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Chaconas works to make sure the family she volunteers for is up to date on immunizations and that the children are getting the right medical dosage when they are ill, as they can't read the labels.

She also sorts through the mail to make sure that they keep on top of bills, the visa applications process and anything else that needs attention.

"If the community could embrace them better ..." Chaconas said, the silence punctuating a wistful wish.

The health care for the homeless department at Mercy, where Chaconas works, is buying a video for Somali stay-at-home mothers to learn English.

Meanwhile, Caldwell tutors one Somali child at Rebecca Johnson Elementary School. She believes Somali children would benefit from being clustered into a temporary newcomers' program.

While other refugees, such as Bosnians and Vietnamese, were literate in their native languages, Somalis are not.

Somali students have a summer program, but they are divided among 21 schools during the academic year. Many are learning Spanish in English as a second language classrooms.

The district's resolution agreement with federal authorities includes allowing Somali students who may be isolated to move to a school with other Somalis.

"There are educated Somalis in the area. If you look in the right place, you'll find one," Caldwell said.

"They are putting them with teachers who don't know what to do, but if you had someone who knew how to work with English-language learner kids and a tutor you could get it done."

The district's plan calls for assigning Somali students to teachers who would be trained or certified to teach English-language learners. The district also would provide materials designed to help preliterate people learn to read.

Bullé, who lives in Springfield, used to work 30 hours per week as a Somali tutor. Then the School Department cut his hours to 18. However, his hours may go up again as a result of the federal Education Department's order.

For now, he visits 10 schools, spending six hours at elementary schools and two to three hours at secondary schools.

"It is not enough and it is not efficient at all," he said.

Students at the High School of Commerce were angry with him because he doesn't give them enough help, he said.

"Some children are very aggressive. They tell me, 'Why do you come if you don't help us?'"

Dianne Mulhern, a teacher at Mary M. Walsh Elementary School, has in her class 10-year-old Malyun Ali, who is learning both English and Spanish from the English as a second language teacher who works in Mulhern's classroom.

"Maybe it's not a detriment for her to learn Spanish," she said, "but I don't think I'd want to learn two languages at once."

Ali has come a long way. She can form sentences now. At the refugee camps, children didn't have school, said Noor. Here, children are adjusting to staying still in a chair and paying attention for hours.

Mulhern said that teachers should have had training in August on at least the background of Somali children so they would know better how to help them.

"They just give us all these kids and don't give us any training or support," she said.

Sabrina Lewis, adjustment counselor and social worker at Rebecca Johnson Elementary School, said four Somali students are enrolled there.

She has taken Issack Adan, an 8-year-old first-grader, and his family under her wing. She works with him during and after school to teach him English and such concepts as how an answering machine works.

He arrived at the school in 2003 and repeated kindergarten twice.

Lewis' work with the Adan family has given her an appreciation for what she has, since they come with nothing, are grateful for the simplest things and never complain about anything.

Somalis need life-training, she said. They get their bills and don't know what they are unless someone explains that it is something that must be paid to keep the heat and lights on.

"One cannot turn away," said Conlon. "These families have allowed me to walk alongside them, and I am honored."

Natalia Munoz can be reached at [email protected] Natalia Arbulu can be reached at [email protected]

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Source: The Republican, April 09, 2006

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