Surviving in America: Refugee children learning the ropes of school system
» Photo galleries: Refugees reborn
Principal John Erlacher worried that an earthquake drill last week at Mountain View Elementary would unduly traumatize seven new and fragile students on their first-ever day of school.
In years past, Erlacher pulled his Bosnian students into the office for a private tutorial. They had experienced war, and he wanted to shield them from the alarms and earthquake soundtrack that punctuate the practice session.
"They don't understand it's a drill," he said.
The Somali Bantus probably didn't understand either, but Erlacher had their teachers stay close to them. No one freaked out.
Refugee students don't know the drill any drill for that matter when they enter school. And apparently neither do many Salt Lake area teachers when it comes to dealing with their newly resettled pupils.
While many teachers say the children are eager to learn, frustrations among other educators are growing.
"We're all sort of putting out fires," said Joyce Kelen, a social worker at Rose Park Elementary School. "Every time a new group comes in, we've got to figure out what to do with them."
Class action plan
What is the right curriculum? What is the appropriate grade? What skills do they possess? How do you build on their strengths? How do you discipline them? How do you involve parents?
Nicole Riley, of the district's learning services, said the curriculum is important, "but we are trying to look at these as whole children."
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