April

INSPIRING

APRIL 2018 CEA ADVISOR 19

FOR ENGLISH LEARNER TURNED IVY-LEAGUER, TEACHERS MADE THE DIFFERENCE A story of immigration, determination, and the power of public schools

On the morning of their promotion to middle school, fifth- grade girls from the Walsh School in Waterbury had a special visitor. About to embark on a promotion of her own—starting on her master’s degree at an Ivy League school— Georbina DaRosa had also once been a fifth-grader at Walsh, back in 2006. Like many of the girls she would now be speaking to, she had struggled as a child and faced incredible odds. With help from her teachers, she beat the odds and dispelled many myths—about immigrants, about ethnic minorities and females, and about public schools—every step of the way. One of us DaRosa was eight when her family immigrated to the U.S. from Cape Verde, a group of islands off the west coast of Africa, where the primary language is

Portuguese-based Cape Verdean Creole. On her first day of school, DaRosa—a third-grader at Walsh— spoke no English. “When Georbina first got here, she struggled with the sounds of the language,” said veteran EL teacher Linda Strange, who worked with DaRosa 11 years ago and continues teaching Walsh students today. Strange told current Walsh students, “Georbina knows just what it feels like to be a fifth-grade girl at Walsh because she was one. She used to live on Rose Street.” Giving back DaRosa eventually earned a scholarship and a degree in psychology and human development from Connecticut College in 2017, the first generation in her family to attend college. She was then accepted to Columbia University, where she is now pursuing a master’s degree in social work. “Georbina shows how strong Connecticut’s public schools can be, and how students in inner-city public schools—with the right support and resources—can truly succeed,” says Strange. “Her story is a compelling success story for Connecticut public schools. It’s a story of teachers who do more than they have to, who go beyond to give their students a better chance.” DaRosa has now returned twice to Walsh School to talk to fifth-grade girls. “Mrs. Strange was my teacher and my mentor,” DaRosa told them. Strange took DaRosa to events that were difficult for her parents to get remarkable—and dangerous—1,600- mile trek up the length of Mexico to be reunited with his mother in the United States. “We read this book as a class, in English and Spanish,” says Bairos, “and at the end, the author asks what readers can do to help. Amy and I facilitated a brainstorming session to see how the class wanted to make a difference.” “Our students, 11 senior girls, were shocked, horrified, and intrigued by the truths of immigration, legal and illegal,” says Claffey. They decided to • Have lunch every month with English learners • Survey the student body to see what they know about immigration (85 percent of students responded) • Interview community members with

Sharing her story as an immigrant and English learner, Georbina DaRosa answers questions from fifth-grade girls at Waterbury’s Walsh Elementary.

to and eventually took her on college tours and attended her naturalization ceremony (in high school) as well as her college graduation. Teachers make it happen DaRosa’s family later moved to Bridgeport, where she finished high school, graduating second in her class of 300. “When we moved to Bridgeport,” she recalls, “there was no funding for the schools. We had our biology class in the math classroom. There was no lab. Many of my peers were not college bound, and with girls, there was a lot of drama and fighting. But teachers made the difference. They were so supportive. Like my mother, they helped me understand that education is important and something no one can take away from you. It builds your self-esteem.” She adds, “It’s important for girls firsthand knowledge about immigration issues • Present their findings at a schoolwide assembly and to outside groups Lessons learned “Our students were truly moved by something, and we let them run with it, thanks to a supportive administration,” says Claffey. “We saw our students grow, gain confidence, compromise, commit, and delegate tasks. They learned an immense amount of information about a very relevant topic, as well as lessons that will help them for their entire lives.” Students interviewed a local immigration attorney as well as community members whose spouses were undocumented. They learned, among other things, that undocumented immigrants are no more likely than native-born citizens to commit crimes; that they pay taxes but do not receive Social Security benefits; that financial hardships are a main barrier to citizenship; and that acquiring citizenship has many benefits— including improving income, enhancing civic participation, strengthening social cohesion and positive outcomes for families, and growing the economy. In addition to their survey results and research, the students’ presentation included an interactive component that demonstrated the vetting process that takes place before

CEA offers a professional workshop called Building a Culture of Empathy. Appropriate for teachers of all grades and subjects, this interactive workshop helps you devise opportunities for students to create positive social change locally and globally. Visit cea.org/pla . Also check out “Coming to America: Books Celebrating Immigrants and Refugees,” at cea.org/comingtoamerica . immigrants are allowed into the U.S. Spreading the word “This was a very student-centered project and the best example of project-based learning we have experienced,” Bairos says. For teachers interested in replicating similar projects, Claffey suggests, “Listen to your students, take risks, and be open to not knowing exactly what is going to happen. I dot my i’s and cross my t’s, and there were times I was very uncomfortable because I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be when I handed so much over to the students. I realize now how important this was. It was truly the most meaningful work I have ever done in supporting students.” to know they can do great things. A lot of kids at Bridgeport’s Harding High School thought, ‘This is it for me. This will be my whole life.’ They didn’t always know there’s a whole world outside for them. But our teachers were willing and able to support us. My biology teacher, Mrs. Benard, was one of my hardest teachers. She made sure she put me to work—as did my chemistry teacher, Mr. Vincent. Regardless of our circumstances, or theirs, our teachers believed in us and cared about us.” “Certainly, Georbina’s story is a story of her own individual success,” says Strange, “but it is also the story of the support she received along the way, both in schools here in Waterbury and in Bridgeport. We think her story is an inspiration for our students.” DIDYOU KNOW? development

DaRosa stays in touch with her teachers, who made a profound difference in her life. Here, she catches up with longtime CEA members EL teacher Linda Strange and PE teacher Ken Yaffe.

Students uncover, share facts about immigration Teachers facilitate community conversations

Long before #ProtectDreamers was trending, students in Amy Claffey’s Spanish classes at Old Saybrook High School were learning about the vast hurdles undocumented people face— and the misconceptions surrounding them in the communities where they live. In an effort to educate their school about immigrants from Mexico and Central America, Claffey’s students, with help from high school library/media specialist Christine Bairos, completed a project that brought greater awareness of immigration issues to their peers and the wider community. Book talk “I found out Amy’s class was studying immigration,” says Bairos, “and I asked if they would be interested in reading Enrique’s Journey , by Sonia Nozario.” Enrique’s Journey is the true story of a 17-year-old Honduran boy’s

With help from teachers Christine Bairos (left) and Amy Claffey (right), Old Saybrook students pursue questions about immigration.