Remote learning compounds longstanding challenges facing bilingual students like me

Ismael Perez at 8 years old at Senator Judith Zaffirini Elementary School in Laredo, Texas. | Contributed Photo

Sometimes it’s difficult to consider being bilingual an advantage.

The road to achieving what is seen as a powerful skill leaves a mark. For a Mexican like me, it’s imposter syndrome.

Picture laughter erupting from a second grade class after a non-English speaker can’t respond to a question like, “Is your birthday coming up?” Or a 9-year-old practicing the word “world” for two weeks because it will come up in conversation some way or another. Seriously. Try it. Your tongue does about four movements for a word with one syllable.

Ismael Perez’s photo for his kindergarten graduation.

At 28, I’d say I’ve mastered my “white voice”. But there’s always some tension behind every word. Mess up an “s” and the dreaded question will follow: “You have an accent, where are you from?”

I was always a step behind my classmates in my early elementary school grade levels. It’s funny to hear, but grade school was harder than college. Homework was rarely done. Assignments were in a language my immigrant parents and I didn’t understand.

Still, everyone has some type of privilege attached to them. Even me.

This next generation of English learners will face the same challenges on top of everything the pandemic brings with it this school year. Now it’s not just about parents not knowing how to help with English homework. Remote learning means students will need help with internet and computer skills.

To bridge the digital divide that has made remote learning difficult, Chicago Public Schools granted free access to high-speed internet service for students in need.

Oralia Villanueva, a bilingual teacher at Little Village Academy, said internet access was the start of remote learning challenges back in March.

“Some parents were struggling with getting their internet set up at home,” she said. “Some didn’t know how to connect a router, others didn’t know what a router was.”

The families were brought the supplies to connect the internet but had no help with setting it up because people weren’t allowed inside the homes.

After the internet was installed, parents had to learn how how to operate Chromebooks and how to access Google Classroom.

Villanueva said it was difficult to reach some students during the last half of the spring semester, but she understood. Beyond school work, the pandemic has affected children socially and emotionally, she said.

Oralia Villanueva teaches a fifth-grade science class in February 2020 at Little Village Academy, 2620 S. Lawndale Ave.

Some children didn’t have parents at home because the bills had to be paid, while others have lost family to the coronavirus.

“All those challenges are a lot for an adult to deal with, imagine a student,” Villanueva said. “And I’d just ask myself, ‘How do I help?’”

Villanueva said she hopes students and parents have become more comfortable with technology since the spring. She has been preparing for the fall semester by learning professional development skills to make remote learning more interactive and fun for her students.

Learning a second language, dealing with technology and surviving a pandemic can be a lot for students. But it is possible with a little effort and with the help of dedicated teachers.

Villanueva’s words released the stress and tension behind my worries. Words any generation of English learners should keep in mind.

“Mistakes are proof that you are trying.”