Collaborating with DeMille Elementary
in Vietnamese
Photo by Alex Aldana
This academic year marks the continuation of a longstanding partnership between faculty and staff in the College of Education (CED), DeMille Elementary principal Shannon Villanueva, and DeMille teachers Huong Dang and Patty Pelton. This semester, 11 of Dr. Huong Tran Nguyen’s credential students are completing fieldwork in Ms. Dang’s and Ms. Pelton’s English-Vietnamese Dual Immersion Kindergarten classrooms at DeMille in the Westminster School District—the first English-Vietnamese dual immersion program in California. Six additional students from the SERVE (service learning) program and one federal work-study student are also working with students and teachers at DeMille.
The collaboration has been a long time in the making. The SERVE program has worked closely with Principal Villanueva for many years. Her stellar orientation of our students—first at Findley Elementary as a master teacher (of two of Dr. Nguyen’s student teachers), Warner Middle School coordinator, and 7 years as DeMille’s principal—was incorporated into the SERVE Handbook for training. DeMille’s new dual immersion Kindergarten teacher, Ms. Dang, a 12-year bilingual teacher, was Dr. Nguyen’s former student teacher (2002). She holds a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction (2012) and a Multiple Subject Credential (2002) from CSULB. Dr. Nguyen has continued to mentor her and follow her career trajectory.
Dr. Nguyen’s students are enthused about their fieldwork assignment in a dual immersion program. They admire Ms. Dang and Ms. Pelton for their tireless efforts in working with culturally and linguistically diverse students, their families, the surrounding ethnic enclave community, and CSULB student observers. Thuy-Vy Tran (one of the 11 students Dr. Nguyen placed at DeMille) has been a substitute teacher at DeMille after having completed her field-based observation hours. Thuy-Vy writes, “Personally, I would have liked to have been a student in this classroom. My family came from lower middle class and could not afford lessons outside of school. I would have liked to have learned the Vietnamese language when I was young. I would have been exposed to a more structured learning of the language rather than having to learn it minimally at home, in high school, and then later on, when I had the means to, through my travels back to the country to do so.”
in English
Photo by Alex Aldana
One of her classmates, Kasey Chea, will forever cherish his experience at DeMille because “As a Cambodian American, it was my first time in a classroom where Vietnamese was the only spoken language. The first time I was there, I felt lost but the joyful spirit of the teachers made me feel comfortable throughout the whole process. I learned a lot from the kindergartners and the teachers. They’ve taught me to have more patience and the joy of learning another language.” Kasey’s classmate, JoAnna Moreno, concurred: “Observing at DeMille Elementary is more than just working with children in a Kindergarten classroom. I associate my time spent there with looking through a telescope into the future of education. [A] future where children are taught to make multiple connections in the brain about language, culture, learning, and friendship. These children are not overly affluent or well connected, they are simply the trailblazers of the English-Vietnamese Dual Immersion Program, which embraces the cultural differences of Southern California. There is no language—English, Vietnamese or Spanish—which could express the love and affection that Ms. Pelton and Ms. Dang share for their young learners.”
In the same vein, Alex Aldana wrote, “I had the privilege to observe the Dual Immersion Program at DeMille from the very first month and seeing the progress was remarkable. The most memorable moment [was] when I witnessed a Hispanic student sing a song in Vietnamese, respond to simple commands, and was also writing words with the correct accent marks. I already knew the student and the program would only continue to improve. It gives me hope as a future teacher that teaching another language is possible with great support, planning, and perseverance.”
Roberta Vu, a CSULB student placed by the SERVE office also at DeMille shared that “This program has been a great experience for me. I grew up in the area and went to school with predominately Asian-American students. It’s very exciting for me to see Latino students in the class learning Vietnamese. It’s heartwarming to hear traditional songs and stories of my culture. I’ve really enjoyed my time in the program.” Ms. Dang also has praise for Roberta, who she says is “She’s always there for the kids. She always knows what I need and what the kids need.”
Through the partnership with DeMille Elementary, CED students have the opportunity to work alongside talented teachers while incorporating evidence-based practices and experiencing changes in education firsthand. This treasured collaboration will continue long into the future.
