My dear family and friends, I am honored to share with you the recent exciting developments that have blessed my career as an educator and advocate for peace and justice. I have accepted a position as writing instructor at Las Americas Middle School, Houston Independent School Districts center for new immigrants to the United States. The Las Americas academic community focuses on the English language acquisition and social and cultural adjustment of 4th to 8th grade students who have been in the country two years or less, including a sizable number of youths who are here as refugees and political asylees. Within this community are students from all over the world, from Afghanistan to Congo, Central America to Southeast Asia, speaking over 32 different languages, and some having experienced unspeakable trauma. Over the past two decades, I served the students of Southmore Intermediate School, a high-poverty community in Pasadena, Texas which has now risen to the top of the District, consistently achieving some of the best assessment results in a variety of fields, not excluding the soccer field. Now my search for a new community in need has produced a fresh opportunity to make another impact for an underserved and underrepresented sector of society. I am truly excited not only to produce inspired and inspiring work by my students, but to organize and facilitate programming which expresses and celebrates the rich cultural diversity of this community, and to build a soccer program strengthening their emotional and cognitive skills, mentoring them towards active leadership. No words can possibly express how deeply meaningful to me the 20 years of service I dedicated to the Southmore community have been. It is a true honor for me to have participated in Southmores success. The poetry, the short stories, the films, the broadcasts, the photography, the soccer victories and championships - a lifetime of inspiration for which the only way I know to thank the Southmore community is to carry the learning I gained from them in my heart wherever my mission as an educator takes me, and share it with those who need it most. And it is my hope that the Southmore community takes pride and satisfaction in knowing that the influence of their academic achievement reaches far beyond their own borders and will be a lasting legacy serving countless others. Play on!
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 03:41:24 +0000
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