My mother-in-law does not speak English. Her youngest son is four years old. He has been classified as being on the autism spectrum. He has gone through an early intervention program as well as ABA therapy. It is incredible how much progress he has made in the last two years. I can't help but think that his progress would be even greater if his mom spoke English. I don't mind that she doesn't speak that much English, however I do think that if she did speak English she could work with her son more. He speaks both English and Spanish, however, when he goes to say, "Can I please have that?' or " I do not want that" he will say, "I want, I want," or "NO, NO, No" because that is what his mom has the ability to say.
I think it would be a good idea if there were an after school program for parents who do not speak English so that they might learn the nursery rhymes that the students might be learning in school or learn how to properly say basic phrases in order to help their children progress in their non-native language. Colors, numbers, songs, rhymes and book titles could all be learned, which would benefit both parent and child. Just a meeting once a week with a teacher who speaks a different language or with a translator could make a world of difference. During these meeting times news letters and class events could be gone over as well. My young brother-in-law was singing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and his mom had no idea what the song was or what he was saying, because if was in English.
I am not sure this would even be considered by school officials,but I think it could help. What do you think of such a program? Should school officials consider establishing such a program? Would you be willing to work in a program for parents during after school hours? Do you think such a program would benefit both the parents and students, or is this just another "change the world daydream" of mine? Let us know your thoughts. Do you have any similar experiences with non-English speaking parents?
I have been in an autistic class where there is a boy who's parents do not speak English. They have a very hard time communicating back and forth with the teacher. They also have a very large family most of the children all have disabilities. It is unfortunate that the teacher cannot express her concerns with his parents because they do not understand each other. It would be a good idea for districts to have a translater for these families. This would mean there would have to be one on staff for when they are needed.
ReplyDeleteI believe that a program like the this would not only benefit families with children with disabilities, but all families that have non- English speaking parents. I observed in a classroom where there was a child with a family that only spoke Chinese at home. When it came time for parent teacher conferences, the student's older sister had to come in as a translator, because the mother did not speak English. The student struggled immensely in reading and I think that he would have been able to achieve more if he had additional support at home. I asked the student if he practiced reading at home and he said that he did, however he would read Chinese books with his mother.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very interesting idea. I think that this program would be very benefical for both parents and students who do not speak english. I do not know Spanish but I would be willing to learn the basics to help some of my spanish speaking students. I think this is a good idea and I think that it would be very helpful. It would help the students feel more invovled in the class. I think with some help from teachers and cooperation from parents this program could work. I also think that having a translator would be very beneficial to communicate information from school to home.
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