Bilingual student lived in two different worlds
Ahime Ornelas has been a leader in Goose Creek CISD as a teacher, peer facilitator, family involvement coordinator, bilingual education specialist, and now assistant principal at James Bowie Elementary.
“I attended elementary schools that had a bilingual program up until fourth grade. That’s when I transitioned to all English at San Jacinto Elementary. I remember it being a shock. I went from doing very well in class and being very verbal to going into a classroom where I felt intimidated. I felt that everybody was smarter than me because I didn’t speak as fluently as they did. So I just got quiet.
“I didn’t feel like I could compete academically. Even though I still felt I was smart, I had lost confidence. I stayed on par as far as my assessments. I would pass everything. I just didn’t blossom. I wasn’t a leader.
“Our family was very involved in church at that time. It was a great outlet for socialization and getting our family rooted to this community. And it turned out to be great for literacy because we read the Bible a lot. We sang a lot of songs. My literacy was just skyrocketing because I was doing it in Spanish. I started feeling that I was truly bilingual. At school I did English and at church I did Spanish. I was 14 years old, and I was leading groups of adults in worship and praise. I would lead services with 200 people.
“It wasn’t a language thing. It was a confidence thing. I wasn’t afraid of English anymore. I just wasn’t comfortable leading at school because I still felt different than most of the other students. I was in band and Honor Society. But I still felt like it was two different atmospheres, two different worlds. I just kept them compartmentalized. Honestly, it wasn’t until college that I truly felt my confidence at school begin to blossom.”
— Ahime Ornelas
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