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by Melissa Kurtz, who is taking 3 Spanish classes this semester.
We have all noticed the exploding population of Spanish speakers in Athens. Like the rest of the country, Athens has been learning to adapt to and welcome the recent immigrants. One aspect of this welcoming effort (and preparation for the future) is encouraging the development of bilingual skills in both the English and Spanish speaking communities. To this end, Alps Road Elementary School has created the English/Spanish Family Literacy Program. Funded in part by a mini-grant from UGA, this program includes three components: Spanish classes once a week to English speaking elementary students, Spanish classes once a week to English speaking adults, and English classes to Spanish - speaking adults twice a week. With a school population that is 10% Latino and growing more every day, Alps Road wanted to create a program that would encourage interaction between the English and Spanish speaking communities, increase literacy in both languages, and inspire more parental involvement in the children's education. To encourage participation in the English classes, Alps Road administrators have structured the program so that families need pay only $1/session, free transportation is available, and snacks and refreshments are always served. I have tried to make the environment as welcoming as possible by creating "stress-free" activities such as "Simon Says" and stressing that literacy skills are not necessary to participate in the class.
As I've been teaching the classes since January, class sizes in the ESOL classes have ranged from 7-15 students. They are all from Mexico, with the exception of one family from El Salvador. I find the students a joy to work with, not only because they teach me about Latino culture, but also because of their intense motivation to learn. My ultimate goals in teaching this course are for them to gain a sense of community with each other and the school and to help empower them in their daily lives. It has definitely been a learning process from both sides. Hopefully, with dedication and perseverance, we will all continue to work together towards these goals, and perhaps inspire other schools to initiate programs that focus on increasing interaction between the Spanish and English speaking segments of Athens.
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