“¿Qué tenemos que hacer?” What do we have to do?
I had to ask the soft-spoken sixth-grade science student to repeat her question a little louder, but this was a major victory. This student had been at our school for one month and was building her confidence. It was a big step for her to ask me a question directly instead of depending on her peers.
The student had arrived at our school in the middle of the school year with very limited English skills. Thankfully, Tamayo School had the unique resources to support students during these difficult transitions.
Our front desk clerk was a welcoming and efficient presence. She helped get the student enrolled and communicated her needs to staff. Our bilingual teacher supported her academically by providing translation support and sourcing Spanish language materials. Emotionally, the bilingual teacher connected with her over their shared family traditions and experiences.
Her peers were able to clarify teacher directions and provide her with a friendly ear. I provided the comic relief with my poor attempts to speak Spanish but made academic connections using hands-on science lessons. We were able to have stilted bilingual conversations while observing electric circuits and using scratch programming to make a robot move.
Charter schools are tuition-free public schools open to students via a lottery system. Just like public schools, we enroll students with a variety of educational needs, including students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and English Language Learners.
At Acero charter schools, that includes providing additional support to students who speak Spanish at home in the Gage Park neighborhood. One of the ways we do that is by being culturally responsive to the needs of our community. We are able to use students’ backgrounds and experiences to enhance their learning.
Tamayo School is going to be closed at the end of this year. The student and 270 of her classmates will lose their stable, supportive school and close friendships and be moved to other schools. I am heartbroken that students are losing their community. I am heartbroken that students who have grown so much are put in a position of uncertainty again. My only hope is that Acero Charter School Network will reconsider.
Shannon Phillips, STEM lead teacher, Acero charter schools, Rufino Tamayo
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Don’t minimize Walz’s lies
Mona Charen is off-base in trying to characterize lies by Tim Walz as “fibs.”
Undoubtedly, Donald Trump is a habitual liar who would lie even when the truth would help him. Still, lies by Walz should not be considered innocuous.
Not all lies are created equal, and telling someone you were at the Super Bowl when you were actually at home watching it on TV is probably harmless. But Walz saying he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre was a blatant lie, presumably told to make himself seem important or courageous.
Claiming to be in a foreign city at a time when hundreds, if not thousands, were being slaughtered by their own government is not making a mistake, embellishing or being a “knucklehead.” Someone who infers that he saw combat in a war is not misspeaking. He is being deceptive, self-promoting and disrespectful.
Sure, some lies are worse than others, but certain lies are indicative of character. Moreover, as Thomas Jefferson said, “He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it the second time.”
Terry Takash, Western Springs