The Second Lesson We live in an absolutely inequitable society. The fact is that so many of our kids’ families were already struggling but were devastated economically by the pandemic. In the communities I represent, parents work at hotels, restaurants, and provide home care —jobs that were decimated by the pandemic. Federal stimulus checks were not distributed to undocumented families who lost jobs. They did not receive any financial support like other unemployed workers.
The Third Lesson We, as a society, owe so much to educators who make unbelievabl sacrifices. They have the most difficult and the most important job in our society, but they’re underpaid and overworked. Yet, it was the teachers’ union representing its SDUSD members that was one of our most important partners in addressing the COVID challenges. They came to us from day one and said, “Let’s figure out how to do this in a way that supports our teachers, but mostly supports our students.” Teachers who joined us said, “We know we need to do this. We need to learn how to do this. Give us training and we’re going to jump in and we’re going to do something we’ve never done before—or never prepared for.”
We had to find ways to keep supporting our teachers in return.
After 12.5 months, our kids went back to school, physically in classrooms. We’re grateful to our families and partners who helped us get through these unprecedented times. And to those who graduated from our junior high and high schools—we are proud of you.
Teacher and student (Photo courtesy San Diego Unified School District)
“When you’ve got one or two families living in one-bedroom apartment, where is the space for kids to learn?”
With stay-at-home mandate, we had another issue. Our students eventually were connected and learning with teachers, but their parents and siblings were also at home. When you’ve got one or two families living in a one-bedroom apartment, where is the space for kids to learn? If we want to create a great education system, we also need to have a society that cares about our students’ support systems and gives people a fair chance at local, state and federal opportunities and resources.
Teacher and class partitions (Photo courtesy San Diego Unified School District)
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San Diego Latino Legacy – Timeline • Milestones • Stories
Chapter 8 – Facing COVID-19
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