For their kids, they struggled with the word "thought,"
listening to the foreign pronunciation. By the end of Socorro
Tapetillo’s English class for parents Tuesday night at Galveston
Elementary School in Chandler, 26 moms and dads understood a new
list of words and how to say them. Now they’ll be able to read
those words with their children — an important goal for these
parents, whose children speak a different primary language:
English. The Chandler library system and Chandler Unified School
District received a federal grant money to provide the 17-weeks
of classes at Hartford and Galveston elementaries in central
Chandler. "I need to learn to speak English," said Dolores
Damian, whose daughters attend Galveston. She emigrated with her
children from Mexico seven years ago. "I need to be able to help
my daughters." Many parents in the four classes, which average
32 students, said a requirement schools teach in English only is
creating a language barrier between them and their children.
Often, their children c