Arts in the Primary Language LAPL. After one year at the Center, students are assigned to classes in the larger Belmont program. As a result of the approval of proposition 227, a law that prohibits education in the student's primary language, the Newcomer Center, as all the schools of the Los Angeles Unified School District, has to revise its basic bilingual program. It was divided into four options known as: Model A, Model B, Basic Bilingual, and Mainstream. When a student is enrolled in the Newcomer Center, the parent or guardian is clearly informed what the options are, and of the programs that the Center offers. Parents often do not understand which is the right kind of education for their children. Some parents also confuse themselves by thinking that the more English classes a student is taking, the faster the student will be familiarized with the language. It could be true with some exceptional children, as Ms. Brantley, a Newcomer's teacher, suggested, "unless the student is very exceptional and has grade level literacy in their primary language, it will be extremely difficult and a very long process to acquire a second language sufficient to graduate from High School, and attend college." If such conditions are met, the acquisition of the second language would be certainly a lot faster than for an average student. One of the suggestions from Mr. Gonzales, another Newcomer's teacher, was that the school should decide where to place their students instead of a proposition or parents. He states, "the students should be tested periodically to see where they should be placed." Students digest knowledge at a different pace. They should, then, advance differently. Students should not be limited by a law that was passed by a public that is not familiar with the way a student learns. Education involves so many varying factors for so many varied individuals that to presume that we can fix a problem by having a deluded group of voters pass a law is plain folly. The Newcomer center has to deal also with the problem of illiteracy. Some of its students have never had any formal education. For some of them it is even difficult to communicate with their peers in their own language. The reasons are as diverse as their level of education. Some of them came from small villages where there was no school. In other cases, their parents didn't want them to attend school and kept them working in the house or helping in the fields. Others simply didn't want to go to school because they didn't like it. In the most severe cases, the tasks of the school becomes two fold because we are talking about students who are 14 years old or older, who can hardly write their names. These students need more time and attention than students with formal education. It stands to reason, then, that their classes should be mainly in their first language. It is a good thing that proposition 227 left room to waive students from the structured English immersion programs, otherwise most of the illiterate students would be in limbo. The options that the Newcomer Center offers to students are: Model A: According to LAUSD (see reference 20) "model A is designed to provide a structured presentation of English with increasing instruction of core content material as English proficiency grows." In model A the teacher speaks only English to the students, but he/she has a teacher assistant or paraprofessional who speaks the student's primary language. Model B: (See reference 20) "The teacher's task in Model B differs only in the way two languages are used within the class period to assure that both the core content and the language or the content are taught. The proposed model is one that seeks to balance primary language and English in a way to move the course content forward each day while introducing new language and reviewing previously introduced language each day." In Model B, the teacher must be a certified bilingual teacher, and he/she uses both languages in the class. Basic Bilingual: is the old traditional program in which classes are taught in Spanish and English. There are two periods of ESL classes, but other classes are taught in their primary language. Mainstream: Classes are taught completely in English. The information below was taken from the LEP program Information Sheet (Updated 10-98) and it was information distributed to LAUSD teachers. (See reference # 21) "If the student is identified LEP (Limited English Proficient), he/she is assigned to one of the following Master Plan Programs. Structured English Immersion Model A: -Instruction Daily in English -Language Arts taught daily in English -Access to content through SDAIE -Primary language for clarification provided by the teacher assistant. Structured English Immersion Model B: -Instruction primarily in English -Language Arts taught daily primary in English -Access to content through SDAIE -Primary language used for concept development provided by the teacher Waiver to the Basic Program -English Language Development (2 periods of ESL) -Language Arts taught in the primary language -Access to content classes in the primary language -All other classes taught in English through SDAIE Preparation for Redesignation Program: This program is designed for English learners who have completed the sequence of English as a second language described in the District's curriculum but have not yet met Redesignation requirements. These students continue to develop academic English language in grade-level English classes taught using SDAIE techniques." Regarding the