Lost in translation
Budget cuts may leave some non-English speaking students on their own
The first time Safak Agbas sat in American classroom, she stared helplessly at the teacher, thinking in her native language, “Oh my gosh, they are speaking so fast!”
A native of Turkey, Agbas was panic-stricken. She wouldn’t raise her hand, petrified that classmates would laugh if she spoke. At the same time, she was expected to compete with limited English skills.
“I was so scared,” she said. “I wanted to go back to my country at that time.”
Fast-forward four years. The Fort Walton Beach High School senior now plans to attend the University of West Florida for pre-med in the fall.
Without Fort Walton’s English to Speakers of other Language program (ESOL), “Dawn,” as her friends call her, said she would not have assimilated.
“If you don’t know English, it’s so hard top keep up with a class that has U.S. students,” she said.
There are 613 English language learners in the Okaloosa County School District. In 2000, there were fewer than 100.
Much of the growth can be attributed to Spanish speakers migrating to the area for construction work, district officials say. About 70 percent of ESOL students are native Spanish speakers.
But those numbers are expected to fall as construction projects move to neighboring Gulf Coast states.
Because of budget cuts and falling ESOL numbers, an immersion program that was piloted at Fort Walton Beach will end after this year.
Teachers hope ESOL students who remain aren’t lost in the shuffle.
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