“Circumstances do not affect your ability,” Dr. Nicoline Ambe, speaker, educator, and author, said to the 290 paraprofessionals and parents at the California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE) Regional Conference.
The speech was inspiring for the many bilingual parents and educators who were listening to her. The majority of participants were paraprofessionals from throughout the region. Parent advocacy and voice are large determining factors for the success of bilingual students.
“Our parents are our very first teachers,” CABE CEO Jan Gustafson-Corea said. “You are their teachers for life.”
Ambe, keynote speaker of the conference, spoke about her childhood experiences collecting water in her native country Cameroon, in central Africa. With that, she told of the one thing that allowed her to be the successful woman that she is today, reading.
“One thing that has positioned me in front of you today is reading… and we need to encourage our children to read,” she said.
One of the strategies for reading at home to parents was to reinforce structure. Routines help people organize their thinking in a structured way. “Have a time for homework, a time for play, and a time for dinner,” she said.
Karling Aguilera-Fort, CABE president, also recalled struggling in school as an English learner.
“As a child, I did struggle with the reality of learning a new language,” Aguilera-Fort, a bilingual special education teacher, said.
He also shared many successful stories of some of his former students, including their struggles and triumphs.
“I still have contact with Alejandra and Jesus who both received instruction in their home language,” Aguilera-Fort said. “And now, they are both college graduates.” The room vibrated with applause.
After the morning speeches, the participants were able to attend workshops that were presented by volunteers. Many of the volunteers were from the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) while others were from California local school districts and CABE. Karin Linn-Nieves, SJCOE Language & Literacy director, led a discussion on designated and integrated English Language Development.
“California is the first state in the nation to combine both the English Language Arts and English Language Development standards into one framework,” she said. She noted that New Hope Elementary School District has been implementing ideas from the framework since its adoption and has observed some very profound teaching and learning as a result. Last year, nearly 67% of the students at New Hope Elementary School District were either English learners or former English learners, and of that, 98% spoke Spanish as their native language, according to the California Department of Education.
CABE was formed 40 years ago and has a “vision of biliteracy, educational equity, and 21 century success for all students.”
“And we are stronger today to support that vision,” Gustafson-Corea said.
This was the first time that the SJCOE has hosted the Regional CABE event. The SJCOE Language & Literacy Department helped to organize the event.
“We commend the SJCOE for their leadership. You make such a difference,” Gustafson Corea said.
About half of the parent workshops were in Spanish and many of the presenters spoke both English and Spanish in their speeches. Although the county has more than 54 languages spoken, the major language of those attending the conference was Spanish, Karin de Varennes, SJCOE Language & Literacy coordinator, said.
Placed throughout the large conference room were 10 interpreters who were speaking into a language translation system to accommodate for those who do not speak English. The Spanish translation was then heard throughout the 40 different headsets that were being worn around the room.
One of the messages that Jose Avila, president of the San Joaquin CABE chapter, was that the association exists in order to provide support to one another.
“Support each other,” he urged. “You don’t have to be alone.”