A Bigger Problem

One of my YMCA students is a volunteer at the church to teach English to Hispanics. She was complaining to me that it is really hard to do. When asked why it is so hard to teach when she already speaks Spanish, her answer surprised me. It turns out that some Mexicans do not speak Spanish, some are from southern Mexico and are Indians who have their own language. These are small people, about five feet tall and they are good workers. (You may recall my observance of people doing landscaping work in this area.) She does not know that Indian language and there are no interpreters. The few Hispanic words they know are not enough to allow a base for learning English. This puts a whole new dimension on the attempt to teach them. Glad it is not my job.