Any counselor in adult basic education has a responsibility to find out why students have prolonged absences or why they leave class. Students' stories help us understand competing life demands and help us provide better services. Because of shared language abilities, it is definitely easier for a bilingual counselor to do follow up with students. Bilingual counselors can, for example, talk to coworkers, family members, or fellow students in the native language if they cannot locate a student who is not showing up for class.

Other resources that a bilingual counselor can provide students with are job leads. This is especially important for Chinese immigrants who appreciate contacts in Chinatown. Students' English abilities may not yet be proficient enough to work in English-speaking companies. A counselor who speaks the same language and has contacts with the community can assist students more than a counselor who does not possess those skills.

Success Story
When he was a student at our program, the Asian American Civic Association in Chinatown, Fang got a busboy job at a Chinese restaurant through his bilingual counselor. This job helped pay for his bills. He finished the highest level of the ABE program and went on to Bunker Hill Community College to study computer science. Fang continues to keep in touch with the counselor and other teachers. When he has difficulties with his homework assignments, he always comes back to get advice from his counselor and his former teachers.

At the same time, Fang always helps out the agency whenever he is asked to volunteer. Students like Fang can learn the value of volunteering when others have helped them like their bilingual counselor and American teachers.

It is beneficial for programs to have bilingual counselors who can speak the first language of the students, but it is more important to have the right person. Those who have the heart to serve the students, and won't burn out in short time and leave the field, are the anchors of the communities.

Challenges
Even when a program has a bilingual counselor, the challenges in providing support to immigrants with complex lives is often overwhelming. For example, when Yao enrolled in the English as a second language (ESL) class at our program, his teacher told him about the bilingual counselor who helps students with their educational, vocational, and personal issues. Six months after enrolling, Yao had still not talked to the counselor. Due to his demanding job schedule, he dashed out of the classroom every day to catch the bus in Chinatown that takes restaurant workers to one of the large Chinese restaurants in the suburbs. His teacher tried to convince him to set aside a time to meet with the counselor and talk about his educational goals. After numerous failed attempts, both his counselor and his teacher gave up.

When Yao was in class, he was very present, but his attendance became increasingly spotty and he pushed the program limit of seven acceptable absences. His counselor, who speaks multiple Chinese dialects, tried several times to reach him. There was never anybody to pick up the phone in his house. Eventually, Yao dropped out of class and could not be reached at either his work or home numbers.

Yao's story is just one of those that happen every cycle in our program: students drop out and we often don't know why. Yao's case seemed relatively simple: from what we knew from his intake, there were no legal issues, no asylum, no domestic violence, no miscarriages, no drug use, no shelters, and no child care problems that contributed to his dropping out of class. Yao's story reminds us that even with the strongest support services, sometimes students cannot balance the competing demands of their life and continue to study at a particular time.

Emily Tang Damiano is a bilingual ABE counselor at the Asian American Civic Association in Boston's Chinatown. She can be reached at: edamiano@hotmail.com