GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For many children growing up in bilingual households, learning English can mean becoming a bridge between their families and an English-speaking world.
Sometimes, that responsibility begins at a young age.
Lesvia Marroquin’s oldest daughter was 5 years old when their roles began to reverse.
“Y yo la agarraba a ella como mi maestra. Tenía cinco añitos.”
Marroquin said sometimes her daughter would step in as her teacher.
After moving from Guatemala to Grand Rapids, Marroquin spoke little English. She said she worked in a factory where she did not need much English. But when her daughter began school, Marroquin became more involved in her education and saw how important learning English could be.
“Y eso ayudó muchísimo porque, pues, a ella le enseñaban el inglés y ya ella me lo decía en español.”
“That helped me so much. She learned English at school and explained it to me in Spanish,” Marroquin said.
She remembers asking her daughter what she learned at school. As her daughter learned English, she would explain those lessons to her mother in Spanish.
In many immigrant households, children take on the role of interpreter, helping their parents navigate conversations, paperwork and other parts of daily life in English.
Melissa Reddy, a class coordinator at the Literacy Center of West Michigan, said language barriers can make everyday tasks difficult for adults, whether that is understanding transportation or handling paperwork at the Secretary of State.
“When you continually feel like you might be hitting these roadblocks that, as an adult, you can’t achieve on your own, I think it can make you start to feel small.”
Reddy said seeing learners recognize their own progress and become better able to support their children can be empowering.
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Learning English and gaining independence
The Literacy Center offers free programs ranging from family and health literacy to community, citizenship, career and certification classes. Reddy said classes are offered online and in person, with programming available for learners ranging from beginners to advanced students.
For Marroquin, learning English meant being able to help her children while also improving her own quality of life.
Marroquin said learning English opened opportunities for herself and her children.
Now, with four children and knowing the language, Marroquin helps other families find support.
“Puedo decir que respiro un poco mejor, más tranquila.”
“I can breathe a little easier, more calmly.”
Marroquin said learning English has opened doors, helped her build friendships and made it easier to understand others, write and find information when her family needs it.
Continuing to learn and helping others
Reddy said Marroquin continues attending an advanced-level class at the Literacy Center while also helping at an elementary school.
Her experience with English has also stretched across generations. Marroquin said her mother became interested in learning English after seeing her do it.
From learning English alongside her little girl to finding her own voice, Marroquin has a message for anyone still finding theirs:
“If I do it, you guys can do it, anybody can do it.”
For those looking to build their English literacy skills, you can access available resources here.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
