Teacher reminisces on humble start to bilingual education in U-46

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courtesy of Jaime Garcia

With more than 20 percent of students described as "limited-English-proficient," a strong English-language learners program in Elgin Area School District U-46 might seem like a given.

But for Jaime Garcia, a teacher whose 35-year tenure saw the English as a second language-bilingual education program grow from a single classroom in an Elgin meeting hall to an integral part of the district's curriculum, change has been a constant at U-46.

U-46 first began to offer English as a second language classes in January 1967, according to district data. Just one full-time teacher taught 60 to 80 students in grades 1-9.

"They bused the students of all ages and abilities to Elgin's Masonic Temple for classes together two mornings a week," said Garcia, who taught ESL/bilingual classes from 1971 to 2005.

"Outside of that, non-English speaking students were taught alongside native English speakers in the same classroom," he said.

In 1972, bilingual education arrived at U-46, providing native language instruction to 20 or more limited-English-proficient elementary students of the same language in a building.

Non-native speaking students who form a group of less than 20 remained in the English as a Second Language program.

Initially, Channing, Garfield and the former Wing elementary schools housed the predominant amount of bilingual education classes, Garcia said. Little by little, bilingual instruction spread to most of the district's 41 elementary schools.

In 1973, the bilingual program expanded into the district's middle schools, with the ESL-bilingual program teaching a total of 250 pre-schoolers through adult education students.

Class size, in those days, could be a bit of a squeeze. Garcia remembers team-teaching a bilingual math class with Luis Cabrera, another bilingual instructor. "We had students crowded in that room that were just learning basic addition and subtraction all the way up to pre-algebra, and everything in between," he said.

Today, U-46's teaches 6,700 English language learners in 30 languages, said Wilma Valero, director of the district's bilingual program.

After a 2005 external audit of the bilingual program found the district lacked a unified and effective strategy, new district initiatives --standardizing the bilingual curriculum across all classrooms and coordinating bilingual and mainstream instruction, were implemented.

In 2006-2007 school year, English language students met state averages on IMAGE tests (the test administered to bilingual students to determine if they are meeting state standards) for the first time since 2003-04.

Nearly 95 percent of students are now making progress in at least one of four areas -- reading, listening, speaking or writing English. The state target is 85 percent.

And 22 percent of English learners tested as proficient in reading, writing, listening and speaking English -- more than twice the state target of 10 percent.

"It's been a long journey," Valero said.

For Garcia, recent results add to a growing source of pride.

"I reminisce now and then," Garcia said. "Some of my old students, who couldn't speak a word of English when we met them, are now professionals, business owners, doctors and lawyers. In light of all the immigration rhetoric we're getting, it's really gratifying to see what they became, through hard work."