|
(Asheville, NC) - Buncombe County
 |
| Click here to play video |
| Click here to download a free copy of Real video player |
Of the 650 students at Haw Creek Elementary School in Asheville, NC, about 100 are African-American. The rest are Caucasian, including 50 recent immigrants from eastern Europe. Many of these students have moved into traditionally African American neighborhoods, and relations are strained. Something in Common captures how Haw Creek's motto of "Learning: a lifelong process for everyone" carries over into the classroom, as teachers and administrators try to address problems-from parental apprehension to student name-calling-within this diverse environment.
From the Program
Vicky Rogers
Counselor
"The assistant principal said we have a problem here. She said the kids on the bus are not sitting with each other. They are calling names; they come and complain about each other everyday, and she just felt like we had to do something."
"I made home visits and I took an interpreter with me because I couldn't speak the language, and I wanted the families to know that we cared about them, and we wanted the children to do well, and if there were any problems to please let us know. But I found a real barrier there; they did not want to be honest about things. I don't know if they were suspicious of a school-person or what it was there, but I could see right there that we've got some work to do and it would take some time."
Linda Stroupe
Principal
"We take the challenge very seriously that we're to meet the child's needs as best we can, and certainly there are limitations for us and how we can do that. So we have to involved-parent volunteers, and tutors and other folks-to help them master and grasp the language."
DeDe Swift
Spanish teacher
"And I hear things from my children like, "Well, you live in America, and you need to learn to speak American." And I've had more difficulty with the parents than I have the children."
"It brings in so much richness to our classroom, and we can teach each other so much about other places in the world and how other people live, and for me, I thoroughly enjoy that."
|
