This reflection was translated from Spanish by Susan Gonzalez, FYI Program Director at Gregorio Luperon High School.
I am Digna Martinez, staff of PS 128 for Fresh Youth Initiatives (FYI). On April 4, I began making outreach calls to my second grade students and families, to assess any needs they had due to the pandemic. Making contact was a wonderful experience, but loaded with contradictory feelings. The happiness I heard in students and families voices when they learned I’d be calling them and keeping in touch with them was satisfying.
As the days progressed, however, I realized that our families needed not only academic support but also help with their mother tongue, technology, and technical support. Family is the nucleus of society where we learn our values, principles, and begin our academic processes. However, family members need to be literate, educated, and able to communicate in English and in Spanish in order to help their children. Many of the parents/caregivers whom I called did not speak English, and did not know how to use technology. Many had only arrived in the United States a few months prior to schools closing. It is not uncommon for my students to spend most of their time with grandparents or extended family because their parents have to work. I learned that many of these caregivers were illiterate and could not help with remote school technology needs. This was devastating.
Thankfully, we were able to have video meetings through WhatsApp with students and parents to offer help and support at all times of day. After a few video sessions, we were able to accomplish goals such as teaching students how to enter Google Classroom to complete their academic requirements. FYI was also helpful with tutoring in English and in Spanish in all subject matters. In other cases, I provided emotional support to families by phone or video conference. Some participants expressed sadness because they couldn’t see or hug their parents who were healthcare/frontline workers. They were sad because they couldn’t go outside to the park or school. They couldn’t visit their families or friends or celebrate birthdays. Parents thanked me many times for providing support and helping improve their child’s mood through dialogue.
As I learned about more about the challenges families were confronting, the pressure to provide support mounted. I remained in touch. I’d talk with our participants and families about much more than academics. We spoke about home life, they shared family photos with me, we talked about challenges during these COVID-19 times; and sometimes we prayed. They shared their feelings and worries with me. It was like we were family. Although these times have been hard, I am very happy with how these relationships with participants and families have strengthened and grown.
Throughout this period I have learned how to use questions to establish dialogues in making calls. I learned that through the use of video and phone calls you can help, provide support, guide, and improve people’s moods. I learned about the impact of a simple call. I will always thank God for putting FYI in my path and allowing me to meet such good colleagues. FYI always strives to improve the community’s well-being and growth, and I am proud to be a part of that.