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Multiple Groups Support ESOL Summer Program
“Point to each one and tell us the color.”
“Red, that’s green, black, blue, and brown.” “ Right, now can I get it in Spanish?” Maury River Middle School last week was home to many such conversations, as 35 kindergarten through sixth grade students and 10 Washington and Lee University student teachers participated in the third annual English for Speakers of Other Languages summer program.
For three weeks, between June 10 and June 28, the students, primarily from Spanish-speaking households, received daily instruction and participated in physical activities and field trips through ESOL, a student organization with the Romance Languages Department at W&L. The program has three goals: to promote bilingual literacy, to reinforce students’ linguistic and cultural identities, and to promote physical activity.
“All but two or three are coming from homes where at least one parent is a Spanish speaker,” said Jayne Reino, a professor in the Romance Languages Department and ESOL director.
“We really want them to be able to have confidence in their literacy in both languages. Obviously we need their English skills to remain consistent throughout the summer months, which is when a lot of the regression happens,” she said.
In addition to reading and writing skills, the program works to support students’ identities across multiple languages or cultures.
“We also want to reinforce their linguistic and cultural identities. The fact that they’re a minority in the county, we want to really foster confidence and pride in being bilingual and bicultural,” said Reino.
This is achieved partially through the student teachers from W&L, who were trained in classroom management and in reaffirming cultural identity in youth.
“We hire our staff from W&L with that in mind as well, folks that can serve as positive reinforcement for being bilingual, bicultural and being successful, and giving back to the community,” Reino explained.
“Many of our program assistants were themselves ESL students to begin with, when they were younger, so they have the sense of, ‘I remember when I was learning English, I want to help these kids out as well.’” J’Mari Lowman, a rising junior at W&L, became interested in the program while studying Spanish.
“I was in a class with professor Reino and she said we need help with this program, and I’m trying to learn Spanish, and I love working with kids,” he said.
Lowman said that the most meaningful aspect of the program for him has been the time spent with the students.
“I love their energy, and it’s very exciting. It hypes me up, so it’s very nice coming here,” he said. “I don’t know what about it, the energy is, maybe it’s the kid in me, but — they get me going, so they’re my caffeine.”
Another program assistant, Camille Ramos, was also introduced to the ESOL program by Reino.
“I worked with professor Reino, she was my professor for Portuguese, and she kept telling me about this program,” she said. “So I thought, ‘I don’t really have anything to do for the summer and I like working with kids,’ so she brought me along, and I just kind of fell in love with it.”
Ramos too said that connecting with the students was her favorite part of the program.
“It’s definitely the relationships I’ve made with them,” she said. “I think I hang around with them a lot, and it’s fun to get to know them. After three weeks you do build a really good relationship.”
In addition to working on literacy, the program also emphasizes physical activity, through partnerships with Friends of Rockbridge Swimming, which provides swimming lessons, and Boxerwood.
“The swimming lessons are, I think, part of their favorite aspect of the program, because they just love being with their friends, and being in the pool together,” said Reino.
“From FOR Swimming’s perspective, they’re interested in water safety, and drowning prevention, and I think these communities often, unfortunately, don’t have the same access to swimming opportunities and swimming lessons, so it’s really great,” she continued.
ESOL also works with the Virginia Cooperative Extension and Rockbridge Area Relief Association to provide nutrition education and healthy food for students.
“I’m doing food tastings and a little bit of nutrition education,” explained Extension agent Rebecca Owen, who came in throughout the program to talk about produce and healthy eating.
“I’m using a program that’s called Summer Food Summer Moves, and I have picked one or two activities from that particular curriculum. Last week we talked about bell peppers, and the week before that we talked about colorful fruits and veggies and the benefits of eating a variety of fruits and veggies,” Owen said.
Last Thursday, Owen and the students played a ‘What am I’ game, as she provided a series of clues — “I need a lot of space to grow, my outer skin is green, when ripe, I should be dull, not shiny” — and they guessed what kind of melon — watermelon —she was, before being offered the chance to try a variety of melons.
Reino highlighted connections with community organizations such as RARA and the Cooperative Extension as a vital aspect of the program.
“It’s really a grassroots program. We have the facilities use through the generosity of Maury River Middle School. We have free lunches through the cafeteria, which is huge. There’s the Summer Feeding Program, to make sure that they get breakfast and lunch every day,” she said.
Washington and Lee provided financial support to the program, and a donation from Grace Episcopal Church was used to pay for transportation through Rockbridge Area Transportation Services.
“Everybody is helping out at this point,” said Reino. “So many groups chipping in to really help and make this work.”
