The Bilingual Bridges team recently conducted over fifteen interviews with people from around the world who moved to the United States during their K-12 years. We asked various questions that prompted interviewees to describe how teachers in their new schools acted. Some teachers were welcoming; others were not.
These interviews helped us better understand the actions and attitudes that eased their transition into American schools and culture and those that held them back. (*Names have been changed to protect interviewees’ privacy.)
Interview with bilingual students:
Interviewees shared that teachers who translated materials from English to Spanish boosted their confidence in learning English and kept them from falling behind academically. José’s teacher brought Spanish translators to help newcomer students communicate and understand assignments. Melisa’s bilingual teachers translated her classwork themselves. The gradual shift from bilingual learning to English-only instruction paid off for both students. They made friends quickly and adjusted to English-speaking environments within one semester.
Patience and Compassion:
Teachers are expected to be patient and compassionate, but we know this isn’t always the case. Managing dozens of students can limit their patience. Still, several interviewees noted that patient and compassionate teachers were key to their academic success.
Yésica recalled how her teachers took time to explain assignments until she understood. Alonso shared that his teachers allowed him to learn at his own pace and adjust gradually. Both appreciated the safe, mistake-friendly classroom environments. This support made them feel welcome and helped them form meaningful relationships with classmates and other teachers.
Negative Attitudes:
Our interviewees overwhelmingly agreed that teachers who showed unwelcoming negative attitudes were the biggest obstacle to their transition into American schools.
Esperanza’s teachers, for example, didn’t help her translate assignments or check on her academic progress. Fortunately, her ESL teachers stepped in, helping her improve her English comprehension and pronunciation. Still, Esperanza wished for a bilingual teacher who could have helped her communicate. She believed it would have shortened her two years to adjust to English.
Guillermo’s teachers also ignored his background and failed him on every English assignment despite his lack of experience with the language. This shattered his confidence and became a significant barrier to his success.
These firsthand insights show how much teachers can influence newcomer students, for better or worse. Teachers’ time and effort in creating safe, welcoming, and supportive learning environments are crucial to helping students adjust to new cultures, customs, and, most importantly, language.