TheApple

Does anyone else deal with Spanish-speaking only families?

 Yes, our school actually has three bilingual classrooms where the children are taught in Spanish and English.  The peers are placed in English only classrooms.  Of course, we can't do that with the parents.  We are supposed to have a Spanish speaking office assistant, but between our current principal and other unchangeable issues, we don't.  I just arranged for the translators to interpret for our conferences starting this week.  I can fully understand how intimidating it is to not be be able to speak the language, and through personal experience, I know it is not always that the individual has not been trying.  I've been studying Spanish for ten years now and when in front of a group of Spanish parents, I freeze...afraid I'll say the wrong thing.  The words spoken by the parent really need to be written out for me to interpret what is being said, but you can't ask them to do that either.  What is your experience with Spanish speaking only students?