She’s learning for her whole family

LOLITA HARPER

She made it a point to show up the boys on the monkey bars at Lions

Park on Sunday afternoon. When the others were struggling to make it

across the challenging upper body apparatus, little Laura swept

through the course -- skipping every other one.

The 8-year-old girl doesn’t normally back down from challenges;

she is working hard to help her mom, dad, little brother and aunt

learn English.

Her parents came from Mexico, but she and her brother, Giovani,

were born here. She pointed over to the swings, where her mom,

Catalina, and her 2-year-old brother were playing.

“My mom speaks only Spanish, but she is learning,” Laura said.

Laura, a soft-spoken little girl, said she attends Whittier

Elementary School and takes the bus to school with her aunt. The two

part ways: her aunt goes to adult English classes on one side of

campus, and Laura makes her way to Ms. Niriviskus’ class.

“She has a hard last name,” Laura said of her teacher, “but her

first name is easy -- it’s the same as mine.”

Ms. Laura Niriviskus is a nice teacher who helps Laura learn to

better read and write. And Laura helps the other kids in her class

communicate with their teacher, who speaks only English. Well, “a

little Spanish” and “some other” language,” Laura said.

When she started kindergarten, Laura didn’t speak any English,

either.

“It was hard,” Laura said. “English is kind of funny. But there

are some words, like ‘animal,’ that are the same in English and

Spanish. That makes it a little easier, because they are almost like

the same.”

“Because,” she said, is a funny word. It sounds like it should

have an “o” and a “z,” not an “ause.” Those are the kind of things

that trip up the adults in her life and set them back in their

learning.

But Laura likes the irregularities -- just another challenge.

Laura’s favorite subject is English -- and math, she added. But

she likes to write stories and summaries of books she has read. And

the more Laura learns, the more she can teach her mom and dad. Each

night, she tries to sit down with her parents to help them learn to

read and write.

“I help them look at the letters and words and, like, sound them

out,” she said. “My dad knows some English because of work,” Laura

said.

Her father, Miguel, works as a cook at the Blue Water Grill, she

said. She would work more with him, but he is often at the restaurant

long after she is asleep on school nights. Her father works hard, she

said, and sometimes he brings home some really good food.

Laura is proud of her father, but she wants to do more when she

grows up.

“Maybe a dentist,” she said.

“That takes a lot of school,” I said, “and a lot of college.”

“That’s OK. I like school,” she said. “And if I get good grades, I

can go to college -- that’s what my teacher said.”

Even with her continued schooling, Laura has not intention of

losing her Spanish.

“It is important to speak two languages, my teacher said. That way

you can talk to lots of people and know what everyone is saying,”

Laura said.

And regardless of what people are saying about Whittier Elementary

school and its “failing” test scores, Laura has no intention of

living up to that title.

Look up Laura Guzman, DDS and associates in about 17 years. Se

habla espanol.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or by e-mail at

[email protected].