Connecting and communicating with ESL Students on the Bus

Soda Creek Elementary, Strawberry Park Elementary, Steamboat Springs Middle School, Sleeping Giant School, Yampa Valley High School, Steamboat Springs High School

Requested Amount: $1,560

Donation Amount: $130

Bus drivers would like to be able to communicate with our ESL students and their families using pocket translator devices. We want to connect!

School bus drivers play an important role in the connection between home and school. We are the first district staff to greet students each morning and the last to say goodbye at the end of the day. Our team of bus drivers wants to be able to welcome all of our students on our buses and build connection and rapport with each of them. As our student population is diversifying and more ESL students are enrolling, we are finding it frustrating to not be able to communicate with all of our students due to language barriers. We are working to take Spanish classes in the evening to learn basic Spanish for communicating the necessary safety precautions on the bus (please sit down!). However, not all of our students speak Spanish. We have extra time during the afternoon loading process that allows us to have more interaction with students. We want to be able to build connections with our students that are authentic and not just related to discipline on the bus. We also drive ESL students to and from summer school and on their summer field trips, where we have the opportunity to build even deeper relationships. This summer we enjoyed playing popular Spanish songs and singing along with the students.

Our elementary schools and counseling departments have had success in using pocket translation devices to communicate instantly with students and families. The devices translate in up to 80 languages. The 12 bus drivers in our department are eager to try them too! We will not be using the devices while we are driving the buses. Having access to the devices will enhance the Spanish classes that we are taking in the evenings.This spring, we will also be invited to participate in the district's home visit program to meet families in their homes. With these efforts combined, we look forward to having more connection with our students and their families and being a more inclusive transportation staff.

Steamboat schools have a growing population of ESL students (10.5%), many of whom are new to the country and speak little or no English. We have students who speak 14 languages other than English. The majority of these students speak Spanish but we also have students who speak Uzbek, Ulani, Wolof, French, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Russian, German, Czech, Bulgarian, Dari and Jamaican Patois. Nearly all of these students take the bus to and from school due to their family situations. Many of these students live in the trailer parks around Steamboat. There are 77 students in the district with no English proficiency and 105 students with limited English proficiency.