This article begins by sharing an activity a teacher did during a Latino parent night. All the parents were asked to write their child's name on a sticky note and paste it on the board. When all 33 post-its were on the board, she stated "50% of Latino students drop out of school by 9th grade." She then removed half of the post-its. "Another 20% drop out of high school before grade 12." She removed another bunch. "Another 10% are not able to pass the required tests and do not get a diploma." She remove some more. The room was quiet as they all stared at the 5 post-its left on the board. The activity was closed as she takes one post-it and tells them how one of 5 will receive a college degree. The teacher used this activity to express the importance of a strong support at school and at home.
This activity was shocking, however, its a reality. And I truly believe this is what our Latino parents at Irvin Elementary need, "A Wake-up Call"! This article goes on explaining the important role parents play in the students' academic development. It also provides several ideas on hosting bilingual family nights.
Last month Sarah Doyle and I hosted our first bilingual meeting with out Latino parents. We had 30+ parents and 35+ students. There was no doubt that our parents were very comfortable and happy to be part of this event. However, after the meeting I was thinking on ways to make these meetings more meaningful. After reading this article, I now have lots of ideas to host the meetings, and a better idea on what information to share with them. If you are reading this blog, consider following the link and reading the article, and perhaps you'll want to join our next Latino/bilingual meeting in January! :)
Bilingual Family Night for Ell Families
