Helping Immigrants Help Their Children

For students who speak English as a second language, it can be difficult to keep up in school. They have to work harder to understand the content of their classes and homework, and what’s even more problematic is that they can’t get help from their parents. Parents who are not fluent in English find it challenging that they are not able to assist their children with their schoolwork due to lack of understanding.

The plight of these parents and their children has not gone unnoticed at Rosa Parks Elementary School in Portland, OR. Oregonlive.com reported a new program started by the school to solve the issue of the struggling ESL students at the root. Instead of merely doing their best with the kids and hoping to reach them, Rosa Parks Elementary has started providing evening classes for the parents. The classes are free, and the school provides complimentary babysitting to make the classes more accessible. The goals of this program are twofold. First of all, it gets parents more involved in their children’s education. Second, it builds the tools they need in order to be able to help their children succeed. The families come from all over the world, and there has been marked improvement in the children’s learning since the program’s inception last March.

An additional way to improve English is to look into online translation tools. Software such as WhiteSmoke Translator can contribute to significant improvement in spoken and written language. Aside from increasing proficiency in English, using translators can improve one’s confidence.