textbooks that a class will use, the LAUSD dictates: "Textbooks for Model A must be in English with some primary language support materials. Textbooks for Model B may be in English and in the primary language. Primary language materials support new conceptual learning and serve as a resource to students." The Newcomer Center has made available to the parents three of the four programs: Model A, Model B, and Basic Bilingual where they can choose. Unfortunately, great numbers of parents do not have the time to read the information, after a long day of work, or they do not give the importance that their children's education deserves. Nonetheless, the information is mailed to them. (See reference # 26) It is important that students focus their energy in learning the new language for their own success in future only-English classes. The opportunity to still take classes in their primary language will be there if needed. Eventually, I believe, this will make the transition to English a lot easier. The considerations that the parents must take into account, before taking the decision on what model the child needs, are: the child schooling, services offered by the school and the parent interaction. The previous schooling that the child had prior to coming to the U.S., the English education that he/she has, if any, could help the parent decide whish kind of education his/her child could get. Many foreign schools teach English as a second language. The services that the school offers besides the curricular classes, such as tutoring after school, etc., and important details to consider when deciding the right kind of education for a child. How can parents help their children to learn English faster and better is also a tool used by parents to decide the school they want for their children. Having the mentioned factors in consideration, the parents could choose the program of immersion more appropriate to their child's needs. COMMUNITY Students of immigrant families constitute the Newcomer Center. A world of different languages, but predominantly Spanish, is spoken in the halls. It's not just the languages, but also the varied cultural habits and ideas that coexist in this center that makes the Newcomer center a small clear representation of what Los Angeles is: everyone's land. As it is mentioned, the majority of the students at the center speak Spanish, 373 out of 454, to be exact. (See reference # 23) Bilingual education helps them to minimize the stress they are experiencing. Bilingual education helps them to face the huge problems of readjustment that the students are going through. The main problem for most is the breakup of the family unit. It is very difficult for a whole family to come together to this country. Generally it is one member of the family who comes first and little by little the first one helps other members to join him or her. Many students are in the middle of the chain. Somebody brought them, and part of the family is waiting to come. Maintaining their primary language is very important to the majority of the students in the Newcomer Center. According to a survey answered by 68 of the 454 students that made up the student body, 93% of the surveyed students think that maintaining their primary language is important. The native language is what connects a person to his/her roots. CULTURE SHOCK Imagine that you are on vacation, traveling to a foreign country, a country that you have only heard about. It would not be long before you found out the fairy tales never come close to reality. You will suffer a shock. To make the matter worse, a different language is spoken in that country. At least you have the idea that home and relatives are waiting for you. This is not the case with the students at the Newcomer center who are not tourists; otherwise, why would they bother to enroll in school? They are or their parents are planning to stay here for a long period of time. They have to adjust themselves to a totally different way of life. Starting with their family, some of the students do not have the privilege of living with their parents. They live with brothers, sisters, or any other relative. In the worst cases, they live with stepfathers, or stepmothers who are total strangers to them. They are not yet familiarized with the environment at their new home. Then, to top it all off, there comes another challenge: school. I am myself a product of the Newcomer Center. I remember my first day of school. I was 17 years old when I came to this country. I was afraid of everything. I did not want to be noticed. I feared that anyone would discover what I thought was my "sin": not speaking English. People are usually afraid of huge changes, but when it is discovered that the ones who are around are going through the same situation the tension diminishes. TRADITIONAL VALUES One of the most common misunderstandings between teachers and newcomer students is values. Newcomer students are very dependent on their teachers. They seem to need approval every step of the way. They still have to learn that individuality and independence are highly appreciated in this country. Another characteristic frequently misunderstood is eye contact. To show respect, students from some other cultures (including Hispanics) tend to lower their eyes. US Teachers might interpret this gesture as one of ignoring him/her. On the other hand students may think that looking at the teacher straight to the eye is a challenge. Silence also could be misunderstood. Silence makes Americans feel uncomfortable when