It was a scary situation for us.
We moved from Boston, Massachusetts to Ponce, Puerto Rico, work related reasons. There, my son was attending one of the best schools Roxbury Preparatory School.
We want the best for our child, like all parents do. Before moving I contacted the school my son would attend in the island. I worry for the big change and possibly a cultural shock for him, a child that didn’t even speak Spanish.
The director and owner of the new bilingual-learning-private school in Sabana Grande, assured us over the phone, while we were living in Boston, and once we arrived that my son will have a great learning experience at her place.
She gave us a tour, and proudly showed us her certifications and all the good things about her school. We left that afternoon feeling comfortable.
We were so happy to see how our son was reacting in a positive way towards our new life adventure, new country, new culture, new language, and new friends.
First day of school arrived, classes start in the month of August here in Puerto Rico, he, our son, just had basically only one month of vacation, because he finished his fifth grade on the last week of June, during the summer of 2012-2013, school calendar, in his hometown Boston.
That morning, we were so pleased to see him getting out of the car with a smile on his face, for a twelve years old boy, in a new setting and environment, our son was so secure and proud of himself. Great! We, my husband and I screamed as soon as we saw him getting into his classroom.
Weeks passed by and he was doing very well, he liked his new school, the teachers and he started to make new friends. The assignments were kind of simple for his preparation so he started to have A in his classes, well, with the exception of Spanish class, that was a C grade, but he has never been in one before, so it was okay for the moment.
He shared with us that even thou the school was a “bilingual” one, everybody speaks in Spanish, even the teachers. He also mentioned that at least his teachers will direct to him in English, it was the language that he best comprehends.
Every day, I used to wait for him in the office of the school for dismissal. During that time seating in there I noticed and observed that the school was having difficulties controling a first grade class, that classroom was right there in the lobby area.
The teacher was screaming all the time to control the children, but also the director/owner, helpers, other teachers, parents, teacher’s assistance used to step in the classroom to constantly yell to the children to be quiet and to seat down. It was a scary panorama and very uncomfortable to me.
One day the director approached me and ask me if I could help with the first grade class, I agreed. On September I became the new teacher.
It was a difficult task but not impossible by November, all students were seating, quiet, happy and eager to learn. Parents were very pleased.
During that first semester, the first grade students learned how to communicate in the English language, with short and simple phrases, after all this was a bilingual school. They, the students started to have great achievements.
My son was so proud to have his mother as a teacher of his school and I was very happy I could help, these children and their families were wonderful people.
Also during that time, now as an insider, I notice all the irregularities of the place. To short this story I will list those irregularities that made me consider leaving the teacher’s position that was given to me just to resolve their mess.
_ Stepping into the first grade class to scream at little students to shut up and seat down without realizing we were doing express yourselves activities-for energy balance.
_Constant calling me to the office just because a parent was not happy the child didn’t have an A.
_No first aid bags in classrooms. (Got it at the end of 1st semester)
_The plan for “bullies” was the director taking a child into the office and use her shoe to hit the child in his butt.
_Plan for teaching respect: The director asked a girl to slap the face of a boy in front of the first grade class, because he hit another girl. But when the director asked the “victim” she was so scare and sad, because the director was screaming at her to hit the boy, she was not able to do it. Then the director called this other girl.
When I tried to close the door so the rest of the class could not see al the mess, the director roughly opened the door and said very loud and clear that she wanted all the class to see it. Then she stepped into the class and completed her life lesson of violence to the children. I was heart broken.
When the boy was crying, after the girl slap him on his face, very hard, he look at me, I was forbidden by the director to do something about it. (The family was informed of this event by the director and even thou they didn’t like it, they didn’t do anything about it.)
_ There were deals between the director and parents: parents that will help and gift to the school in return of A for their children’s grades.
_I was taken away from the class, even in the middle of tests, to the office, just to be confronted, alone, by parents that they children told them I was not nice to them.
_ I was not allowed to grade my own tests. The director had two other teachers doing it for me. No, I was not special, or loved, it was to control the grades to please some parents or to control some others.
_In a more personal matters: I was the only teacher that was paying for my son’s tuition, it was free for the children of other teachers.
_I was making $6./ hour and giving 6 subjects, 4 of them in English. I used a lot personal time to prepare lessons plans on weekends. My paycheck was about $250.00 biweekly. It was considered a part-time position with no other benefits than, taking a portion of what I was making to pay for my son’s education, which is was a great thing, but not so great knowing that it was free for other children that parents were teachers there.
There is so much more I could share, but I’m sure, that if you read up to this point, now you are understanding why we decided to home school our son.
_Second semester started, I wanted to leave but my commitment to the first graders and their family was more powerful that all the mess going on.
But the director also felt I should leave, I was becoming an obstacle for the way she was running her school. On the second week of classes, she told me in her sweet voice, always like that, I should see her in the lobby/office on my way out.
