Norma Gonzalez leans over a small recipe booklet and painstakingly writes down the ingredients she uses for making salsa, while her son looks on approvingly. "That's a C," says the preschooler, pointing to the first letter of the words "chilies" and "cilantro" that his mother has written. She smiles at him and continues with her task.
Norma Gonzalez and her son Alexander Pineda work on copying the recipe for salsa.
It's 4 o'clock at Russell Elementary School in Santa Ana, but school isn't closed. The cafeteria is filled with parents and children writing down salsa recipes together. Salsa is in the air as well as the books - the delicious smell wafts over the tables from the dozens of bowls lined up before teacher Teri Rocco, who is conducting the salsa exercise before a packed house of parents and children.
Just a few minutes earlier, parents had recited English phrases about salsa along with Rocco, a member of the Garden Grove Education Association (GGEA). Together, they chant:
"Let's make salsa." "In go the chilies." "In go the tomatoes." "In go the cilantro and salt."
Rocco asks the parents, "Did you use more than one chili?" and hands go up. "That's plural - more than one," she explains. "Now that you know the ingredients, I want you to practice writing the recipe for salsa with your child."
The lesson is about salsa, but it's part of a statewide recipe for teaching English to immigrant parents. The English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for parents, held twice weekly after regular school hours and taught by GGEA members, are part of the Community Based English Tutoring (CBET) program.
Along with dismantling bilingual classes throughout California, Prop. 227 provides $50 million per year - for 10 years - so school districts can provide after-school CBET programs like the one at Russell Elementary School. The amount of money districts receive for parent classes is based on the number of English language learners per district. In exchange for the free classes, parents pledge to tutor their child in English once they have a better command of the language. According to the California Department of Education, many of the state's structured English immersion programs offer parent ESL classes.
Teacher Teri Rocco checks on Marselda Gomez and her daughter Jocelyn during the after-school ESL class at Russell Elementary in Santa Ana.
The Russell School program begins at 3 o'clock, when parents drift in to the school's computer lab to practice keyboarding and trying their hands at ESL computer programs. After a half hour, they file into the cafeteria for an English lesson with Rocco, while their school-age children participate in the school's Homework Center. At 4 o'clock, students leave the Homework Center to join their parents in the cafeteria. The last hour of class is a family affair, with parents and children reading and writing together. The school provides on-site day care for babies and toddlers, freeing up the parents to attend the ESL class.
At the end of class, participants line up to taste the salsa. As they wait in line, children argue: "My mother's salsa is the best." "No, my mother's is better." Teachers dispense salsa into little cups, along with warnings about some that are extremely hot.
"I like everything about the program," says Gonzalez through an interpreter. "I am able to grow with my child and help him with both his schoolwork and the English language. It is important for children to have help at home - and it is good for my personal satisfaction."
Gonzalez is not able to converse in English yet, but she understands a great deal of the language. She is also able to use a computer, which was not the case before enrolling in the CBET program.
Another mother, Guadalupe Espinoza, is one of six sisters enrolled. "One told another, and [that one] told another," she laughs. With the help of an interpreter, she adds that taking the class has been very helpful for her. "I can help with my daughter's homework. I can help her with her writing and with all the work she brings home. My daughter is doing better this school year. She has made a lot of progress and is making better grades. I used to have a tutor for my daughter, but she doesn't need one anymore."
"The program has made a real difference," says Rocco. "The most immediate difference I see in my kids is a different attitude about school and about learning. They are more excited and are more apt to give school their all."
The children, she says, take school more seriously when their parents are involved. They also enjoy reversing roles and helping their parents learn English instead of merely serving as translators. One grandmother even comes with her daughter and grandchild to learn the language.
Many of the parents have never used computers before. Since the program is computer-friendly, several parents have bought computers for their homes.
"The first week we were running up and down like crazy trying to help them on the computers," says Rocco. Now, parents work independently for the most part. As part of the program, participants are allowed to borrow books, tapes, videos and even laptops.
Before Prop. 227, Rocco taught bilingual classes. Now, she teaches a first-grade structured English immersion class along with the after-school ESL class for parents.
"We weren't able to win back bilingual education, but it's not the end of the world," says Rocco. "If we're going to be teaching English, we have to get the parents involved. At least now we're reaching out to the parents and doing something to help them. It's one of the best things I've ever done."
School morale has improved overall, says Rocco. "Now, when the school holds functions, everybody comes - with no hesitation. We're like family now."
Norma Gonzalez and her son Alexander Pineda work on copying the recipe for salsa.
Teacher Teri Rocco checks on Marselda Gomez and her daughter Jocelyn during the after-school ESL class at Russell Elementary in Santa Ana.
