Everyone was frustrated. Students could not understand the homework and their Spanish-speaking parents were struggling to help, but could not read the directions in English.

“Homework can be a difficult dynamic if parents are unable to help,” said Robin Freeman, Orcas School District’s English Language Learners’ teacher. “Stress around homework can set up a power struggle after school.”

In response to this educational battle the Homework Club was established three years ago. The ELL program also held parenting classes and has created a Spanish library. All three new additions have been funded by an anonymous donor.

Catherine Laflin has been the ELL coordinator for five years and has watched the program grow from about seven students to 23 students, with three new kindergarteners coming in next year.  Currently students are from homes that speak Thai as well as Bahasa from Indonesia, but the majority of students speak Spanish.

Laflin says she is regularly inspired by all the little steps along the way that the students take towards learning a second language.

“These students are so often working twice as hard as others, as they learn the content and the language at the same time,” she said.

The Homework Club

The Homework Club runs on Mondays and Wednesdays after school. The program is open to students in first through eighth grade.

According to Freeman, who is the lead teacher of the homework club, the average English speaking kindergarten student enters school with a 1,000-word vocabulary, which is also true of ELL students in their home language. But they have to build their English repertoire of words.

“It is exhausting listening to a new language all day long,” Freeman said. “I really admire our ELL students for working so hard.”

Freeman, teaching assistant Leah Cardinell and high school volunteers use a variety of tools to teach such as a white board and other tools to help clarify concepts that might be confusing.

“I am always amazed that students willingly show up for an hour after school to continue working, however, I think the satisfaction of completing assignments motivates many of them,” Freeman said.

Parenting Classes

Three two-hour parenting classes were delivered by Erin O’Dell from Orcas Family Connections in March.

About 10 families turned out for the class and had dinner cooked by Bing Mowry. The curriculum provided parents with skills to help them develop cooperation, responsibility and self-esteem in their children. Laflin is always thinking up new ways to integrate parents into the program.

“One dream I have is that we can organize classes in English for the parents that could perhaps happen simultaneously as homework club,” she said.

Spanish library

For the last two years, the ELL  program has checked out children’s books in Spanish for kindergarten through third grade.  Some parents have started coming in and looking through book boxes that are placed in the classrooms and then checking out the books with their children.

“We learn so much by reading. It is the door that opens into all the subjects – math, social studies, science, literature…” said Laflin. “Having parents read with kids has long-lasting positive effects on student learning.”

Recently, 50 more Spanish language books have been purchased in response to the kids’ interest in the library.

Growth

Laflin says that each year students are given a state test called the Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment and every year she sees marked progress.

But every day she sees students blossom in areas like understanding concepts, expression and their ability to apply these lessons in new ways. Laflin says this is the result between classroom teachers, ELL staff, and preschools that have been doing “a great job” in preparing students.

“The more we have worked together as a team …  the more that we have supported our families, the greater the growth,” she added.