Saturday March 19, 2016
Teachers at a charter school in St. Paul are getting the opportunity to become even better at their jobs through Somali language courses. It's all part of a pilot program through Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS went to Minnesota Math and Science Academy in St. Paul to observe. Ali Warsame taught pronunciation exercises, which will help teachers at that school get to the point where they can say phrases and sentences.Approximately 30 teachers were in the midst of their second Somali language course, all focused on one goal:to become better teachers to the Somali-American children in their classrooms.
"It just feels really good if you can go into a classroom, and just say their name right, you know if that's the first interaction you have with them," social studies teacher Joshua Connell said.
Instructor Ali Warsame is helping pave the way.
"People light up, people get excited, they're able to connect better with those people, they built relationships with those people better," Warsame said.
Each week for a total of six weeks, Warsame is teaching these teachers about the social norms in Somali culture, to better understand the nuances.
"In Somali culture, the responsibility lies on the teachers. The parents, back home in Somalia, the parents have no role whatsoever with the education of the child," Warsame said.
These teachers voluntarily chose to learn a new set of ABCs.
"You can tell stories about their culture, you can relate learning back to what they know, it's a really powerful thing," Connell said.
Warsame said this is just the beginning. He said there will be two more sets of six-week courses, each getting more and more advanced.
Warsame said he's also contracted with Metro Transit Police and Fairview Health Services to teach Somali language courses.