Immigrant’s granddaughter guides a new generation of arrivals

All schools need a teacher just like this one.    - - Donna Poisl

By Kristin E. Holmes, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Every year, scores of students whose families are new immigrants to the United States enroll in the Upper Darby School District and Margie Tavakalian helps them adjust.

The 55-year-old English Language Learners (ELL) teacher at Beverly Hills Middle School takes shy and scared youngsters who speak Punjabi, Thai, or Greek, and helps them communicate — and more.

When frustrations mount because a student can’t open a locker or tell a cafeteria worker what he or she wants to eat, Tavakalian is there.
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