Working with an interpreter

This is a continuation of the series that I started earlier this school year called, "Putting the Pieces Together for Effective ESOL". This post addresses how to work with an interpreter.

Today was parent-teacher conference day in our district. Since our district has over 17,000 ESOL students, interpreters were in high demand today! Our Office of Interpreting and Translating did not have enough Spanish interpreters to cover all of the requests. Being in the central ESOL office and not having to conduct conferences of my own, I was asked to step in and interpret at one of the schools I work with. While there, I realized that many teachers do not know how to work with an interpreter!

Schedule the interpreter ahead of time.
Especially if you live in a district with a limited number of interpreters or a high ELL population, be sure to put your request in with the interpreter's office as soon as you know the dates of conferences. This will ensure that you will be at the top of the list to receive an interpreter. Do not assume that your ESOL teacher will schedule an interpreter unless the two of you have discussed and agreed upon this. The ultimate responsibility for scheduling the interpreter lies with the classroom teacher.

Speak slowly, be succinct, and chunk your speech.
I want to interpret for the parent what you are saying as quickly as possible. If you talk for 10 minutes about Hector before stopping, I'm not going to remember and be able to communicate everything that you've said. Instead, slow down, and break your thoughts or ideas down into chunks of speech no longer than 6-8 sentences at a time. Similarly, be succinct in what you want to say- limit extraneous information, communicate only the most important ideas and expound only when necessary.

Look at the parent you are conversing with, not the interpreter.
As the interpreter, I will be looking at you because I am listening and interpreting what you say. However, you are not talking to ME, you are talking to the parent and that is who you should be looking at. Many parents who do not speak English still feel left out after leaving a conference with the teacher because the teacher talked to the interpreter, rather than to them.

Be sure to ask the parents if they have any questions.
Even teachers who do this in every other conference, often forget to do this when there is an interpreter present. The interpreter is there to translate what you say, and may not add extra information or ask if the parent has questions- that is YOUR job, so do not assume that the interpreter will do it.

I hope these tips for working with interpreters help you to lead successful, inclusive parent-teacher conferences!

Reaching out to the families of your English Language Learners

So, you have my deepest apologies that I have been MIA. I came down with the FLU! The last time I had the flu was when I was in college 10 years ago and got it as a result of the flu shot. Therefore, I don't get the shot, and I also don't usually get the flu.....until this year! Wowie......does it really take it out of you!

On the upside though, I'm feeling better and starting to get back in action. I don't have a great, new or exciting product to share with you right now. I can tell you about my Elementary Geometry Vocabulary Matching Cards, or you can head over to The Lesson Cloud and read all about them!

Today, I really wanted to discuss with you some ways that you can connect to the families of your English language learners. Every school that I have worked at has struggled with bringing in families to school events and PTA meetings, other than events where students were performing. At many of the schools I have worked at, this has been due to the fact that 2/3 or more of the school's population was LEP (Limited English Proficient). Often, due to cultural reasons, work reasons, and a myriad of other reasons, LEP parents are less likely to attend school functions and be actively involved in their student's education if they don't speak English.


I believe that parent involvement, whether in the home or at school, in English or the native language, is an important part of the school and learning experience, and this is especially true for LEP students. So, how can you help your LEP parents, especially those who don't speak English, to become more involved in their child's school experience?

Find out what times work best for your LEP parents and be flexible.
At many of the schools that I worked at, our LEP parents did not attend after-school events because they were working. In my experience, LEP parents often depend on older children to watch younger children in the evenings so they can work. Therefore, their days were free. We got huge response from our LEP parents by holding informational breakfasts. We would also set aside an area with activities and snacks for non-school age children with a staff assistant to monitor them so that parents could focus on the information they were receiving. Work with the ESOL Specialist at your school to make an event happen for your LEP parents.

Provide translators for informational sessions and school events.
Many LEP parents don't speak English themselves. The ones who do may still struggle to keep up with the pace of discussion at meetings or events. Most school districts with large numbers of LEP students receive Title III funds which can be used to purchase translators for events and document translation services. If parents know that they will be able to understand what is going on, ask questions, and participate, they will be more likely to show up. Would you go to a meeting that was held in Russian if you didn't speak Russian?

Show parents how much you appreciate their culture and diversity.
Hold schoolwide celebrations of cultural events like Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian Heritage Month, Cinco de Mayo, Lunar New Year, and other relevant cultural holidays to provide students the opportunity to learn about lots of different cultures. Invite students and their families to share cultural artifacts, recipes, experiences, music, and more.
Furthermore, encourage parents who don't speak English to practice math, reading and writing skills in the native language with their students. Students who have a strong foundation in their native language are usually more successful in acquiring a second language. This shows parents that you value their knowledge, language, culture, and contribution to their child's education.

Make use of community resources.
If your school has a large population of Peruvian immigrants, for example, then there are likely to be more than one Peruvian owned restaurant or business nearby. Visit those business and see if they would be willing to donate items for your parent meeting- food, door prizes, etc. Learn about other community organizations that speak the native languages of your LEP families and that can provide support and other services for them so that you can make this information available to families.

Provide volunteer opportunities for your LEP parents.
Find some tasks in your school that require little or no English proficiency, such as making copies, stuffing envelopes, or assembling bulletin boards. Make these available as volunteer opportunities for your LEP parents. If you have parents who are bilingual, ask them to volunteer to translate for school events or as a parent liaison.  

I hope these tips will help you to reach out to the families of your LEP students and help them become involved in their child's education. If you'd like more tips on the subject, check out this website.