Middle Georgia schools trying to educate their Hispanic students

<p>Like many of his peers, eighth-grader Salvador Guerrero arrived in Georgia last August without the ability to speak or to understand English.</p><p>He ate pizza at lunch every day for months, because it's the one item in the cafeteria that is most like food from his native Mexico. With help of the Houston County school system and a tutor, the youngster is finally getting acclimated to his new surroundings.</p><p>"In the beginning, I had to get used to it," he said through an interpreter.</p><p>The schools in middle Georgia have only a fraction of the Hispanic students that ones in other parts of the state educate, but they are working to meet the demand all the same.</p><p>Bibb County hopes to hire its first-ever migrant education liaison next year, a position funded by an outside agency, and also plans to hire one more English to Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) teacher. Houston County might add two ESOL teachers.</p><p>"We have much to learn from each and everyone who comes from somewhere else," said Roslyn Rawls Platt, Bibb County's ESOL coordinator.</p><p>Around the state, the percentage of students who were limited in their proficiency for English increased from 1.5 percent in 1998-99 to 4 percent a year ago. A decade ago, Platt started requesting schools in her county hire as many Spanish-speaking employees as they could, no matter the job.</p><p>It's a way to become more knowledgeable about Hispanic culture, language and customs.</p><p>"It doesn't matter if it's the principal who's bilingual or the janitor," Platt said. "It still helps greatly."</p><p>One Bibb teacher studied in Costa Rica last summer and during Christmas break, and another plans to travel to Mexico this year.</p><p>Teachers aren't the only ones that help these students. Rita Murillo Merrifield is one of two migrant education liaisons in Houston County, and she serves a variety of roles. She tutors the students and even provides rides to the health department, if needed.</p><p>She and others like her also act as a go-between for students, their families and their teachers.</p><p>"My job is to guide them through high school and make sure they graduate, or at least get a GED," Merrifield said.</p><p>At school, all classes are taught in English _ as mandated by Georgia law _ and all the books also are in English. The Hispanic students only speak to their ESOL teacher and Merrifield in their native languages. This way, they can learn as quickly as possible.</p><p>"They're totally immersed in life at Warner Robins Middle School," assistant principal Jodie Clark said. "They're right there with everyone."</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x286557c)</p>