I came to the United States from Burma to study theology in 2002. I was 26 years old and was fortunately already fluent in English. I have always been active in the Indianapolis Burmese community and currently serve on the Board of Directors for Exodus Refugee Immigration, Inc. I hear first-hand accounts every day of the accomplishments and struggles of so many families trying to acclimate to Indiana and the school environment.
In Burma and in refugee camps, the schools are often unsafe environments with a fear of physical punishment. The children often were in environments where they ran from authority, rather than feeling protected by authority. They also would have had little, if any, health care and even food at times. Life for children in a refugee camp is extremely different from the life of most American children.
In America, the schools are safe, structured and simply more entertaining. Burmese schools focus on simply memorizing information, while American schools teach children to apply the information they've learned. Most refugee children love going to school in America for all of these reasons!
An area that still needs improving, however, is the placement of children when they initially arrive in Indiana. Many schools still place children according to their age and not their skill level. Even though a child is 11 years old, if they are coming from a refugee camp, they likely would have had little, if any, education. It is unfair to that child, as well as the other students and teachers, to place them in a class simply based on their age and not their skill level. I applaud Southport High School for trying to address this problem by starting many of these students in classes like gym and art that do not require as much knowledge of the English language.
Most of these students learn the English language quickly. If they are initially placed in the appropriate classes, based on their skill level and not their age, it would not be long before they are able to speak English and transition to their age-appropriate grade level.
Naw Phaw
Director of Language Services, LUNA Language Services
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/help-refugee-children-transition-into-school/
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