I have spent the last ten years working daily with Spanish-speaking kids who are learning English. If you speak Spanish, it is easier to connect with Spanish-speaking kids, but many ESL or content teachers do not. So, how can it be done? Let’s delve into it!
1. Respect their names
The first way to connect with your newcomer is to introduce yourself to the student one-on-one and write your name down rather than just saying it to them. Help them to pronounce it as best they can, and then reciprocate.
Let them teach you how to pronounce their name correctly, and take the time to practice and learn it, even if it is difficult for you. Showing them this respect will go a long way in building a meaningful relationship between you.
I firmly believe you should not call Hispanic students by the Americanized version of their name (such as Joseph instead of José) or any other nickname, even if they tell you they’re ok with it. They likely say this because they can tell it’s easier for you and want to appease you.
It is common for children, especially boys, to be the second, third, or fourth in their lineage with the same name. Your Juan Torres could be Juan Torres IV. If you start calling Juan ‘John’, it sends a disrespectful message.
Additionally, in some places, like Puerto Rico, it’s becoming increasingly common for parents to create a new name for their child by merging elements of their own names. Take the time to learn how to pronounce these unique names correctly, or risk inadvertently affronting your students’ parents!
Many Spanish words and names also have accents on certain letters, which shows where emphasis should be placed when pronouncing the word correctly. For example, the name Adrián is pronounced add-ree-AN – the accent causes the last part of the name to be stressed. I’ve taught students who have been adamant about the accents in their names, and rightly so. In Spanish, not including accents is the same as misspelling a word. For further reading, I recommend this New York Times article from 2016, when Major League Baseball (MLB) realized the importance of putting accents on their players’ jerseys.
To sum it up, a student’s name is integral to their identity and has many layers – the least we can do is learn how to say and spell it correctly.
2. Get to know them and their stories.
It’s easy for teachers to forget that not all students know what is expected of them in a school environment.
Some newcomers may have never been to school before, and some students may have had an interrupted education across various schools. Many are years below grade level academically. They don’t know the country, and they don’t know you (yet!).
Whatever your role in a newcomer student’s life, you should show empathy for their situation and be there to help and support them.
Confirm any information you’ve been given from admin with the students themselves – find out their birthday, who they live with, and their home language.
If your student can understand written Spanish and is upper elementary or older, you could use my Newcomer Basics packet, which teaches students how to share this information about themselves in English. Check it out here!
Remember to tell your students this information about yourself – share your story with them, too!
3. Celebrate their small victories.
So many of our newcomer students are intelligent and capable. Unfortunately, some teachers assume that a student who doesn’t understand English (and, therefore, doesn’t understand their class) lacks intelligence.
Our newcomers may have had interrupted schooling, may not have a stable home life, and are likely homesick. They could be performing below grade level, but it’s unlikely to be their fault and does not reflect their intelligence or potential.
Newcomer students will need some support and accommodations to get them to where you want them to be, and they are legally entitled to such accommodations. It may take longer than you wish for things to start to ‘click’ for them, but always appreciate the potential these kids have.
Tell them when you see them making improvements, no matter how small. Show them you are proud of them! The more positivity you project onto them, the more confident they will feel, and your bond will strengthen because they will associate you with feeling good about themselves.
4. Do your best to remember their interests – and reciprocate!
Of course, this depends on the number of students you teach, and it’s something you have to work at over time, but it pays off!
Ask to see photos of their pets, find out if they do extracurricular activities, their favorite sports teams, and how their family is doing. Share your life with your students so they can make connections with you.
Where I live, basketball is the most popular sport by far, but where I come from, soccer is king. I have a small number of students in different classes who also love soccer, and we often discuss our favorite players and how our teams are doing. I love having that extra familiarity with them.
Communicating with a language barrier can be awkward, but making the effort is vital. Children are children, and they just want to be liked and loved by their teachers. If you don’t try to get to know them, they won’t feel either of these things.
5. Instigate positive communication with their parents/guardians
Being liked by the student is the first step for good parent relationships.
If you have made a good impression on the student and they go home and tell their parents/guardians that they like you, whatever you have to communicate to the parent will likely be more respected and supported at home.
When providing written feedback to parents, Google Translate is a good start. However, it may not be 100% accurate and can translate some phrases awkwardly, so try to keep your sentences short and precise.
I have heard some educators sing the praises of a free app called TalkingPoints. This app automatically translates all written messages into whichever language the parent chooses and back into English when the parent responds in their native language. I don’t have experience with this app myself, but it does look great, especially as it’s free for teachers.
I recently discovered the AI translator app DeepL. It’s free to download and use, and you can translate text from a photo and spoken language through your phone’s microphone. I have yet to try it extensively, but it looks excellent for both written and spoken translation.
Ultimately, any attempt to communicate positively will likely go down well with parents. They will want to know you are someone who likes their child and wants the best for them.
Focus on positive feedback. If there is a conduct issue, phrase it in a way that appeals to the parent’s support.
Here’s an example:
Even though [student’s name] is working well, I would really appreciate if you could talk to him/her about talking too much during class. They can be distracted and this sometimes affects their understanding. Many thanks for your support!
Aunque [student’s name] está trabajando bien, realmente agradecería si pudieras hablar con él [him] / ella [her] sobre hablar demasiado durante la clase. Puede distraerse y esto a veces afecta su comprensión. ¡Muchas gracias por su apoyo!
Conclusion
I hope these tips help you to make positive connections with your Spanish-speaking newcomer students! Building relationships and trust takes time, but showing your students you are on their team and want the best for them from the beginning will make them more likely to want to do their best for you and themselves.
Until next time, happy teaching!