Fulfilling the Promise

OF PUBLIC EDUCATION

“The purpose of education should be to make the goals our children set for themselves more attainable .”

- Marvin Rodríguez

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Putting My Experience
to Work

I have dedicated my adult life to the service of others, both as a United States Marine and a public-school teacher. I have also been involved in public education all my life. I attended district schools from the day I arrived in this country to the time I graduated from high school. In college, I served elementary school children as an after-school coach with Youth Services. Currently, I am an LAUSD high school Spanish teacher with seventeen years of teaching experience in public schools. I am also a parent of two children who attend LAUSD schools. I understand firsthand the implications of decisions made by the School Board for our students, parents and teachers.

As a student, I experienced these effects from the perspective of an English Language Learner and magnet student. I experienced the effective role of adequately funded programs in my local public schools. Growing up in a low-income community with a single mother, I benefited from the resources and support made available to students like me. I am a product of public schools like so many schools in our communities.

In college, I also experienced these effects as an after-school coach with Youth Services. While serving elementary school students, I witnessed firsthand the important role of after school programs that allow students access to a healthy and safe environment while participating in extracurricular activities at their school. This is only possible when we understand that the emotional and physical wellbeing of our students is just as important as their academic.

As a district high school teacher with seventeen years of teaching experience in Title I schools, I understand the difference that adequate funding and resources make in contribution to the success of our students. Whether through funding for resources in support of our students with special needs, English Language Learners, students in foster care or students dealing with homelessness, I see the value in being a community of resources for our students. Over the years I have learned that our students thrive when we show them that they matter to us, and we are willing to invest in their future.