they ask a question. They expect quick responses and conversational exchanges. "Silence to Hispanics is not indifference or disagreement, but it communicates deference and respect. (See reference # 7). To avoid misinterpretations of these cultural differences, a teacher must be fully aware of them and try to help students as much as possible to understand the new culture. To help newcomer students, teachers and school personnel need to attend the following (see reference # 7) -address diversity, -be aware of personal cultural values and attitudes, -withhold judgments until situational facts are known, and -understand the impact of cultural similarities and differences on the lives of students and parents to help lessen culture shock and facilitate acculturation. Bilingual education makes a closer-to-home environment. It gives the parents who do not speak English an opportunity to interact with their children in their education, or at least try to deal with their subject matters, whereas, if the whole instruction were in English, many of the family members wouldn't be able to contribute. To the students, having the support of the family in the first year of schooling makes the transition less painful. SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT The Newcomer Center at Belmont High School is located in a community surrounded by violence. In this community, shootings and gang fights are normal, as common as the sound of ambulances. Drugs are all over the place. The corner of 3rd and Bonnie Brae was for a long time, and still is to a great extent, an underground market for drugs. Drug dealers had developed a "secret" code (everyone who lived near that area knew about it) to prevent themselves from being caught by the police. There were spies all around the block and when a police patrol passed by, the one was supposed to whistle and alert the others. Little by little the community became used to them, to the point that neighbors considered them friendly. While Belmont High School is located within a police division (Rampart) that has one of the highest crime rates in Los Angeles, the school itself is viewed as being relatively safe. "It is orderly, ranking third in the District for least number of suspensions." (See reference # 21). Even though the school is considered safe, it is common to hear that students are bothered or threatened before and/or after school. It happens so frequently that at the beginning of the present semester, during an entire week, one of the administrators would voice a list of recommendations to students. Some of these are as follows: "walk in groups from and to school; do not hang around school at the end of the day; do not carry any jewelry with you or any other valuables that may draw attention." If recommendations like these are necessary for an administrator of the school to point out in a "safe" school, it is hard to imagine the list for an unsafe school. This list would be translated to Spanish to make sure that more students understood the important message. For the same reason the list was translated to Spanish, to cover a greater number of students, it is also important to make all the messages in the education of a child as clear as possible. It is vital to make people aware of the environment they live in, and it is indispensable to make sure it is fully understood. SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND The majority of the newcomer families' income is very low. First consider Meal Eligibility at the Center. According to the information provided by the center (see reference 22) 445 (98%) of the 454 students enrolled this semester in the program are eligible for free meals; only 6 (1.4%) are eligible for reduced price; 1 (.2%) student has to pay full price, and 2 (.4%) students are non-participants. Here is a chart of the 1998-99 Eligibility scale for free and reduced price meals. 1998-99 ELIGIBILITY SCALE FOR FREE AND REDUCED PRICE MEALS TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME BEFORE DEDUCTIONS (Effective July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999) HOUSE- MONTHLY YEARLY HOLD SIZE FREE REDUCED FREE REDUCED 1* $0-873 $874-$1,242 $0-$10,465 $10,466-$14,893 2 0-1,176 1,177-1,673 0-14,105 14,106-20,073 3 0-1,479 1,480-2,105 0-17,745 17,746-25,253 4 0-1,783 1,784-2,537 0-21,385 21,386-30,433 5 0-2,086 2,087-2,968 0-25,025 25,026-35,613 6 0-2,389 2,390-3,400 0-28,665 28,666-40,793 7 0-2,693 2,694-3,832 0-32,305 32,306-45,973 8 0-2,996 2,997-4,263 0-35,945 35,946-51,153 For each additional household member add: $304 $432 $3,640 5,180 * A household of one (1) means a foster child, an institutionalized child, or a child who is his/her sole support. Statistics such as the meal eligibility of students provide insight into the economical situation of the majority of the newcomer student's family is. In many cases, new immigrant students are required by their parents or relatives to work a part-time job after school to contribute to their family's budget. Economic difficulties at home play an important role in learning. How can a student who works long hours be expected to produce the same amount of school work as one who does not work? How can they compete? A student lucky enough not to work has a great advantage. He has nothing else to do, but homework and some duties at home like washing the dishes or vacuuming the carpet. On the other hand, the one who has to work will be probably doing homework, at night if he/she is responsible at all, fighting not to fall asleep. After a few hours