Family Night, an effort begun by former West Sedona School Principal Lisa Hirsch, has been instrumental in helping many non-English speakers learn the language — yet it’s the legacy that it has created that is most exciting to Big Park Community School English Language Development Teacher Erin Fagan.
“I was definitely inspired by Lisa Hirsch and her push to involve our marginalized families in the community,” Fagan said of the free English classes for adults she has organized once-weekly at Big Park. “Both she and [WSS First Grade ELD Teacher] Gail Basham have been mentors to me. They are women who fight the good fight for people whose voices have been quiet for far too long.”
According to Fagan, her desire to start a class for the “parents and adults of the community whose first language is not English” began in 2012. At the beginning of the 2014-15 school year, she reached out to recently-hired Principal Jay Litwicki, who responded with enthusiasm.
“He told me to go for it, and has supported these families and me more than I ever imagined,” Fagan said. “Mr. Litwicki works really hard to make sure no one population is left behind and truly believes that because we are a public school we must serve all kids.”
Beyond simply wanting to assist individuals who currently struggle with English, however, Fagan understood that the shifting demographics within Big Park’s classrooms means that, as time goes on, more and more people will experience marginalization due to lack of English language capability.
“I‘ve read that the U.S. Census Bureau projects that by the 2030s, children whose home language is other than English will increase from 22 percent — which is roughly our second language population at Big Park now — to 40 percent,” Fagan said. “I’ve lived, worked and traveled in other countries where English was not the first language and struggled just like these kids do — knowing that I’m not stupid, but feeling frustrated that I didn’t have the words I needed to express myself the way that I wanted.
“It’s hard to see these kids’ and parents’ frustration simply because of language. My whole life I’ve wanted to teach kids to love language and literature, because it’s what I’m passionate about. I see a great need, everywhere, not just in Sedona, to reach out to the greater community and help people learn to speak English so that they can become active members of our society.”
To read the full story, see the Friday, Nov. 13, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.
