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School Volunteers by Sandra Rosenstiel

Schools always need volunteers. Your Spanish skills might be used during registration to explain the forms and procedures, you might serve as a liaison between the school and parents, and you could tutor in a variety of content areas in English, using your Spanish to set your students at ease or give instructions.

Registration

One of the most valuable tasks you can volunteer for is that of helping parents negotiate the complexities of registration forms. Earlier in this chapter you learned about some of the primary features of forms; let's look at some additional vocabulary specific to school registration.

  • la hoja de matrícula (registration form)

  • matricular or inscribir (to register)

  • la edad (age)

  • el grado (grade)

  • la lengua materna (first language)

  • el distrito escolar (school district)

  • el lugar de residencia (place of residence)

  • el lugar de empleo (place of employment)

    • The registration form for the school where you volunteer may also include questions about special classes or programs, for example:

  • La Educación Especial (Special Education)

  • La Terapia del Habla (Speech Therapy)

  • El Inglés Como Segunda Lengua (English as a Second Language)

  • La Educación Bilingüe (Bilingual Education)

  • Programa para Estudiantes Dotados o Talentosos (Gifted and Talented Program)

  • El Tutorio, Las Clases Individualizadas (Tutoring)

  • El Programa de Comidas (Meal Plan)

    • During the registration process, parents will probably have to provide the following:

  • el certificado, el acta de nacimiento (birth certificate)

  • el récord de inmunizaciones y vacunas (immunization and vaccination records)

  • el carnet de la seguridad social (Social Security card)

  • prueba de residencia (proof of residency)

    • At the same time that parents are registering their child, you might want to explain the general course of study (el programa de estudios) for their child's grade level, the school schedule and calendar (el horario escolar, el calendario escolar), the specifications of the uniform (el uniforme), and the norms regarding drop-off and pick-up (las normas para dejar y recoger a los niños), or the school bus schedule (el horario del bus escolar).

    Tutoring

    Unless you are a high-level speaker of Spanish, it is most likely that your tutoring will be conducted in English. Nevertheless, even a little Spanish will come in very handy for getting to know your students and setting them at ease as well as giving simple instructions. Before you begin, be sure to review all the materials that you have received from the teacher, and ask any questions you may have. In addition to preparing the content for each tutoring session, think about and practice what you might need to communicate in Spanish to your students. Track 81 includes some examples.

    Tutoring

    TRACK 81

    Listen to each example on Track 81 as you follow along in the text. Repeat each one after you hear it.

    Hoy vamos a practicar la multiplicación.

    (Today we're going to practice multiplication.)

    Vamos a repasar el cuento que leíste en clase ayer.

    (We're going to review the story you read in class yesterday.)

    Por favor, saca tu libro de ciencias.

    (Take out your science book, please.)

    Esta noche debes completar las hojas de práctica y traerlas mañana.

    (This evening, you should complete the practice sheets and bring them tomorrow.)

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