of sleep, the part-time worker and full-time students must prepare for the full new day. Besides having to confront the accelerated life-style newly acquired, students now have to face accelerated ways of learning English. Students will learn English as fast as each one of them can, according to their own possibilities and capacities, no matter what Model or curriculum they study under. They know they have to read, write and speak English here in order to function in this society. They know (particularly the ones who work) that if they want any more than a low-wage job, they must go to school. They have to learn the language. Why not make the process as painless as possible? Many of the newcomers have a tough life outside the school. Some of them have the responsibility of work, some of them have children, some of them are living with relatives away from the nuclear family. Why not make the classroom a more home-like environment, providing the students with classes in a language they can clearly understand? Parents of the Newcomers also have a lot of things to worry about besides their children's education. Usually both parents have to work, even though in some cases due to the great number of infants in the house it is preferable or cheaper for the mother to stay at home. In the case where the couple both work, the relationship with their offspring weakens. Unless parents are carefully trying to spend time with their children, the idea of spending quality time with children is simply a nonexistent illusion. Time is needed to make a living, and insensitivity from parents does not allow this to happen, they do not spend time with them. Children, parents, and society in general lose much through this negligence. In the case of Newcomer students the distance between them and their family makes the student look for company, advice, even self-identity in other places, in other people. This lack of family harmony makes a newcomer a perfect prey to gangs. Many newcomer students view older gang members as models, models that people fear, models with power, persons who would defend them if they are in trouble. It defies logic to see how these same students are not as much impressed by those gang members walking around with canes, and crutches: the result of gang shootings. It is all part of a vicious cycle. With no education, students will not be able to have a better job, they will not move up the economic ladder, and if they do it might be by selling drugs. They will be prosecuted, and put in jailed, or killed which is the worst. In that case, why bother to come to this country. It is obviously not the idea of their families or their own, to come to this country to end up being killed, or put in jail. It has happened and will continue happening because the facts still conjugate to make up the formula. Perhaps we need those who fail in order to appreciate those who succeed. Bilingual education is necessary because tutors cannot be paid by most of the newcomer's families. The English classes that the students attend at school are usually the only time when the student of the immigrant family hears English. When a student, whose family speaks English at home is placed in a mainstream classroom, it would be easier for him/her to ask questions at home, to complete his/her homework and to understand the concepts being taught in the classroom. The student could be helped by the mother or someone else at home. Someone could explain to him/her, in the privacy of their house the concepts in the language that the student is trying to understand more clearly. This is an ideal that is not within reach of most of the students at the Newcomer Center. According to a survey at the Center (See reference # 23) 62 out of 68 students speak only their native language (which is not English), only 6 of the 68 students said that they speak both languages (two of them said they speak "a little English"). With such a low rate in the use of English among newcomer's families, classes in their native language, before being mainstreamed into English make sense. These classes contribute to the family interaction on the education of their children, and the student will not feel the frustration of not understanding anything at all. SOCIAL SERVICES The Newcomer Center offers tutoring classes after school and Impact groups with the purpose of helping the students with their English classes and their personal problems. Daily, from 3:20 to 4:15, a teacher is available to help students with doubts and problems about their classes. The teachers are Newcomer's teachers that stay after school three or four days each month. At the Newcomer center only two teachers out of seventeen speak only English, but they are not the ones helping in tutoring classes. There is also a teacher's assistant in the classroom every day to help students on a one-to-one basis. Unfortunately a survey shows that only 15 out or 64 students attend the tutoring classes. (See reference # 23) The tutoring classes also offer a place to study that many students don't have at home. It also offers a quiet environment where they can concentrate. There are dictionaries and other important materials that they may lack at home and more important: the classes provide the help of a professional ready to answer their questions. Teachers and school personnel know very well that English is the subject that students have more questions about, and thus they encourage the students to ask such questions during the tutoring class. The other kind of help to students