Translating in Class?

[Anonymous]

My daughter just told me that her 5th grade class has a new child that only speaks Spanish. There is another child in the class that is kinda bilingual. The teacher is using google translator to talk to her directly and she says after a few sentences when speaking to the whole class, she pauses so the other bilingual girl can translate to her the same few sentences, and then this continues every few sentences. Does this truly happen in other schools? Who just sends a 5th grader into a school, that doesn't know any English? Does the teacher have to continue this bilingual lessons. It must eat up so much time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter just told me that her 5th grade class has a new child that only speaks Spanish. There is another child in the class that is kinda bilingual. The teacher is using google translator to talk to her directly and she says after a few sentences when speaking to the whole class, she pauses so the other bilingual girl can translate to her the same few sentences, and then this continues every few sentences. Does this truly happen in other schools? Who just sends a 5th grader into a school, that doesn't know any English? Does the teacher have to continue this bilingual lessons. It must eat up so much time.

Are you kidding?? Wow, you live in a bubble, huh?

[Anonymous]

I taught in a rural school with a significant migrant population. We did our best. What are you willing to do to improve things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter just told me that her 5th grade class has a new child that only speaks Spanish. There is another child in the class that is kinda bilingual. The teacher is using google translator to talk to her directly and she says after a few sentences when speaking to the whole class, she pauses so the other bilingual girl can translate to her the same few sentences, and then this continues every few sentences. Does this truly happen in other schools? Who just sends a 5th grader into a school, that doesn't know any English? Does the teacher have to continue this bilingual lessons. It must eat up so much time.

What should be done instead, in your opinion?

[Anonymous]

My kids go to a focus school that is 50% Hispanic and they frequently have new students who speak no English. I’ve never heard of this. Are you sure your child isn’t exaggerating? I could see the teacher translating a sentence or two, but doubt it was the whole lesson.

[Anonymous]

Be sure to go on Observation Day and observe. Kids frequently confuse quantities, times, etc... even at 10 years old. For example... "It took 5 minutes" when it was either 30 minutes or 20 seconds.

[Anonymous]

We have a bilingual teacher (last year) who did both spanish and english. I give the teacher credit for trying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter just told me that her 5th grade class has a new child that only speaks Spanish. There is another child in the class that is kinda bilingual. The teacher is using google translator to talk to her directly and she says after a few sentences when speaking to the whole class, she pauses so the other bilingual girl can translate to her the same few sentences, and then this continues every few sentences. Does this truly happen in other schools? Who just sends a 5th grader into a school, that doesn't know any English? Does the teacher have to continue this bilingual lessons. It must eat up so much time.

10 year olds are required to attend school regardless of what language they speak and schools are required to teach them. This situation does not sound good especially for the translating child. I assume if the new child speaks little English she will be spending most of her day in ESOL. Maybe it just has not started yet.

[Anonymous]

Our ES has had several students from upper middle class, professional families immigrate over the summer in the past and arrive speaking nothing but Chinese, Russian, or Korean. There are some other students that speak these languages and sometimes yes, the teacher will ask them to translate important directions or questions for the student so they aren't totally lost. This usually lasts about a third of the school year, then they stop needing it, and by a year later they are on or above grade level and you can't tell they ever didn't speak English. So no, this phenomenon is not just an "illegal immigrant" (code: poor Hispanic) thing. Children's brains have an amazing capacity for language.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids go to a focus school that is 50% Hispanic and they frequently have new students who speak no English. I’ve never heard of this. Are you sure your child isn’t exaggerating? I could see the teacher translating a sentence or two, but doubt it was the whole lesson.

Well can't they all just help translate to each other if 50% are Hispanic?
Also, don't you have like 15 kids in a class in a focus school?

This is probably a class of 30 kids and only 1 kid that can't understand English and only 1 other kid that might be able to help. That is a terrible situation for a 5th grader. They can't learn as quick as a K student and curriculum is fast moving. I would never send my child to a foreign school that does not speak English and just hope for the best. Do other countries even offer something like ESOL. Do they just let kids that can't understand the language sit in a class clueless? My friend's child had to learn French before going to her school when she moved. Not sure if it was private or public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter just told me that her 5th grade class has a new child that only speaks Spanish. There is another child in the class that is kinda bilingual. The teacher is using google translator to talk to her directly and she says after a few sentences when speaking to the whole class, she pauses so the other bilingual girl can translate to her the same few sentences, and then this continues every few sentences. Does this truly happen in other schools? Who just sends a 5th grader into a school, that doesn't know any English? Does the teacher have to continue this bilingual lessons. It must eat up so much time.

Someone who just moved here? There is a child in my daughter's class who moved here from China -- she didn't speak much English. But she learned very quickly. I'm not sure what you are suggesting the parents do -- keep the child home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter just told me that her 5th grade class has a new child that only speaks Spanish. There is another child in the class that is kinda bilingual. The teacher is using google translator to talk to her directly and she says after a few sentences when speaking to the whole class, she pauses so the other bilingual girl can translate to her the same few sentences, and then this continues every few sentences. Does this truly happen in other schools? Who just sends a 5th grader into a school, that doesn't know any English? Does the teacher have to continue this bilingual lessons. It must eat up so much time.

Are you kidding?? Wow, you live in a bubble, huh?

It seems you don’t know much English, either. You used a comma incorrectly and suggested that the school, instead of the student, does not know English.

[Anonymous]

I'm an ESOL teacher and most teachers will pair a non-English speaker with a peer buddy who speaks their language. Most teachers only ask that buddy to interpret when it is very important- directions for emergency drills, important paperwork that needs to be signed and brought back to school, etc. And most ESOL kids who are beginners get pulled out of class for short periods of up to an hour a day. They are not allowed to be isolated from their English speaking peers. I often give the teacher guidance for who to choose to be this peer buddy. I have seen students with behavior issues become very motivated and responsible when you ask them to be a peer buddy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter just told me that her 5th grade class has a new child that only speaks Spanish. There is another child in the class that is kinda bilingual. The teacher is using google translator to talk to her directly and she says after a few sentences when speaking to the whole class, she pauses so the other bilingual girl can translate to her the same few sentences, and then this continues every few sentences. Does this truly happen in other schools? Who just sends a 5th grader into a school, that doesn't know any English? Does the teacher have to continue this bilingual lessons. It must eat up so much time.

that sucks.

spanish girl needs to be sent home with a note: Don't come to school until you know English. like they did in the 1950s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a bilingual teacher (last year) who did both spanish and english. I give the teacher credit for trying.

Talk about teach to the bottom. What about the other 25 students? Play on the chromebook?