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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, July 3, 2003

ON CAMPUS
Cultural gap in schools addressed

By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer

Palolo Elementary Principal Ruth Silberstein sometimes calls home looking for an absent student and finds a surprising excuse instead.

It's not that the children are sick. Or taking care of a sibling. Or that there was a family emergency.

It's that they didn't feel like going to school.

"The parents say, well, 'They didn't want to go today.' I have to explain that in Hawai'i school is required by the law," Silberstein said. "They don't know that when they come here. School isn't required in Micronesia."

A school transitions program being tested in 10 Honolulu district schools this summer is trying to address that and other cultural gaps between classroom teachers and parents and students new to the school system.

The two-week introduction to the school campus is geared toward Micronesian and Marshalese students who have been in the United States for six months or less, or who have been having trouble adjusting to school. New students from other countries have been encouraged to attend the classes, as well.

For younger students entering kindergarten, learning to hold a pencil, color with a crayon or stand in line can be a new experience. Students in middle school and high school often need practice and instruction in things such as how to interact with a teacher or how to ask for help at the school office.

One group of middle school students practiced going into the administration building, politely getting the school secretary's attention, asking a question and then saying thank you.

"It's mainly to get the students to want to come to school, to think of school as a place that's welcoming," said Carol Emerson, resource teacher with the Honolulu district. "It seemed like an opportunity for the kids to get a head start. It will seem like they're the insiders, not the outsiders."

Students, all in the process of learning English, have had the chance to ask questions, meet school officials and learn their way around campus.

"It was to have the students in a simpler, calmer setting," Emerson said. "They can have their needs addressed when no one else is around them. Some students in the past had been problems, but during the summer program they were shining."

Participating schools include Kaimuki and McKinley high schools, Central and Washington middle schools, and Palolo, Ka'ahumanu, Ka'iulani, Linapuni and Royal elementary schools.

Money for the program comes through a federal grant. About $3,685 went to elementary schools to run the two-week summer orientation program; about $4,465 went to secondary schools.

Emerson said the program also has given teachers a look at the background and culture of the students who are new to their classroom.

And while the program isn't trying to change their culture at home, Emerson said the students, especially those in middle school and high school, seem to have appreciated having someone introduce them to all of the little things of school life: raising your hand, how to take tests and looking at someone when they are talking.

Parents were also welcomed at some of the sessions and on field trips. Schools so far have visited local botanical gardens, the zoo, the Arizona Memorial and other practical sites such as local markets to introduce families to the community.

Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.