Welcoming Newcomers — SELMA, CA 05:15

Published on March 26, 2024 by InsideCalEd

Inside California Education Episode 507: Welcoming Newcomers

Efrain Tovar teaches seventh and eighth-graders in the Newcomers program at Abraham Lincoln Middle School in Selma Unified School District in California’s Central Valley. According to the California Teachers Association (CTA), “Students who are called Newcomers have moved to the United States within the last three years, often as refugees from difficult situations and nearly always without a strong grasp of English.”

Tovar’s own journey to becoming a teacher includes coming to the U.S. as a newcomer student who did not speak English. At Abraham Lincoln Middle School, he seeks to create a supportive learning community where all students can learn critical thinking skills and how to be proud of their unique voices. While helping students learn English, Efrain validates and reinforces their primary language, which makes students “feel seen,” he says. “I truly believe that language is tied to identity. Any time we don’t acknowledge a student’s heritage language, we are subconsciously telling them that they have to leave that part of who they are aside in order to acquire another language.”

“As an educator, my job is to protect children, and to ensure their safety and that they have every single opportunity to be successful to be able to reach the American Dream,” he says. “And what is that American Dream? It’s whatever they want to accomplish in life.”

Efrain is also a Google for Education Certified Innovator and Trainer who utilizes technology to enhance the learning environment for students.

TV Series: Inside California Education
Published Date: 03/26/2024
Season: 5
Episode: 507