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5. What seems to be helping your child learn English? All said
the school helped. They were pleased with the bilingual and ESL
teachers. Three mentioned interacting with other children and two said
the television helped. One father said his children were forbidden to
watch television. He believed playing with the North American cousins,
his brother's children, helped his children learn English. He expressed
concern that his children were learning other things that weren't good
to know, and smiled,but did not elaborate.
Discussion of interviews
Informal interviews with the students and general conversation
with the parents provided a great deal of information that could not
have been obtained any other way. It is unfortunate that only four
parents were able to participate. A major conclusion which evolved
from the interviews is that life in Cuba had been quite similar for
most of the participants. Everyone knew what was expected. Almost
everyone participated in some political association organized by the
government. Involvement for the students came in the form of school
and afterschool activities. The term "linked together" was often used
to describe the student groups and the coordinated effort between the
school, the home, the local Defense Committee, and the parents' work
place. Although the answers which were given during the interviews
were expressed in different words, much of the same information was
repeated by many students and their parents.
The parents seemed to be still in the process of adjusting to
the community in which they resided. They mentioned visiting with
relatives in Miami on weekends. Life in the U.S. was difficult, they