ith her family to Columbia from El Salvador three years ago, she felt uneasy about communicating with Howard County school officials because she did not speak English well.
“There was a little bit of fear at first,” she said speaking through interpreter RosaMaria Gamble, a community liaison at Swansfield Elementary School, where two of Espinoza?s four children, William, 9, and Bryan, 5, attend.
Espinoza, whose native language is Spanish, said her life has changed for the better thanks to her interaction with Gamble, whose position at the school is overseen by the county?s Office of International Student and Family Services.
Gamble interprets for Espinoza at school conferences and provides her with translations of school documents.
The school system also translates the school calendar and other major publications for Espinoza and others whose native language is not English.
Community outreach activities provide Espinoza with another way to communicate with school staff and other Hispanic parents.
Gamble added that her job as a community liaison has become busy as more parents seek services to help them understand the school system.
“Each day, I see about five or six visitors, and I make a lot of phone calls, usually explaining about the homework,” she said.
Understanding what?s expected of students and parents in the school system has made a big difference in Espinoza?s life.
“It is much better now,” she said. “Now, I know what?s going on, and my family can participate in many different activities.”
Espinoza works as a housekeeper in Columbia, and her husband, Elias Castillo, works in construction. She said she is looking forward to possibly becoming an interpreter for the schools.
“I?m working on my GED,” she said, adding she is also taking English classes.
Stats for Howard
» From 1990 to 2004, the Hispanic population has doubled from 1.9 percent of Howard County residents to about 3.8 percent, according to U.S. Census.
» Hispanic students and families, who make up 4 percent of the student population, have contributed to the 450 percent increase in requests for interpreters, said Young-chan Han, English for Speakers of Other Languages outreach specialist for Howard County.
