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Helping us understand each other
By Kate Carter kcarter@onlineathens.com
Outreach to Spanish-speaking parents continues to expand as the number of Latino families with children in Clarke County's public schools increases.
Parent-teacher conferences are being conducted this week, and nearly every elementary school has translators to bridge the gap between teachers and Spanish-speaking families. Barbara Duke, director of instructional support programs for the school district, said that all parents needing a translator will have access to one.
''If any school needs help with translations, this office will see that someone is there,'' said Duke.
Lily Erp, the bilingual liaison at Chase Street Elementary School, organized four classes of University of Georgia students to translate conferences Tuesday at Chase Street, Alps Road, Cleveland Road and Whitehead Road Elementary schools.
Chase Street's student body is approximately 30 percent Latino, and the other three schools have a combined total of nearly 200 Spanish-speaking students. Erp, who has established a relationship with UGA's department of Romance languages, decided to help arrange translations for those schools, which have significant Latino populations, but not enough to fund a bilingual liaison.
At Alps Road Tuesday evening, a group of UGA students prepared to greet the school's Latino families. Somewhat nervous and quite excited, they recognized the weighty role they would play in brokering understanding between teachers and parents who do not speak the same language.
''It's a fun thing and it helps bridge the gap between the university and the schools,'' said sophomore Scott Scharf.
''I'm really nervous,'' he added. ''What happens when they say 'Your child is behaving horribly,' and I turn to a happy mother?''
UGA student Farnaz Kadkhodaian said she has been studying an example of a report card, practicing what she may say in different circumstances.
''I'm more nervous about understanding what the parents say, because they may speak way too fast and I won't understand,'' she said.
Alps Road parent Deicy Quintero, who arrived in Athens from Colombia just over a year ago, said it has been frustrating to not be as involved in her children's education as she was in Colombia. But she had high hopes for the parent-teacher conference that she awaited Tuesday.
''(Having a translator) makes me feel a little calmer and more secure because I will be more involved in the educational process of my children,'' she said.
Whitehead Road Elementary School Assistant Principal Daniel Lakly said he thinks Whitehead's Latino population has nearly doubled in the past year. Incorporating the parents into the school, Lakly said, has become more and more important as the numbers rise.
''Oh, without the parents, we wouldn't have nearly as much success with the children,'' said Lakly.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, April 3, 2002.
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/040302/ath_20020403028.shtml
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