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WEST POINT, Utah (AP) -- West Point Junior High School teacher Perla Tolman was born in Uruguay, lived in Asia and Europe and speaks five languages.
The Davis School District would like to recruit more teachers like her.
Tolman said her diverse background allows her to teach Spanish to native English speakers, and it helps her connect with students in her English as a Second Language classes.
Tolman knows the difficulties of adjusting to a new culture.
"My background gives me a good idea of what these children need," she said. "The U.S. is so close to Mexico, yet it is a totally different culture in the way it operates, the way people dress, the food."
The school district wants to hire more teachers who, like Tolman, can represent its increasingly diverse student population.
The district recently posted an ad in New Orleans-based Teachers of Color magazine in an attempt to recruit such teachers.
"If a child can see a role model that looks like them, they believe they can become that," said Jackie Thompson, the district's evaluation coordinator.
During the 2004-2005 school year, 12 percent of students in the district were non-Caucasians, but only 3 percent of teachers were, said Human Resource Director Mel Miles.
The Davis School District has one of the most homogenous teacher bases in the state, according to a recent study by Utah State University's instructional technology department.
In the Ogden School District, 6 percent of educators were defined as a race other than white, and an additional 2 percent were listed as "unknown."
In Salt Lake County, 10 percent of educators were defined as a race other than white, with 8 percent "unknown."
Weber School District, like Davis, was listed in the study as having only 2 percent nonwhite educators.
When West Point Junior High School opened three years ago, Principal Jane Muna tried to hire teachers who could represent the school's varied student body.
"I think it's important to meet the needs of all students, based on their heritage and cultural background," she said. "It will only enrich their knowledge."
Finding ethnically diverse teachers can be a challenge, Miles said.
"I don't think you would find any district nationwide that would tell you they have enough diversity," Miles said. "We're all competing over a relatively low number of teachers."
Utah also has larger class sizes and lower pay than other areas, making it difficult to attract candidates from out of state, Miles said.
The district looks mostly to employee referrals and local universities for its multicultural candidates.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
