'We want them to have that sense they belong here'

Editor's note: This is the second in a series of stories looking at recent immigration into the Findlay area, specifically the Haitian community. This series will run over multiple weeks as we examine the assimilation process of immigrants into this community. The English Language Learner population at Findlay City Schools grew by 40% last year. For example, every single class at Whittier Primary School, which houses kindergarten through second grade, has at least one ELL student. "I would say between November and maybe January, we got at least one new student a week. Most of them were from Haiti. There were a couple from other countries, but most of them were from there," said Crystal Whipkey, an English Language Learner teacher at Whittier. Currently, there are 35 students of Haitian descent out of 92 in the ELL program at Whittier. In total, there are 90 students of Haitian descent out of 250 ELL students across the Findlay City school district. This matches with recent trends in the Findlay area, as Haitian immigrants have moved into the area because of work opportunities. This has brought an increased need for crucial services like healthcare and education. The city's schools now have to consider how to adapt teaching methods to an increasingly diverse student body, in terms of experience with the English language. At Whittier, students are separated into classes according to their English skill level. "They're pulled out for about 30 minutes at a time," Whipkey said. "Right now, they're all (mostly) newcomers. So we're just working on basic vocabulary and language survival skills, (like) how to ask to go to the bathroom, how to say 'I hurt my arm.'" Spoken language skills are especially important for the students at Whittier, considering their age. "Especially at the elementary level, we focus on the speaking scores," Whipkey said. "These children are going to need to learn how to speak before they can read." Students graduate from the program after scoring "proficient" on an assessment taken every February. Earning a proficient score usually takes a few years, they said. "It depends on the child and how quickly they progress. They're not expected to graduate out in the first year," said Kelly Wohlgamuth, gifted coordinator at Findlay City Schools. "Once they score proficient, the (English language) teachers monitor them. They won't come into the classroom, but they'll at least be able to touch base with them and the classroom teachers to see if there's any help that they need." Families of ELL students aren't always fluent in English, either. Findlay City Schools subscribes to Propio Language Services, which provides live interpreting and translation services, to bridge that gap. "If I open the app, it'll give the top five languages that I use all the time," said Whittier Principal Kelli Bauman. "So if I hit Haitian-Creole and hit play, it will be like FaceTime with an actual interpreter." They use Propio's services to hold conversations with parents about behavioral issues, conferences and enrollment forms. "You don't want to use Google Translate for important medical words or important educational words. So we really need to have that person who knows the language help us explain it," Whipkey said. "They're really good if it's a cultural difference." They say their goal is not to single out ELL students from the rest of the school, but to celebrate and normalize their differences. "We start in kindergarten telling these kids to be excited about their multicultural and multilingual friends," said Whipkey. "We go in the classroom and say, 'oh my gosh, isn't it cool (that) your friends know how to speak other languages?'" Wohlgamuth added, "Our district mission statement is 'Excellence, Opportunity, Belonging.' That truly is for every student that comes to Findlay City Schools, including our English learners. We want them to have that sense that they belong here." Since Haitians are the fastest growing ELL population in the Findlay district, Whipkey says staff will soon receive training on Haitian culture. "So we can learn more about where these students are coming from," she said. "That just helps us be better equipped to serve them." Besides Haitian-Creole, Whipkey and other ELL teachers across the district teach students whose first languages include Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Spanish, Arabic and several Indian languages.