Page 49 - PSPS: A Training guide

Parents, teachers, and family members need to try to find older peers who have
succeeded in mastering the language of tuition, have gained new friends, so that the
child has role models to look up to. NGOs working in the community may also be
helpful in supporting the child’s learning process in a fun way even before school
starts.
When a young child is put in a position as a bridge between adults (a teacher
and parents, shop assistants and parents or any other official and parents),
the child may develop different and negative feelings about parents and
him/herself. Teachers and other transition professionals in the primary
school need to look beyond a clever child who is capable of switching
between languages and understand the feelings and needs of that child.

By communicating with preschool practitioners, or other professionals from any
service that have helped the child learn the official language, primary school teachers
can gain insights and better understand the child. This type of information can and
should shape the place, time, and manner of communication with the child’s parents
and can help in preparing a support plan for the child. In addition, this information
provides insights into parents’ attitudes and the level of pressure they put on their
child to master the official language. Subsequently, this informs a plan to help parents
understand the potential harm of such pressure.

Parents can also find friends and other community members who can speak the
official language and ask them for assistance in communication with teachers and
administration, so that the child can be part of the conversation when needed, not a
facilitator of it.
In a situation where neither a child or his/her parents speak the official
language (i.e., the language of tuition), a child may feel very insecure,
unsafe, and overwhelmed by the attention of the people (s)he cannot
understand. As a result, their transition from home (or temporary
home) to primary school can be very traumatic.

A child in such a situation always needs to feel some connection to the place, people
and group, and some reassurance that (s)he can make it in a new environment.
Primary school teachers, support services, and other professionals involved in the
transition process need to find a way (i.e., someone who can speak the child’s mother
tongue, signs, pictures, or any other tool) to establish a rapport with the parents and
the child, to find out about the circumstances that have led to this situation, more
about the child and his/her interests and needs. These details will inform their support
plan for that child.

In all situations where a child cannot communicate in the language of tuition in a
standard way, the needs of the child go far beyond just the language barrier. In order
to overcome the language barrier and develop a meaningful, successful support plan,
professionals need to address as many of the child’s needs as possible, include
parents and family, as well as adopt a multi-disciplinary approach to the development
of the support plan.