Surviving in America: Refugee children learning the ropes of school system

Fifth in a six-part series

» 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.

The Somali Bantu children just weeks removed from a refugee camp have already lived a lifetime of fear. School is scary enough for them without having to crawl under a desk.

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?

The Salt Lake City School District is trying to answer those questions and many others, particularly as they relate to Utah's rapidly-growing Somali Bantu population. They come without formal school or the ability to read or write any language.

Nicole Riley, of the district's learning services, said the curriculum is important, "but we are trying to look at these as whole children."

"We're trying to back way up. If you are not using the bathroom appropriately, you can't really start talking about CRTs (Criteria Reference Tests). The kids really aren't there yet."

The district hired a consultant and holds forums aimed at developing an educational framework that supports students, parents and teachers.

"We're kind of inventing this scaffolding as we go," said Jane Willie, district family involvement coordinator.