at the center is known as the Impact program. The Impact program is an informal meeting, once a week for one hour, with people with similar problems. The most common groups are the students with children, students using drugs, and students facing problems at home such as the divorce of their parents or the death of a close relative. Teachers referred students to the groups when they had seen unusual in their classrooms. Once they are in a group, students just talk about their problems and then listen to others. With the guidance of a teacher, the program helps the students by showing that they are not alone with their problems. Sometimes they watch videos of people who have been in the same situation and who have overcome it. The intention here is to create an environment of acceptance that builds a positive attitude, and self-esteem that can translate to their class-work. It is also very important that students can communicate with the teacher in charge of the group and with their peers. The teacher is bilingual and she/he allows the students to speak in the language with which he/she feels comfortable. SUCCESSES The list of successful people who went through bilingual education would be uncountable. More and more people are adding their name to that list everyday. One example of the successes is Mr. Oregel, an English teacher at Belmont High School. He came to United States when he was 9 years old. He said that bilingual classes made him feel that his difficult situation was not so bad. Now, as a teacher at Belmont, he helps his students with the difficult challenge of learning a new language. Another example is the first Latina to serve on the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Leticia Quezada. (See reference # 6) Quezada was born in Mexico. She came to United States when she was 13 years old. She said, "because of my own experience as a child who was Spanish-speaking and struggling, poor and powerless, I want to help made a change." She understands what it is to be in a classroom where the language used by the teacher is not understand. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in education. She is now one of the main supporters of the Master Plan for the Education of the Limited English Proficient Students. "I think all children should be bilingual. It makes sense in this, a multicultural city in a multicultural state in a multicultural nation," Leticia Quezada said. THE FUTURE Bilingual Education should be reformed, not eliminated. The initial plan was developed to ease the process of learning English for non-native English speakers. It was an important step that the nation took towards the path of acceptance as a multicultural society. Proposition 227 is a step backwards. We are going back to the times of segregation. Is not a lesion that we already learned? Bilingual teachers should be more educated in their specific areas so that they can contribute to the enhancement of the program. Prop. 227 should be abolish by the courts because it is an unjust measure for the children and their future. As voters we should be more responsible to read what it is written on the ballot, so we can make wiser decisions. - References: 1 Krashen, Stephen D. UNDER ATTACK: THE CASE AGAINST BILINGUAL EDUCATION. Language Education Associates. 1996. 2 Ramirez, Arnulfo: BILINGUALISM THROUGH SCHOOLING: CROSS- CULTURAL EDUCATION FOR MINORITY AND MAJORITY STUDENTS. 3 Ellroy, James . L.A. CONFIDENTIAL 4 Davis, Mike. ECOLOGY OF FEAR, LOS ANGELES AND THE IMAGINATION OF DISASTER. 5 Baker, Barbara and Wilmington, Carol. Belmont High School. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Accreditation Committee Visit. April 1997. 6 Quintalla, Michael "Voice of Experience. Painful Memories Buoy Leticicia Quezada's Fight for Bilingual Schools." LAT January 28, 1990. 7 Anderson, Jan F. "Bilingual methods beneficial - some more than others." CTA Action, November 1991. 8 Stewart, Jill "LA Mummified" New Times LA November 5, 1998. 9 Ballesteros-Coronel, Mary, "Estudian posibilidad de eximir 30 escuelas de la Prop. 227" La Opinion. 3 A September 16, 1998. 10 Ballesteros - Coronel Mary, "Acusan a Distrito Escolar de Burbank de segregacion." La Opinion 1B September 19, 1998. 11 Sahagun, Louis and Anderson, Nick. "Hundreds Wait for Bilingual Education" LAT B1 October 23, 1998. 12 Helfand, Duke "School Board Seeks Prop. 227 Exemption for 34 L.A. Campuses. LAT B5 September 25 1998. 13 Pyle, Amy and Perry, Tony "Candidates Focus on Education in Wake of Debate" LAT A3 August 28 1998. 14 Dolan, Maura and Anderson Nick "Bilingual Teaching Backers Win Key Court Decision" LAT A3 August 28, 1998. 15 Lee Colvin, Richard "Prop. 227 Delays Reading Lessons in English" LAT A1 October 9, 1998. 16 Nguyen, Tina. "Waivers Okd for Bilingual Programs." LAT A3 September 4, 1998. 17 Smith, Lynn. "The School of Heart Knocks" LAT September 10,1998. 18 Brown, Diane "First Dys of School Testing Prop. 227." Tribune San Gabriel Valley. September 25, 1998. 19 Joe, Crosby, "Immersion Students Seek Waivers" Daily News 4 Local September 5, 1998. 20 LAUSD Memorandum No. M-60 PROP. 227 IMPLEMENTATION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 21 Tydeman, Diane. Bilingual Coordinatior. Belmont High School: LEP Program Information Sheet. (updated 10-98) 22 Records form the Newcomer Center's Admissions Office. Attached: -23 Survey no. 1 to the students. -24 Survey no. 2 to the teachers. -25 Los Angeles Unified School District Parental Exception Waiver -25 Implementation of Prop. 227 (Spanish Version)