Publisher's Note
The School Class of 2036
Antonio Ruiz, Publisher, Palacio Magazine
Publisher’s Note: The Fall Issue on Education
A child born in 2015 in Long Beach to immigrant parents in a low-income neighborhood will face many challenges. But, our story on Lafayette Elementary school will show you, there are teachers, parents and students meeting those challenges head on and succeeding.
If you have children of school age, you are constantly in the middle of those same challenges. From the first day of school to the last, there is a constant stream of activity. School uniforms. Tests. Parent-Teacher meetings. School reports. Pre-K to college graduation.
For those who don’t have children, how often do you even think about it? If you own a business, you may be aware of the skill sets that someone may bring to a job. How many times have you heard someone say, “They can’t even read the training manual?” Then, that very smart young person comes along who convinces you that, one day, they will be the next CEO.
During the past three months of preparing the Fall issue of Palacio Magazine, we interviewed educators, parents and students. Along the way, we learned some important lessons:
- Education must start long before that child ever enters a school building. The first thousand days of life can determine a child’s educational future.
- Learning in the dominant language can be hard enough for an English-speaking child. Imagine what it’s like when English is not your primary language?
- That a teacher, fresh out college, can be placed in front of a room of 20, 30, 35 children and told to teach. No pressure just guarantee parents that those in their care will all grow up to make their parents proud.
- Parent engagement is critical to a child’s success. That’s easier said than done if the parents have multiple jobs and multiple children in varying grades in different schools. But many struggle through it because they know there is no other choice for their children or them.
And the final lesson is this. All of us, whether we have children or not, have a vested interest in the education of the class of 2036. The future of our city, state and nation will depend on how well we invest in and support our public educational system.
