Kindergarten

We spent 2 1/2 weeks getting Elizabeth used to family life and then started her in Kindergarten. She was so excited to go and loved her backpack full of school supplies. Her teacher was more nervous than she was since she spoke no Spanish but I assured her that it was easier than she would expect. I assured Elizabeth as well, in Spanish, that I would be back soon. Two and a half hours later I was waiting in the Kindergarten line to pick her up. When she got in the van I asked her how her first day was. I was not prepared for the response. The little girl who had hardly spoken a word in 2 1/2 weeks started talking non-stop! It was all in Spanish, but I was able to understand most of it. She told me how her teacher had introduced her to all her new friends and told them she had just come home from Guatemala. She told me about everything she had already learned and she was so excited about all the things that were just HERS. The most amazing part was that she knew all of this even though her teacher was speaking only English and she had been home such a short time. From that moment on she did not stop talking!
Elizabeth started ESL two times a week for 30 minutes each time almost immediately. She was making progress, but it was slow. At her first parent teacher conference her teacher expressed that she could tell Elizabeth wanted to learn but was frustrated with language issues, even though by 4 months she was speaking mostly English. I asked that her ESL be increased and was told there was not enough money or time to do so. Wrong answer! I contacted my Congressman's office. They contacted Senator Wilcoxen who in turn contacted the Superintendent of Moore Schools. The very next day her ESL was increased to daily and her learning took off.
By the end of Kindergarten she had made great strides, but was still somewhat behind so we enrolled her in Transitional 1st grade. We knew this would always make her the oldest child in her class but knew it was also important for her overall success.