We All Need Someone We Can Lean on
While superintendent, I was asked to meet with De Padre A Estudiante (DRaE), which means “From Parent to Student.” De Padre A Estudiante is a parent/guardian group that provides a safe space to allow for maximum parent involvement and engage in meetings, dinners, and seminars. DPaE offers workshops for parents to discuss information about the high school and matters related to education.
The Highland Park High School parent group meets several times during the school year in the evenings. During workshops, parents learn how to navigate the American educational system, especially the high school and college years. There are also workshops designed for human development, which enables parents to improve relating to their children, partner, and themselves. The goal is to increase the level of rapprochement between parents/guardians and the school.
You Can Lean on Me
As superintendent, I was honored to be asked to welcome parents to the first meeting of the school year. I presented my philosophy of teaching and learning, and shared my own personal story as a first-generation learner. I also shared my experiences as a child of immigrant parents navigating the American educational system. I was honored to meet with this particular parent group at different times throughout the year, as doing so provided me opportunities to honor my own parents and their personal experiences.
Chris
Referenced links and documents:
“Dropping out is not an option”: How educationally resilient first-generation students see the future. Margarita Azmitia et al. (2018). In C. R. Cooper & R. Seginer (Eds.), Navigating Pathways in Multicultural Nations: Identities, Future Orientation, Schooling, and Careers. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development. 00, 1–12. 2018
First-Generation College Students as Academic Learners: A Systematic Review, Jillian Ives and Milagros Castillo-Montoya. Review of Educational Research. April 2020, Vol. 90, No. 2, pp. 139–178
Let it Bleed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Policies and Practices to Help First-Generation College Students Succeed, Alecea Standlee. Inside Higher Ed. Syracuse University Press. April 2019
The Only 1 by Chris Dignam
