Jessica Ruiz

I was blessed growing up to have parents and a Godmother who were my most dedicated advocates.  My parents believed in having contact with my teachers during the good and bad.  My parents wanted to know how I was doing academically and behaviorally.  Sometimes our educators do not realize how they are able to impact students negatively or positively.  Still to this day, I remember a teacher who told my mother that I was not high school material not alone, college material.  This teacher told my mother this when I was in middle school. Believe it or not, that comment has been my motivation and it keeps me focused on my goals.  I can proudly say that those who believed in me and never accepted the words,” she won’t and she can’t were able to witness some of my personal accomplishments. 

 Let’s face it, not everyone has the same opportunities, access to services and parents who may know how to maneuver the system.  For children and parents who are not educated in how the school system works may have limited access to services which causes children to slip through the system. 

 I have witnessed firsthand, attending meetings with parents who have limited education and how some teachers talk down to parents.  This has left some parents feeling hopeless.  This occurs fairly frequently to many minority children.  It is interesting how Madison brags about how they embrace diversity. Who are they embracing? Blacks? Latinos? Asians? LGBT? Native American’s? The poor? The rich? , etc... 

The next time you are in your classroom, look around to see who is sitting next to you. Black students especially are losing in the classroom.  It is important that the community plays a more active role in the education system besides acknowledging that school system is failing Black and Latino children.  It is time that we start doing something about this problem and come together actively to combat this tragedy.

Remember, do not hesitate to hold the education system accountable to make sure that our kids are getting the education they deserve. 

Clarissa Pearson