My second daughter was a part of the CILA program at Trinity Elementary School. I found out quickly how poorly the program was being executed. In the 2 years she spent in the program, my daughter didn’t learn either language properly. I didn’t understand how her teachers didn’t notice she wasn’t learning anything. In order to advocate for my 6 year old daughter, I had to go to city hall countless times and talk with the director of the CILA program since they didn’t want to switch her into normal classes. It was a shock for me because I had been accustomed with the teachers caring about their students thanks to the education of my daughter in private school. After a long fight, I was able to switch my daughter into non-bilingual classes for the rest of her schooling. For me, the CILA program was not helping anyone learn Spanish properly and my daughter was able to learn spanish from me at a much faster/proper rate than she would have ever learned it in the CILA program. Everything was fine with my daughter after moving from CILA and after I had to pay for private tutoring to help her catch up to the rest of her class. However, I will never forget one instance where when my daughter was in 9th grade, her guidance counselor bluntly told me that I was too poor to look into film schools for her and that I shouldn’t even consider it. You see, my daughter had taken an interest in learning about the film industry and I wanted to get professional advice on next steps to take for my daughter. I was disgusted at the response I got from the NRHS school because of my socioeconomic status.

 

My last child had the most difficult time at school and was ultimately the reason why I left the New Rochelle school district all together to move to Larchmont. My son had hyperactivity and emotional problems from the 1st grade in Trinity Elementary School. During this time, his professors recommended that he get evaluated and medicated. Trying to be a good parent and listen to professionals, I took him to a therapist to get him medication and to help him emotionally. Soon after, I had found out that part of his emotional problems came as a result of my son’s professors impatience and discrimination with him towards his emotional problems. Instead of being patient and helping my child, they often ridiculed him in front of the class and made it clear to him that he was a troubled kid. Then came middle school. In both IEYMS and ALMS they had put him in special education instead of trying to help my bright but hyperactive and emotional kid. It came to a point where my son did not want to go to school because of these reasons. 

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It was 7th grade for my son when I knew the schooling system had failed him. He was no longer learning anything, the thought of going to school gave him panic attacks, and the teachers and administrators did nothing to help him learn or improve. I was so tired of fighting the school system to give him more resources and help with city hall. I met with directors, supervisors, guidance counselors, you name it. Eventually, I moved my whole family to Larchmont and was able to get the help that my son desperately needed there. I am grateful that I moved to Larchmont and that same son who got told time and time again by teachers that he was going to be a deadbeat has now finished his first year of college on track to become a Sound Engineer.