In Longview, there is one Hispanic teacher for every 284 Hispanic students. It's important to have a staff that's as racially diverse as the student body, said Cindy Lopez, a Longview Police officer and director of the Ethnic Support Council. A person of color gives you hope, is somebody you can look up to. School officials are looking for creative ways to fill the gaps. When interpreters aren't available, some St. Helens English-speaking students pair up with an Hispanic student to help them try to understand, Yauchzee said.
Some teachers rely on teen-agers to interpret for their parents.
R.A. Long Assistant Principal Marshall, who is of Spanish and Puerto Rican ancestry but does not speak Spanish, often uses her own mother as an interpreter when she meets with parents. Lopez called for more Hispanic people to get involved as interpreters. But it is harder for somebody who has spoken another language all their lives to learn. Many Hispanic parents have more problems with English than their kids. The difference is that they started learning later in life or don't know where to turn for help.