Connection Between School and Home

The socioeconomic culture within a classroom will always vary, as will the sociocultural surroundings within a classroom. Every classroom has a different dynamic makeup and teachers will struggle with a variety of specific needs from their students. When working with students that are English Language Learners there are a few attributes that need to be present: patience, a positive attitude, and a willingness to help.

Many ELL's are thrown into the education system in their new state within the United States without much exposure to the cultural side of the country. They have grown up in their own home with their family and have adapted to the culture that was around them. They are sure to be shocked when it comes to the exposure of new people and their lifestyles. The culture within the United States is likely to make them uncomfortable and this also will keep them a little more cautious of their surroundings as well as more quiet due to their not fitting in. It takes people a while to adapt to new surroundings.

Language is an area where ELL's might feel uncomfortable, since they are starting to adapt to the new environment and are then forced to start learning a new language. In most cases, families do not speak English within the home, and there is tension as the task can be quite challenging. It is difficult for ELL students to jump into a school and succeed while adapting to a new environment, new language, and often new priorities pressured on them by their parents or their new school. It is here where an educator needs to provide the most patience and concern for their ELL student so that they can support their efforts and engage this student as well as their family.

In Lake County, Florida there are many services for students that are ELL's. There are programs within the schools individually for tutoring, as well as through the library. There are teachers that are specific to the different schools that go into different classrooms and assist students individually with their understanding of the English language, providing reading assistance for tests or to watch over the students as they complete work and ensure for understanding. Many teachers are allotted to come in for fifteen minutes or more per day to assist with this task per ELL student. There are reading programs within the library as well as churches that support schools and will come in and work with students that are struggling with English.

There are several schools that are Title I schools that have supplemental library items games, books, and other materials for parents to check out and utilize that can help parents of ELL's at home with supporting computer games or listening materials, as well as guided worksheets in English and Spanish. The Parent Teacher Organization also helps provide tools and learning strategies in workshops and other one-on-one support meetings for ELL families to help prepare their students for upcoming assignments and tests. The school's motto is "We are family" and they truly pride themselves on working together with all parents to provide support and a nurturing environment for all students.

Schaefer has a great guideline that brings parents and schools together with six points: communicating, parenting, student learning, volunteering, decision making and advocacy. Within these points, there are great guidelines for schools to be involved with encouraging families of ELL students to be actively involved in their child's education. Communication is important and since many families don't speak English at home, either flyers and information needs to go home in Spanish as well, or a phone call can be made to provide these families with some more personal information. Parents need to be informed of what is going on in their student's learning, as well as what volunteering they can be participating in within the school.

"Parent's involvement in their child's school has a positive effect on academic success. Immigrant families often don't know how to assist their children at home, especially if they speak little English." (Borba, P. 3) Some schools have orientation nights specifically for Spanish speaking families, just as though they would for English speaking families. This provides a more comfortable atmosphere for parents, since they can engage with other families that speak Spanish and can get them to enter the school to learn more about the school, their programs, and how they can help. Generally, once people are within the school, the changes are very likely that they can be involved. Often, people just need to feel comfortable with their surroundings, and an orientation specific to Spanish speakers is a great way to accommodate ELL's and their families.

Parents can volunteer in a number of ways. Many teachers adapt their text for their students, and parents that speak Spanish can help provide recordings of material in Spanish, where the teacher helps provide the recording of the work in English. (Haneda, 2010). This helps students really retain the information and start to learn and understand how the English language works.

In conclusion, the most important aspect of involvement for ELL families is to provide a supportive community environment where they feel comfortable, safe, and can contribute. This is truly the same for any person that walks into a school. Every family that walks into a school has specific needs. Generally those needs start with safety, comfort, and once these elements are proven, people start to actively engage more with the needs of the school. This creates the community feel of schools and a school can shine when families and schools work to support each other.

References

Borba, M. (2009) Caring Closes the Language Learning Gap. Phi Delta Kappan. May Edition. Acquired from EBSCO on October 21, 2010.

Hardin, B. et all. (2009) Investigating Parent and Professional Perspectives Concerning Special Education Services for Preschool Latino Children. Early Childhood education. Acquired from EBSCO on October 21, 2010.

Haneda, M. (2010) Becoming Literate in a Second Language: Connecting Home, Community,and School Literacy Practices. Acquired from EBSCO on October 21, 2010.

Schaeffer, M. (2002) National Standards for Family Involvment. Maryland Classroom May Edition. Vol. 7, No. 3. Acquired through Angel on October 19, 2010.

Zeece, P. et all. (2009) Books and Good Stuff: A Strategy for Building School to Home Literacy Connections. Early Childhood Education. Acquired through EBSCO on October 21, 2010.