Photo by Adam Vogler
Lis Beth Salas, 7, left, and Kayla Gonzales, 7 lead a procession down the yellow brick road during the Migrant Students Program production of "The Wizard of Oz" at Riverside Elementary School Thursday, June 19. Salas and Gonzales share the role of Dorothy in the play. The program is meant to help immigrant students adjust to life in Kansas.
The staff at Riverside School has turned the literacy program into a cultural awakening for the 80 students in the Migrant Summer School program.
The three-week program, for students from all schools in first through sixth grade, incorporates reading, writing and speaking English with music, science and art. It’s a happy blend that makes learning fun and helps children of migrant workers acclimate to their new home areas.
Many of the students are from Mexico and Central America and need to get a better sense of a culture and environment that is alien to them.
The students on Friday afternoon presented a play, “The Wizard of Oz,” complete with costumes and music, to show what they had accomplished during the short but intense summer session. Parents and families were invited to the show, which included a science fair display in the foyer and an ice cream social afterwards.
“It brings about the significance of who you are, where you live,” said teacher Nancy Robohn, who integrates the other subjects into her music classes. “It’s a very special program.”
Photo by Adam Vogler
Maria Rodriguez, 10, uses her witches mask to hide her giggling during the dress rehearsal of the Migrant Students Program production of "The Wizard of Oz" at Riverside Elementary School Thursday,June 19. The program is meant to help immigrant students adjust to life in Kansas.
During the three-week program, the day begins at 8:45 a.m., when students arrive for breakfast. Classes start at 9 a.m., with the morning devoted to literacy, art and music. After a half-hour lunch, the students study science until 2:45 p.m.
All of the staff teach literacy, in one form or another, during the morning.
“That’s the primary focus of this program,” Robohn said.
Educators do not want the youngsters to undergo the common learning loss that occurs when classes dismiss for the summer.
The approach to learning is a bit different in the migrant summer school program, Melanie Martin agreed.
Martin is an English as a Second Language teacher in the district.
“This is a very relaxed (atmosphere) that is providing them activities that they wouldn’t be able to do in their homes or at school,” Martin said.
Martin said that Emporia High School science teacher Steve Buster and EHS art teacher Joshua Pavlik are among the district teachers who have helped with the project, and Malonne Davis of Emporia State University brought in a chemistry lesson on Tuesday.
In music, they use unusual instruments, like wooden marimbas, to express themselves; choral recitations help them learn pronunciations and the meanings of the new words. Some find latent talent and all seem to discover the fire and the excitement that comes with making music and moving to it.
Photo by Adam Vogler
Students portraying the Cowardly Lion in the Migrant Students Program production of "The Wizard of Oz" wait for their cue during the dress rehearsal at Riverside Elementary School Thursday, June 19. The program is meant to help immigrant students adjust to life in Kansas.
“There is no sitting and singing in this room,” Robohn emphasized.
She relishes the way the youngsters react to the “tactile stimulation, the energy and movement that comes within in response to music. ...
“All of a sudden, they’re memorizing words. You have fired all their senses. ... (M)ost of all, this is a real joy,” said Robohn, who gets fired up by music and the teaching of it herself. “These are the joys that come from stimulating those feelings.”
The migrant summer program can be a confidence-builder for children who are just learning a sense of where and who they are, the teachers said.
“Using the tool of music just helps so much with their confidence,” Robohn said. “Speaking into the microphone — you should see their faces!”
The intention for Robohn and the other teachers is that through the program, the children will gain oral language and communications skills, as well as realize their untapped talents.
Mondays through Thursdays, they have been hard at work, learning a new language, music, customs, as well as other subjects.
On Fridays, students and staff members have taken field trips to learn more about this area and its culture. They’ve been to the Sedgwick County Zoo, the Wichita Council on Arts and to see a play, a variation of “The Wizard of Oz.”
Those experiences, too, gave students more options for learning more than just academics.
“On the bus rides home, we expect them to be in conversation,” Robohn said. “What they saw, what they experienced and what would you like to see again.”
