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Patty Harmon is one of the many qualified individuals who volunteer
with the Migrant Education Program (MEP). As a descendent of an immigrant
family, she knows the struggles that migrant children face adjusting
to a foreign culture. She has been working at ETSU for the past six
years interpreting for the deaf. Patty heard about MEP through the
radio and decided to volunteer this past summer as a teacher’s
aide in the 6-7 year old class. As a volunteer teacher’s aide,
she read books to individual students, taught phonetics to beginning
readers, and took the class on walks to the library. Patty said that
what she liked was being involved in second language acquisition,
watching it unfold, watching the amazing skills of bilingual kids
and adults, and learning about Mexican culture.
What: The Migrant Education
Program is a national program that annually
provides supplemental education and support
services to eligible migrant children to help
them overcome the educational disruptions and
disadvantages they face.
Eligibility: Eligible children
are those between the ages of 3 - 21 who have
moved with a parent, guardian, or spouse to
seek or obtain agricultural or fishery labor
within the last three years. Currently, migratory
students who have moved within the past 12 months
receive the highest priority for services.
Who: The qualified staff
includes certified teachers, volunteers, ETSU
students, coordinators, educational assistants,
and a bilingual recruiter.
Where: First Presbyterian
Church, 105 South Boone St. Johnson City, TN
37604
When: Mid June – July,
Monday – Thursday, 9:30 a.m. – 2:30
p.m.
For more information on MEP contact the director,
Ardis Nelson, at (423) 439-6897 (nelsona@mail.etsu.edu) or
the coordinator, Hillary Hester, at (423) 439-8342
(hester@mail.etsu.edu). The national hotline
is 1-800-234-8848.
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