In many large cities, recently arrived immigrant children enter the public school system every week. Those who enter a regular or bilingual classroom struggle to adjust to their new school setting. They fight to keep up with school work in a language they might not understand. Their teachers need to spend extra time reteaching skills already taught before. Both immigrant children and regular classroom teachers can benefit from a newcomer program or school.

Cultural Adjustment Lessons for Newcomers

When newly arrived students enter the classroom, they may experience culture shock. Depending on how much schooling they have had, they may need help with school routines and expectations. Many immigrants have horror stories about their first day of school. One such experience involved a student who was pinched by everyone he met. He later learned that his first day of school had been St. Patrick’s Day. There are many other problems with cultural adjustment written by students in I Felt Like I Was From Another Planet by Norine Dresser [Addison-Wesley, 1993].

In a newcomer school, students would be explicitly taught the school routines. Students wouldn’t feel awkward or as afraid to make mistakes. Students who enter a regular school in the middle of the school year usually miss out on these beginning of the school year activities.