Because of the diverse ages, the older students have come to watch out for the younger ones and learn how to interact with them. The experiences will serve them well both in and out of school.
“It’s those social tools children need to develop and oftentimes during school, we don’t have time to do those things,” Robohn said.
In science, they have worked in groups to learn about forming hypotheses, testing and results. Their science fair displays include experiments with crystals, gum and paper towels, among other items.
“During the regular school year, science takes a secondary role,” Robohn said. “The emphasis is reading and math.”
During the three weeks in summer, the kids’ brains are allowed the freedom to experience and to create, all within an environment of learning.
“This is the culmination of what we’ve done in three weeks,” Robohn said of Friday’s event. “We worked them hard.”
The students have not seemed to mind. They marched quietly into the music room Tuesday morning, beaming at their teacher and obviously happy to be in class.
“They get excited. They want to be here. We are just extremely pleased with them,” Robohn said. “They’re respectful and they’re appreciative.”
Photo by Adam Vogler
Jennifer Mata, 8, sings as Glenda The Good Witch in the Migrant Students Program production of "The Wizard of Oz" at Riverside Elementary School Thursday,June19. The program is designed to help immigrnat studenst adjust to life in Kansas.
The program seems to have accomplished just what school district officials had hoped for.
“Dr. Smiley said it best,” Robohn said, quoting Director of Integrated Services Patricia Smiley: “‘One of the purposes for education is to help students find out how they are unique, why they’re important, how they can make a difference in the world, and understand what potential they have.’ Those are wonderful words.”
And this summer, the migrant summer school staff seems to have made it all happen; they did it with money awarded as a result of grants written by Robohn.
School budgets are tight, she said, but grant money is available to make such programs affordable. It’s simply a matter of looking hard enough and making the effort to get them.
“If you want it bad enough for kids, you can find it out there,” Robohn said.
Comments
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Posted by Observation (anonymous) on June 21, 2008 at 6:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I wonder what kind of work is going on in the area that would require many migrant workers to achieve. I also wonder if it has a long enough season to warrant teaching the migrants children, "English as a second language", regardless of where the money comes from. I don't recall any type of fruit or berry that is picked locally that would require migrant workers. The wheat harvest is coming soon and there will be migrant workers going through the area to get that harvest in, but I doubt if the children of those migrant workers will be with them. They could be.... I might be wrong about that. I don't think the wheat harvest crews are from Mexico or Central America, however. I think wheat harvest crews kids won't require English as a second language. Then there are the roofers who have been in the area for several months following storm damage to the roofs of Emporia. Perhaps these are the migrants that this article and this program pose to help the offspring of. This work should be getting pared down to where they will be moving on to other cities roofs.Then there is the road construction work that may use migrant workers. The job on the west side of town keeps going on and on. Back to my wondering; I wonder if there is a similar program in effect to wile away the summer hours of the children of permanent citizens of Emporia. I mean like, day long activities that include breakfast, lunch and the learning of an alternant language…. maybe a trip or two out of town to see a play or something.
Posted by apsuz (anonymous) on June 21, 2008 at 10:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Last I knew (and it has been a few years since I lived in Emporia), there were plenty of summer activities for the "permanent citizens of Emporia" such as the summer playground activities at area schools, Camp Wilson and Camp Alexander (including noon meal), activites at the public library, sports programs such as softball, baseball and t-ball and activities with the Emporia Recreation Commission to name a few. As many people as there are that complain about those who don't speak English, I'm surprised that you seem upset about the program in this article (although I could be mis-interperating your intentions). Personally, I think this is a great idea. It's great that these children are learning not only the language and culture, but also experiencing many things their peers back home may never get the chance to see. Many children in latin america don't even get the chance to get through grade school. On a recent visit to Central America, I witnessed children as young as 6 or 7 working by selling things to help support their families and children who couldn't go to school because they couldn't afford a pair of shoes, much less the school uniforms. You should be grateful that we live in a country where children don't have to worry about that, and that we are able to share the opportunity to learn with those who may not otherwise have the chance.
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