Anjali Patel, his mother, cannot read or write because she never attended school. She is 32 years old and has previously worked as a laundry woman, but she currently works as a maid in other’s homes. Ritesh Patel, his father, can read and write very little in Gujarati but is illiterate in English because he left school after completing the fifth grade. He is 40 years old and has worked as a taxi driver all of his life. Sunny Patel has three other siblings; his older brother, Bahvish, is 12 years old and has only gone to school for 3 years. Bahvish is also able to speak Gujarati. He works on a farm collecting wheat for a factory. Sunny has two younger sisters, Shri and Sangeeta. Shri Patel is seven years old and has never attended school. Instead, she fetched water for local residents in the city. Sangeeta Patel is five years old and helps her mother with the laundry and house cleaning. Sunny Patel and his siblings all speak Gujarati fluently and speak little to no English because they moved to America only seven months ago. Sunny Patel is at the Early Production level of speaking.

Sunny Patel’s parents made it to America on a lottery system and they chose to move to Florida because people from their religious temple live here. Anjali and Ritesh Patel are not accustomed to the American attire and culture. They only socialize with other individuals from India and those who go to their temple. Ritesh Patel works small jobs here and there, cleaning at restaurants and working at auto repair places. Both of Sunny’s parents speak primarily their native language and speak little to no English. Ritesh understands simple comments and works very hard at his jobs. Anjali cleans offices at night and does not interact with English speaking individuals at work. She works in empty office buildings after hours.

Although the parents do not speak English and do not yet understand English, they make sure their children attend school. They are enthusiastic about teaching their children to do well in school and learn English. The children help around the house and cook. The parents make sure that the children finish their homework and it should be correct. When Sunny Patel’s teacher calls home, there is a translator who is on three ways to make sure that Sunny’s parents understand what the teacher is saying. The family goes to the temple on the weekends. Ritesh Patel works on the weekends, but Anjali makes sure the children go to the temple for prayer regularly.

Sunny Patel’s parents are always working, but the children seem to cause little to no disciplinary issues at school. Their socio-economic status is poor. The students face discrimination by other students for the clothes they wear and for walking home. The children always come bathed and well-groomed to school. The Patel family lives in a local apartment complex which is too small for their family. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen and a family room. This family has one vehicle which the parents share.

The family is involved in the community minimally. The parents spend most of their time working and the children do not socialize with people who do not attend the temple. The Patel family associates more with other Indians who speak their native language. The family moved here to better their life, particularly because the parents were in search of better pay and a better education for the children. In India, females hold little to no worth. Ritesh and Anjali wanted better for their daughters.

Sunny Patel moved to American at the age of 8 years old, only six months ago. He is currently placed in 2nd grade. Sunny Patel is very skinny and stands three feet and four inches tall with brown eyes and brown hair. He has a jolly attitude towards life. He is always smiling and hugging his teachers. He is willing to work with the language specialist and put forth great effort in school. He listens to directions and completes his work to the best of his knowledge. Sunny has made quite a few friends. He is opened to the classmates and other students are willing to help him when he is struggling. The language barriers still exist but they are slowly dissolving. He helps his parents understand what the teacher is saying when his teachers call home.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindi (more information on the Hindi language)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarati_language (more information on the Gujarati language)