Breaking the language barrier

Anyone who moves to a new place must undergo an adjustment period while adapting to the new environment, but that phase is oftentimes longer and more strenuous for those arriving from other countries.

In many cases, these new residents speak little to no English, which means a simple task such as going to school can become a burden to students. While adjusting to a new culture these students are sometimes faced with ridicule and hostility from natural born citizens.

These students can find a safe haven within the Lenoir County Public Schools' English as a Second Language classes.

"This is a little paradise for them," said Corichi Jimenez, who teaches ESL classes for the county's middle and high school students at Kinston High School. "It's okay to use their native language and be with people who are like them."

The Lenoir County School System has held ESL classes since the mid-1990s. Although the federally-funded curriculum is designed to serve anyone from a non-English speaking country - Jimenez said he can have 10 different languages spoken in his classroom "on any given day," including Chinese, Arabic and others - the majority of students who participate speak Spanish.

"It just so happens that most of the students I have are Hispanic," said Jimenez, who has taught ESL in Lenoir County for 15 years.

Students continue their English lessons during the summer to keep their skills sharp.

"If they don't get that continuous use of English over the summer, they tend to digress a bit," said Abbott Hunsucker, the school system's director of federal programs.

Hunsucker said 477 students in all grades received ESL services last year. That ranges from class time to home visits, to regular consultations with an ESL teacher, depending on the student's proficiency level.

All parents, whether they are from a foreign country or not, must complete a "home language survey" when they enroll their child in school. Students who live in a home where English is not the first language must complete a language proficiency test.

According to Hunsucker, test scores combined with input from a team of teachers, determine whether or not that student will be enrolled in ESL classes.

"The test is our best indicator, but there are other factors that we consider," he explained.

Students Filberto Tiriado and Gloria Corpeno, who are both starting their second year of ESL, shared their experiences Friday. They spoke a mixture of Spanish and English, with Jimenez acting as a translator.

They both started last year knowing no English, and said they have progressed to a point to where they can have limited interaction with English speakers.

Tiriado, 15, a freshman at North Lenoir High School, moved to Kinston from Mexico last year after his father faced bouts of unemployment. He lives in town with his parents and two brothers. Their father is currently working in construction.

He said the toughest parts of living in Lenoir County are "escuela" (school) and "idioma" (language).

Corpeno is a 16-year-old sophomore at North Lenoir. She traveled with her family from El Salvador so her brother could get a vital operation in the U.S. Despite the surgery, she said her brother passed away. Corpeno's mother works at a Goldsboro Milling poultry plant and is trying to earn enough money to get Corpeno and her siblings back home. At this time, the family resides outside of La Grange.

"It is hard . . . but I'm trying and they understand it," Corpeno said in Spanish.

Jimenez stressed that difficult situations force many families to leave their native countries and the children do not have time to learn English before they arrive.

"It's not because they just want to leave and go, and that's it," he said. "They do it out of necessity in most cases."

Jimenez had six students in his classroom Friday, but he expects to have more as the school year gets under way.

The number of students fluctuates throughout the year as they move in and out of the program based on their progress. Jimenez said he often sees 60 students in the classroom during the year, and monitors around 200 students overall, since his duties also require him to visit students at their homes.

The students must learn English as it applies to all their classes, including mathematics and social studies. Christopher Pharo assists Jimenez with teaching math skills.

"When they leave this classroom and go back to their regular programs, they need to know what is going on," Jimenez said.

Jimenez told his students Friday that he expects a serious commitment to the class from them. He reminded them that they must take charge of their lives and claim responsibility for their education.

"You have to be responsible for your own lives," he told them. "There are some things that I'm going to help you with, but with other things, it's all going to be you."

David Anderson can be reached at (252) 559-1077 or danderson@freedomenc.com.