Mentors: Vanessa Delacruz, first grade teacher: Tadmore Elementary School
The educational field didn’t really call my name until I entered high school. Throughout all four years, I realized that parental involvement played a major part in everyone’s lives but by then, it was too late. That is when I took interest and decided to join the Honors Mentorship Program. I wanted to teach elementary school and research how parental involvement affects a child’s academic success. However, further along the school year I decided that I wanted research more into detail about how culture interferes with the parental involvement. My mentor, Vanessa Delacruz, gave me reliable articles about the difficulties families face when culture becomes a barrier between parents and the school system. The articles mentioned different studies and patterns that can help both parents and administration solve the issue to help the student succeed. I got the opportunity to interview Mrs. Delacruz and gain a teacher’s perspective on this topic as well as the point of view of a Hispanic parent. Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have parents that put in effort when it came to my school work regardless of what they had going on. Seeing it first hand in a classroom and by the research, I am now more aware of the challenge’s families face and the outcome it has on their child. Whether it is a positive or negative outcome, I have learned that it is the responsibility of both the educator and the parent. This school year, I can say that I have gained more knowledge on this topic that will definitely help me understand both sides to a situation like this in any work environment.
Project Website: https://karenanaya123.wixsite.com/pt-culturebarriers