Now that her son is a second grader at Odyssey Elementary, Bertha Martinez is finding that it’s getting harder and harder to help him with his homework because she doesn’t know very much English.
“We speak only Spanish in the house,” Martinez, who emigrated from Mexico five years ago, said.
She wants to learn English so she can give her son the help he needs. And Odyssey is going to help her do it.
The school recently launched a free adult education program for its Spanish-speaking parents in partnership with the government of Mexico and the Mexican Consulate in Seattle.
The Yakima School District introduced the program to Washington state in 2005.
“We have 117 students who list Spanish as their primary language at our school, which means we have a lot of parents who … speak very little or no English,” Dean of Students Steve Raymond said.
Many of those parents never finished their schooling.
“We had a need here in the community for writing and reading lessons for Spanish-speaking people,” program coordinator Carmen Ziranda said. “It’s amazing – I never knew we had so many here in the area … who don’t know the basics of schooling.”
The program, called Plaza Comunitaria – Horizontes Latinos (Community Plaza – Latin Horizons), offers online courses for Spanish-speaking adults looking to continue their studies in primary, secondary and preparatory school.
“We’re providing the opportunity and support for Spanish-speaking parents to further their own education in hopes that it will in turn impact and improve their children’s education,” Raymond said.
Diamantes de Jalisco performs a traditional Mexican folk dance at the inauguration ceremony of the Community Plaza – Latin Horizons, an adult education program at Odyssey Elementary
In the self-directed program, parents can earn their primary and secondary school certificates accredited by the Mexican government at their own pace and in their own language.
Courses on the English language and job training are also available, including classes on carpentry, the art of baking and mechanical repair.
“Some parents cannot help their kids do homework,” Ziranda said. “Their kids see them struggling and think, ‘If my mom doesn’t know this and she’s doing OK, then I don’t have to learn it either.’ It becomes a vicious circle that we have to break. This is a way to break it.”
The Mexican government provides the textbooks, videos and other course materials necessary to complete the program.
School computer labs are open to parents Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:30-8 p.m. to do course work, take exams and get tutoring help.
“Education starts at home,” Ziranda said. “When you have an educated parent, it’s more likely that they’re going to help their kids do their homework, and it’s more likely that they are going to see education as an important thing in life.”
Currently, the program is offered only to Odyssey parents. However, program coordinators hope to open it up to other parents in the Mukilteo School District in the future
To register for Plaza Comunitaria – Horizontes Latinos, call 425-356-1303 or fill out a registration form available in the school’s main office.
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