Language and skills prepare students for brighter future

Like many Sydney teenagers, they are learning to speak a foreign language at school. But unlike most Sydney teenagers, they are not learning French or Latin or Japanese.

These students are all studying English as their second language, and many had a complicated life before arriving in Australia.

These are the students of Cleveland Street Intensive English High School, a school for the children of migrant families, refugees and other non-English speaking residents.

Most days, they can be found laughing and chatting in their own languages during school break.

When asked the direction to the school office, one of the boys breaks off his conversation in Chinese and replies in very fluent English.

"Oh, you want to go to the school office? Alright, come, follow me," he says.

Dr Glenda Hodge, the school    counsellor, explains the cultural breakdown of the school.

"Mostly their families came from Eastern Asia, like China and Korea. There are a few of them who also came from the Middle East, Russia and certain countries in Europe, as well as from southern America, and occasionally from Africa," she says.

"There are some students who had been out of school for years, and a few more had tragic experiences in their home country. It's more difficult for them, so we will always try to help," she says.

Diversity is clearly a unique characteristic of the school, which has played a unique role in the Surry Hills community for more than 150 years.

An educational institution since 1856, the school has had several different names and roles.

It has been a school for infants, for girls and boys, a co-educational school, and even a weekend community language school and evening community college.

Over the years, the school has produced many prominent judges, scientists, politicians, and sporting identities.

"Many of those students have gone on to be very successful," says Dr Hodge, mentioning a list of graduates including NSW Governor Marie Bashir, the NSW Attorney General, John Hatzistergos and others.

The school has always had programs over the years to support the life of the students and their families. But only since the 1980s has it been an intensive English high school, with a host of related cultural support initiatives.

As well as English, the school also places a strong emphasis on fostering the multicultural backgrounds of the students. Study and other materials are provided in several of the students' home languages, such as Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Indonesian.

A special initiative called the 'Greeting of the Week' is also a vital part of the school's program. Students and staff are required to use a greeting from a different language every week. All must respect this agreement to participate in cultural diversity.

Much of the school's teaching staff also have a personal understanding of what it means to learn English as a second language in a foreign country, as Karen Jachman, the Head Teacher of Welfare, explains.

"The teachers originally also came from different countries. They all have specialist teaching areas and had been trained in English as Second Language or TESOL," she says.

"We also have a large number of bilingual staff who act as interpreters, translators who give social support for students," Ms Jachman says.

As school counsellor, Dr Hodge also runs a group for family and community members called Aupendi.

The group has weekly meetings to help community members with English and cultural learning every Monday. Members of the group are also taken on school excursions from time to time.

The school is seen by many as playing an important role in the educational development of the city.

This view is confirmed by Iis Nur Rodliyah, a postgraduate Masters of Education student from Indonesia who is studying and living in Sydney.

"This school plays an important role in the migrant teenagers' education by providing language skills and knowledge necessary for surviving their future.

"The curriculum is well designed, and it also addresses the importance of community and family support, which is good for the students' successful learning."

Dr Hodge explains that the students are graded into classes according to age and English speaking ability, although they also learn other subjects including science, maths, music and business, in preparation for employment or further study.

With 250 current students, Dr Hodge hopes the program will continue to grow.

"The school can actually take up to 500 students. So I can see that the numbers are growing each year. And if people write back to their family and relatives in their own countries. they'll be sending more of their children here," she says.

A Vietnamese student, Trinh Duy Anh Vu, agrees that the learning system in the school is helpful.

"We learn other useful subjects too besides English. Unfortunately, sometimes there are still a few students who like to disturb the class and make noise. I think teachers should give more attention on them," he says.

So this is, after all, a typical Australian high school - with a few cultural differences.

Source: University of Technology Precinct South Sydney Edition Issue 4/2007 page 20.

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