Teachers use immigrant past to relate to students

These teachers were once immigrants and know what the students are going through. DP

By DIANE SMITH, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

star-telegram.com: FORT WORTH -- Parallel journeys brought Truong Le and Diane Phan-Nguyen from Vietnam to Success High School.

Le and Phan-Nguyen were toddlers in 1975, when North Vietnamese forces captured the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon and helicopters swooped in to evacuate refugees.

Their families escaped, and church sponsors helped them resettle in the United States. The families were drawn to North Texas' emerging Vietnamese community, and the two found their place amid two cultures.

Through tutoring and substitute teaching, they discovered a passion for educating.

Now, Le and Phan-Nguyen rely on their immigrant experiences and empathy to help them be better teachers for younger generations of immigrants and refugees attending Success High School. The school, on the campus of Trimble Tech High School in the Medical District, caters to immigrants ages 17 to 21, providing accelerated instruction during the day. It also offers night classes for students who work.

During the summer, Le will teach students who need to pass the exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

Students come to North Texas from countries such as Vietnam, Mexico, Bosnia and Somalia with hopes of earning a high school diploma. At Success, they familiarize themselves with English, the fast-paced American culture, work and Texas' high-stakes testing.

"I know where they come from," Phan-Nguyen said. "I know what they are going through, the cultural barriers. I put myself in their situation."
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