Also in terms of language exchanges: all happening in English. I don’t hear much Spanish at all in the tutoring room: the Spanish happens in the public areas. The students are taken to the “English chamber” to work on their school work, meanwhile out in the Spanish part of the library families communicate freely, speak of books, neighborhood issues, things happening in their lives.

Not encountering much translation at the moment: not much contact with the parents. One parent last week spoke to me about her son’s homework, concerned because he completed it all in one day without leaving some for tomorrow . . . perhaps not a good way to get things started, but I explained myself well to her. Handled myself and not with a translator, as this could have been problematic if I had brought her second-grade son into the discussion.

What I miss about MANOS is having parents actively involved in going over the homework with mentors, actually sitting at the table with them while they did their homework.