Parent Voices - Conception Mendez Shares Experience with In-Person Learning
Image Credit: Concepcion Mendez.
At PPS-SF, we know the importance of amplifying parent voices so their feelings and observations are heard. The pandemic has made this at times tricky, but nothing a little creative problem solving cannot fix. Over the past week, we talked to Concepcion Mendez, one of PPS-SFs Parent and Family Leaders. She shared with us that her seven year old son has returned to in-person learning twice a week and loves it!
When asked how she feels about taking her child back to school, Concepcion expressed feeling safe because “the schools are taking the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of our children, they are taking the necessary steps; enforcing masks and the recommended distance between students and families, providing sanitation and health checks on a regular basis. I feel safe, I am not worried…because I feel the schools are doing everything possible so that the students are safe and healthy”.
Image Credit: Concepcion Mendez.
Concepcion goes on to say that her seven year old son, Carlos, feels very happy to return to school. “He is very excited. He looks forward to the two days he gets to attends school,” she says. He is constantly reassuring her that he wears his mask all day at school.
Concepcion shared that what makes her feel safe is the schools organization, other families also feel safe, and students look happy and excited to be in school. When speaking to other parents, Conception says they are all glad to have in-person learning again, they seem to be happy their children are receiving better academic instruction and support.
When asked what else she would like to see, Conception expressed how valuable it would be if her son was able to participate in afterschool programs. A combination of the districts and schools safety measures, plus the academic, social, and emotional support her son has received have led her to enroll her child in the summer program.
When asked what else she recommends schools should do, she added; “It would be good if schools provided parents with short videos or pictures of how instruction, recreation time, and lunch is being executed.” She would like to see how the bathrooms are being used and how the students are doing during lunch and recreation time. She says that it might not sound important or necessary but “if we don’t see it, we can sometimes feel a bit unsure and anxious”. “It is not the same to hear about it than to be able to see it” she claims.
Overall Concepcion says; “It has been one month of in-person learning and I am happy and feel we are safe. My son shows he is doing better emotionally, socially, and academically. He comes home excited, happy and tired from a day of being with classmates and learning in school. I also notice he does better on the days he takes his classes at home on zoom”