What Multi-Lingual Remote Students Need Right Now
Tazin Azad
Two teachers are FaceTiming on mom’s cell phone attempting to explain how a 6th grade student can complete an assignment on her ipad. Because the child, an English Language Learner (ELL), is having difficulty grasping the context of the assignment, mom scrambles to call me for interpretation support using the dad’s cell so that she, in turn, can support her child. Now we have three devices going, four adults, all of whom are absolutely invested in the child’s education, striving to help her understand what Langston Hughes’ poem ‘I, Too’ really means!
I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Teaching this child this poem without proper cultural context mangled the delivery no matter how sincere the teachers were. In Bangladeshi culture, generally, we call all men brothers and all women sisters (younger children use aunt and uncle). So when the teachers asked “What do you think the writer meant by this poem?” the child answered, “He just wants to have dinner.” The teachers tried again: “But what do you think he wanted to tell everybody or change?” and the girl said, “Hunger, that everyone has food!’ Which, in the context of Bangladesh, is a valid social issue! Sadly, the teachers missed the meaning she was making and the student couldn’t pick up on the teachers’ cues. The heartbreaking part is everyone there was trying their very very best!
It’s been a year since our children began to face the turmoil produced by this pandemic. ELL students and their families have been especially vulnerable to the compounded effects of language barriers; the digital divide; and socioeconomic, housing, and food insecurities.
Almost 13% of NYC public school students are language learners. The majority of these students are students of color. Given that the majority of Black and brown students have chosen remote learning, we know that many ELL students are also full time remote learners, and because of hybrid schedules most ELLs are learning remotely at least part of the time. ELLs also make up about 20% of students with Individual Education Plans or IEPs. Given that language learners fall in so many vulnerable categories, the academic wellbeing of ELL’s and all that contributes to it have become the priorities of many school’s Comprehensive Education Plan discussions. Across the board the impact of the pandemic is manifesting in the students’ attendance, learning, and social-emotional needs.
Scenarios like the “I too” example, can turn language learners off from engaging or even showing up for instruction. The New York City Department of Education (DOE) has not prepared for these moments, failing to provide appropriate ENL teachers, time and support for teachers wanting to create a remote learning curriculum appropriate for ELL students, or the culturally responsive social emotional support for when emotion and motivation hit rock bottom, which is what happened when this family ended this call with the teachers.
Although the DOE provided extensive guidance around in-person learning, they’ve offered very little direction about fully remote learning. Additionally, the DOE has failed to comply with the service mandates of ELL students, including those with IEPs. As a parent leader in my district, I’ve seen many instances where families were not informed of the options available to them after their child qualified for an ELL designation. Students are acting as interpreters for their parents at IEP meetings. Parent-teacher conferences have become short check-in calls where the child’s transcript is presented, followed by the parents’ plea for tutoring or other academic support, and nothing else. Such are the plights of ELL students during this pandemic.
How can the New York City Department of Education turn this around?
· Create and refine remote learning practices for language learners and make sure they are being taught by licensed ENL teachers. We know that when we center the needs of the most vulnerable, everyone benefits.
· Curate culturally responsive SEL and trauma informed teaching practices.
· Provide intentional academic support to remote learners.
· Engage in meaningful parent engagement with ELL students’ families which must include but not be limited to translation and interpretation and seek support from local CBOs to achieve this if and where necessary
· Finally, gather and publicly present data as to compliance of service provided to ELL students and ELL students with IEPs, as well as a comprehensive plan as to how to rectify issues that arise.
In the state of New York, all students are entitled to a fair and equitable education. As an elected parent leader, I advocate for the educational system of New York City to make sure that promises on paper are kept. When multilingual families are truly at the table, the beauty of our diverse experiences and learning needs can be realized. We, too, are America, and this is not too much to expect.
Tazin Azad is an elected member of the District 22 Community Education Council, a District Parent Advisory Committee chair, and a member of the PRESS NYC steering committee. She’s a multilingual immigrant, and this identity informs the perspective she has and the lens through which she views the educational system, its students, and its families.
