Page 180 - COVID Consortium Journal - An Edited Collection of Student Art and Writing

Teaching My Mom English

Madison Flores, School of the Future

Speaking more than one language is empowering in America, especially
if that language is Spanish. But what happens if one person is fluent in English,
and the other person is fluent in Spanish? My mom is fluent in Spanish, and I
am fluent in English. My mom migrated from Mexico at the age of 18 years old.
She grew up in a Spanish-speaking home, so she has not had to learn English
until now. When migrating, my mom first went to Los Angeles and Chicago to
her uncle 19 years ago. Then later she moved to New York City around 14 years
ago when she met my dad. My dad is fluent in both Spanish and English, and
my mom spoke only Spanish. All of my mom’s family spoke Spanish at home,
so she has not had to learn English until now. I decided to help my mom learn
to speak my language because English is America’s main language. My mom
struggled to learn the language at first because she spends more time with
people who speak her language when she goes to work babysitting children.
When I came home from school before Covid-19, I would help her learn new
words by playing a game with her. I would start a sentence and ask her to finish
it. For example, How is the weather…. How are you . . .

My mom helped me learn Spanish. She speaks to me in Spanish and she
taught me for many years. Also, she taught me to write a few Spanish sentenc-
es.

Me: “Hola, soy bien, qué tu?”
Mom: “Bien gracias.”
Me: “De nada, qué estás haciendo?”
Mom: “Nada. Gracias.”

I am glad my mom can teach me Spanish, but because she needs to learn
English fast so that she can communicate more with my teachers, she goes to
school to learn how to speak and write English. Sometimes I help her with her
homework. Sometimes I translate for her when I am speaking to my teachers,
and when we go to my doctor appointment. My mom knows a lot of words but
sometimes she is afraid she might say the sentences wrong, so she chooses not
to speak much English.

The first thing my mom had to learn was the sound of each alphabet
letter. Then I would test her by showing her sight words, so she can know what
to say (ex: so, many, just, but, and what). I don’t want her to write the wrong

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