After I cleaned my class, floor, all desks, the teacher’s desk, and organized books and remove the trash, I stepped into the lobby, it was right outside of the class.
In front of other co-workers she said I should sign a document were she wrote in a handprint hard for me to see and understand, that I was not a good teacher, that I needed to improve or face consequences, this, she told me because I could hardly understand her hand writing, according to her, it was not her but because there were many parents accusing me of the matter.
I opened my eyes, and said, really! The first graders up to this point had two evaluations given by me that showed their achievements and improvements in reading, by timing. The average grades of the class was A, out of 19 families, 18 were very happy with the success of their children.
I refused to sign the director’s document. The same way I refuse to sign a document were she told me to immediately close my facebook account where I place the dates for homework and tests to make parent’s live’s easier. A page created in 2009, while living in Boston, for the same purpose and a very successful one. (https://www.facebook.com/missnorma.forchildren)
The director turn her back to do other businesses and was not available for me, she was expecting me to sign but instead I left without the signature on an unfair and absolutely false accusation without evidence that could proof her allegations, well, according to her, parent’s allegations. “Because I know how good you are.” she used to tell me.
Hours after that, she called me and left me a phone message saying that she no longer needed my services, but she also added, come to pick up your son’s school documentation.
My son was put out of the school without any warning for us as parents. But, who wants to leave a child in such a messy environment. A school that was more of a making money machine for the owner, than to provide the education that children deserve and parents are paying for.
That’s how we decided for home schooling as our new life style. It was January 2014, was the third week of the second semester, had no time to look for more schools, no time to waste with that horrifying experience we just went through.
We left Miglen Learning School in Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, behind. My husband and I dedicated a whole week to research home schooling. By the fourth week of the second semester, my son was back into his academic education with the best quality that a loving and secure home can offer.
But to be honest, it was a very scary moment in our lives. We, my husband and I, were products of institutions, public and private school but now we were looking into a new alternative, unknown to us, with the hope of giving our son a high quality education.
We are now on the first semester of 7th grade, we are loving it. Why we didn't start this before, well, because it was meant to be now. Our son have achieved more than when he was institutionalized. We are becoming expert parents in home schooling each day, with the guidance of our son.
Hoping that your experience in the schools could be amazing, if not, home schooling is for you.
Norma
Mom-Primary Coach
Gerardo es el creador de: www.batallante.blogspot.com
Gracias por tan impactante y directa historia que retrata muy bien males que hacen daño a los sistemas educativos a nivel privado y público. En esta ocasión no entraré en los detalles sobre esos daños, sino que presentaré el escenario que me inspira:
Leo tus palabras en el día que comenté la inauguración del Centro Tau de la Fundación Ricky Martin en Loíza. “Tau” es una palabra taína que significa “hola”. Según los datos, “dentro de un espacio de paz y de cultural programa de educación personalizada”, “combinará lo académico, las artes, la salubridad, la justicia social y el deporte”.
Tiene que ser de Dios esa coincidencia, ya que el Centro Tau busca educación individualizada y que los estudiantes sean libres; y ahí está el corazón del concepto de “homeschooling”. Ciertamente se necesita la renovación revolucionaria que sea más que palabras y eso es “homeschooling”.
Reconozco que soy conservador y que cuando tomé cursos de pedagogía no se hablaba de “homeschooling”. Bendigo a quienes optan por las escuelas tradicionales.
Sin embargo, consciente de las fallas en los sistemas educativos tradicionales, considero que debe haber entendimiento mayor, apoyo y empatía hacia el “homeschooling”. Hay heroísmo en los padres que asumen tan seria responsabilidad.
El relato bíblico del niño Jesús en el templo, lleva a ver que el templo complementaba la educación dada en el hogar. Se trata de un modelo de “homeschooling” muy necesario para tiempos en que abruman problemas como el “bullying”, la violencia, la falta de apoyo a buenos padres y educadores, creciente corrupción, cainismo, en fin, se necesita una nueva luz redentora desde la base fundamental familiar.
Albert Einstein dijo: ‘Ningún problema puede ser resuelto ni comportamiento cambiado por el mismo nivel de conciencia que lo creó’, lo que nos indica lo sabio de crecer y no resignarnos a más de lo mismo. Como muestra, buenos educadores que se sienten frustrados, pueden ser potenciados al apoyar a los proyectos “homeschooling” como nueva esperanza con poder; y personas mayores con ilimitados conocimientos pueden volver a vivir al apoyar dichos proyectos Estamos ante el concepto educativo que puede integrar a todo lo edificante. Sea el éxito de cada proyecto de “homeschooling” el éxito de todo Puerto Rico como ejemplo que trasciende fronteras. Es afortunado tu hijo al contar con la mejor base que es el amor sabio, verdadero y consagrado. Bendecidos.
