Thread: CA: Mexican education in U.S. for illegal aliens

Classes open to parents in Spanish
By DAVID JAMES HEISS, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 12/13/2007 11:39:08 AM PST

REDLANDS - The Mexican consul was at Redlands High School Wednesday to mark the official opening of a Spanish-language continuing education program.

Carlos I. Giralt-Cabrales, whose San Bernardino office represents the consulate of Mexico for the Inland Empire, welcomed several people gathered at RHS' English as a Second Language classroom to introduce the school district's Plaza Comunitaria program.

Plaza Comunitaria, Spanish for "community center," will provide classes in Spanish to adults and young people just out of high school, with the goal to "contribute to the advancement of the educational level of migrant parents and out-of-school youth; enhance self-esteem of migrant parents for their culture of origin; to strengthen the ability of the migrant parents to be actively involved with their children; and to improve the first language of the migrant families to facilitate their learning of English as a second language."

Classes will be taught beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday evenings with the help of instructional videos, books and Internet-accessible computers.

The program will enable "all Spanish speakers to have the opportunity to finish their elementary and middle school education, and work on their literacy," said Erika Villalvazo, an instructor for the program who works as an attendance clerk at Cope Middle School. "Subjects will incorporate using materials that adults can relate to in everyday activities, in every
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subject from math to science," she said.

The District English Learner Advisory Committee sponsors the program in cooperation with the Department of Education of Mexico.

"When children see parents going to school at night, it shows students how important education really is," said Yolanda Contreras, director of categorical programs for the school district.

The sentiment was echoed by Giralt-Cabrales.

"I'm grateful to Redlands High School and DELAC for achieving something important: educating people - not only our children, but our parents," he said. "Our community is only as strong as the weakest member of that community. When even one parent makes the extra effort to educate their self, they are role models and real citizens of value."

The services, which include use of books, support instructional materials and training, are free and provided by the school district at Redlands High School's ESL lab, and are open to anyone regardless of residence. Adults are not required to have (or have had) children attending schools in Redlands.

So far, two parents have signed up to take advantage of the program, which started Monday, according to Contreras.

E-mail Staff Writer David James Heiss at dheiss@redlandsdailyfacts.com

I'm just so impressed.

What are they doing for the education of their people who have remained in Mexico?

I notice they only got 2 takers.

If they were serious about this, they would be teaching English and American history. Just another program to keep their "culture" and history by a refusal to assimilate.

As President Felipe Calderon would say--keep wiring the money home!