SCC to Offer Assistance for Teachers Facing Language Barriers

FRANKLIN - Cindy Cameron says even the children in the Macon Program for Progress preschool classrooms are acting as interpreters, and the Franklin-based center is not alone.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, North Carolina has the fastest growing population in the country. In Western North Carolina, the number of Spanish-speaking residents has increased 356 percent since 1990, making communicating with Spanish-speaking students and parents one of the most prevalent and crucial issues educators are facing today.

"The children are amazing," said Cameron, education manager for Macon Program for Progress. "They pick up English so quickly. But, what we see is a stronger language barrier between teachers and parents."

Southwestern Community College is doing their part to remedy the situation.

"We're offering a class that we hope will offer some assistance for daycare workers facing this issue," said Hank Shuler, director of SCC's Macon Center. "The course will focus on learning the essential Spanish communication skills."

The seven-week course will be offered from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, beginning Sept. 22. Ines Mueller, a native of Ecuador and instructor for the course, says the course will focus on vocabulary appropriate to communicating with Hispanic parents and children in a daycare setting. Students will also learn more about the Hispanic culture.

The NC Division of Child Development has approved the course for annual required training hours for both center and homecare providers.

For additional information or to pre-register, e-mail ritas@southwesterncc.edu or call (828) 369-7331.

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