A Look at Fifteen Beginning Readers: Voices from the Hispanic Community

Marsha Grace

One evening in November 1999, I was out with my dog, Chino, on one of our regular walks. Just as we were passing the home of a well-known teacher in the local district, she pulled into her driveway. I knew that this teacher was board certified, had a doctorate in early childhood education, and was one of the most respected professionals in the state. As she got out of her car, she noticed me looking her way and called out a greeting. As we talked, I told her I was new to the neighborhood, that I taught at the university, and that we had several colleagues in common. We shared a few pleasantries about teaching, and then I asked if she would be interested in working with me on a photographic essay project I had been considering for some time. I suggested that perhaps I could come to her school and meet her students' mothers, and then arrange to take pictures of her students and their moms, interview them, and share the results within the education community. She could not have been more positive. I could see the energy in her eyes and the planning that was already going on in her head.

That chance meeting with Rebecca Palacios, a teacher of 4-year-olds in a dual-language preschool program at Zavala Elementary Special Emphasis School in Corpus Christi, Texas, was the starting point for this article. Through interviews and photographs, I describe how young readers in the Hispanic community served by Zavala are being read to at home, with special emphasis on the mothers' involvement. I show how a group of Hispanic parents are making decisions and taking steps to ensure that their children are successful in school and become successful as readers. I share the stories and images from Hispanic homes that demonstrate how and why mothers, books, and 4-year-olds come together.

Zavala Elementary School serves a mainly Hispanic population from prekindergarten to Grade 5. Most of the teachers and staff are bilingual, as are most of the children and their parents. Instruction in the school occurs in English and Spanish, with the goal being to help children become fluent and effective in both languages in all curricular areas. The school is located in a working-class neighborhood where pride in family and school is readily apparent.

Dr. Palacios brings bilingual skills and understanding of multicultural issues to her classroom, and she has recently received a grant to enhance the use of technology with her 4-year-old students. Her work and achievements within the community and at Zavala make her much respected teacher, and she is a recognized district and state leader in early childhood education. I found her to be totally committed, exceptionally capable, and brimming with a professional “can do” attitude.

Using funds from a small grant from my university and the Texas State Reading Association, I made arrangements for equipment, film, processing, and small stipends for the parents who would be interviewed. Dr. Palacios sent a letter home with each of her students, inviting parents to a meeting where I would discuss my plans to photograph and interview the mothers in their homes. I wanted to focus on the mothers' reading to their children for this project, with the thought that I might do a follow-up interview with fathers at a later time. I did have the opportunity to meet most of the fathers of the children, and three are included in this report.

During the half-hour meeting on April 6, 2000, Dr. Palacios arranged refreshments and engaged the children in activities while I chatted with the parents. I explained that I would like to come into their homes, where they could show me the books they liked to read to their children and share with me their ideas about the importance of reading. All the parents wanted to be involved, and I started the interviews and photo sessions that very afternoon. Four of the parents spoke only Spanish and I speak only English, so I used translators to help me with those interviews. Each interview and photo session took about an hour.

In preparing for the interviews, I decided to focus on how the mothers shared books with their children and what those sharings looked like. I chose a set of interview questions that would allow each parent to share ideas and goals:

1. Why do you read to your child?
2. When do you read to your child, and how often?
3. Where do you and your child read together?
4. What are some of the books that you and your child like to read together?
5. Where do you find the best books for your child?
6. How do you read to your child?
7. What reading goals do you have for your child?
8. What experiences with reading did you have with your own mother?
9. What experiences with the program at Zavala do you think are really, really good?
10. What do you want people to know about the reading that you and your child do together?

As I entered each home, I was made to feel welcome. I started each session by asking the parent and child to choose a favorite book and sit where they normally did to share and read. Before I began taking pictures, I gave the parent and child time to get cozy and comfortable, to warm up to the book sharing. I was then able to capture their expressions of enjoyment as the reading took place. I took 12 pictures in each home.

The parent and I then made sure that the child and any siblings were occupied and settled while we conducted the tape-recorded interview. Each parent responded to the questions graciously, in a brief and straightforward manner, and without hesitation. Some of the conversations were longer than others due to timing, varying levels of comfort with being interviewed, and the availability of translators. I later transcribed the interviews, editing only when necessary to ensure readability.

After reading the interview transcripts and reviewing the images, several things became apparent to me:

• Books are very important to these 4-year-old children and their parents.
• These children have an effortless love of books.
• Books and reading are inextricably tied to these parents' vision of school success.
• These parents want to be actively involved in the education of their children.
• Good schools do make a difference in people's lives.
• Readers need easy access to books.
• Continuing adult education opportunities are welcomed by parents.
• The parents who enroll their children in this program do so with great expectations.
• These parents value bilingual and bicultural educational opportunities.
• Excellent teachers are greatly respected and valued.

In closing, I offer a sincere thank you (times a million) to the parents for sharing with me their beautiful children, their wonderful books, their patience, and their pride. And now it's time to hear from them. Please follow the link to visit the photo gallery.

About the Author Marsha Grace, seen here with her dog, Chino, is an associate professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, USA, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in reading methods, foundations, children's literature, and assessment. Contact her by e-mail at mgrace@falcon.tamucc.edu.

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