School Hispanic Parent Committee?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Sure, I guess they would be welcome, but what would be the point of an English-speaking parent sitting in on an explanation, in Spanish, of how the American school system differs from those in their home countries, if that's what these gatherings are about according to pp's?

You might learn something. You might meet people, such as the parents of children in your child's class. You might listen to music, play games, and eat refreshments.

[Anonymous]

I am Hispanic and I would be annoyed if a meeting with that title were held at my child's school. If the meeting is going to be run in Spanish, call the meeting - Spanish meeting or bilingual English-Spanish meeting. If it is for parents who need to learn more about the school system, label the meeting that way. My DH and I are college educated Hispanics with kids who are academically advanced. A meeting with that title assumes Hispanic parents ALL don't understand the school system or need help. We have a hard enough time with people assuming we aren't educated. Last week my husband went to pick up my son afterschool and some kid asked if my husband was the janitor, I suppose because he is brown.

[Anonymous]

You and your husband could help direct the meeting and/or serve as a resource.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You and your husband could help direct the meeting and/or serve as a resource.

Yes, they could, if they wanted to (I assume). But I hope that you are not implying that they have a moral responsibility to do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am Hispanic and I would be annoyed if a meeting with that title were held at my child's school. If the meeting is going to be run in Spanish, call the meeting - Spanish meeting or bilingual English-Spanish meeting. If it is for parents who need to learn more about the school system, label the meeting that way. My DH and I are college educated Hispanics with kids who are academically advanced. A meeting with that title assumes Hispanic parents ALL don't understand the school system or need help. We have a hard enough time with people assuming we aren't educated. Last week my husband went to pick up my son afterschool and some kid asked if my husband was the janitor, I suppose because he is brown.

+1

I was just going to write the same thing! I'm mixed race and I find it offensive. As if ALL Latino parents are the same and need 'extra' help or 'extra' meetings. If it's for parents who speak Spanish, then label it as a 'bilingual' meeting, and maybe offer it in other languages, if needed. The idea that Latino parents need their own meeting implies that we need help because we're not competent enough to figure things out on our own. I don't like the message it sends.

[Anonymous]

PP again.

Even the other PPs (whether they realize it or not) are being a tad bit racist. They are implying that Latino parents need all the extra help they can get and that OP should almost feel a sense of pity for them. Umm, no thank you, we're doing fine. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right, go ahead and be pissed about this, OP, because clearly Latino parents have SO MANY advantages and special deals that you are cut out of.

PP again. Okay, this is my last post in a row, I promise!

This right here if what I find offensive. As if ALL Latino parents are somehow 'disadvantaged'? Just because we're Latino, you assume we're disadvantaged? Where is the Asian parents meeting then? Or, the White parent meeting? If it's to address the 'needs of the community', then there should be one for all the different communities.

I'm done ranting (for now).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, go ahead and be pissed about this, OP, because clearly Latino parents have SO MANY advantages and special deals that you are cut out of.

PP again. Okay, this is my last post in a row, I promise!

This right here if what I find offensive. As if ALL Latino parents are somehow 'disadvantaged'? Just because we're Latino, you assume we're disadvantaged? Where is the Asian parents meeting then? Or, the White parent meeting? If it's to address the 'needs of the community', then there should be one for all the different communities.

I'm done ranting (for now).

D
21:20 here I understand where you are coming from.
As an AA, I get the sensitivity about how people view toy and assume things about you.
But I need to make it very clear that I was speaking about what took plAce at my school.
I was also made a point to say SOME and MAY because common sense would dictate that not every Latino person has the same needs.
At my school there is as the Latino population.
Within that populAtionTe those who have need of and a bail themselves of the groupsime OP mentions.
If there were a large population of Vietnamese speaking filies who expressed Amex and desire for such a group more power to them.8?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, go ahead and be pissed about this, OP, because clearly Latino parents have SO MANY advantages and special deals that you are cut out of.

PP again. Okay, this is my last post in a row, I promise!

This right here if what I find offensive. As if ALL Latino parents are somehow 'disadvantaged'? Just because we're Latino, you assume we're disadvantaged? Where is the Asian parents meeting then? Or, the White parent meeting? If it's to address the 'needs of the community', then there should be one for all the different communities.

I'm done ranting (for now).

D
21:20 here I understand where you are coming from.
As an AA, I get the sensitivity about how people view toy and assume things about you.
But I need to make it very clear that I was speaking about what took plAce at my school.
I was also made a point to say SOME and MAY because common sense would dictate that not every Latino person has the same needs.
At my school there is as the Latino population.
Within that populAtionTe those who have need of and a bail themselves of the groupsime OP mentions.
If there were a large population of Vietnamese speaking filies who expressed Amex and desire for such a group more power to them.8?

OMG! My phone went nuts!
I meant to say:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, go ahead and be pissed about this, OP, because clearly Latino parents have SO MANY advantages and special deals that you are cut out of.

PP again. Okay, this is my last post in a row, I promise!

This right here if what I find offensive. As if ALL Latino parents are somehow 'disadvantaged'? Just because we're Latino, you assume we're disadvantaged? Where is the Asian parents meeting then? Or, the White parent meeting? If it's to address the 'needs of the community', then there should be one for all the different communities.

I'm done ranting (for now).

21:20 here I understand where you are coming from.
As an AA, I get the sensitivity about how people view you and assume things about you.
But I need to make it very clear that I was speaking about what took plAce at my school.
I was also made a point to say SOME and MAY because common sense would dictate that not every Latino person has the same needs.
At my school there is a large Latino population.
Within that population those who have need of and a desire to, avail themselves of the groups OP mentions.
If there were a large population of Vietnamese speaking filies who expressed Amex and desire for such a group more power to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You and your husband could help direct the meeting and/or serve as a resource.

Why would be be qualified to direct the meeting? What do you mean "as a resource"? Because we speak English and Spanish and have brown skin? Maybe we could talk about soccer and what CONCACAF teams will make it into the world cup. Meetings like this are going to ostracize Hispanics even more. Perhaps, Hispanics shouldn't show up to the regular parent /PTO meetings, they all should be segregated and lumped together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am Hispanic and I would be annoyed if a meeting with that title were held at my child's school. If the meeting is going to be run in Spanish, call the meeting - Spanish meeting or bilingual English-Spanish meeting. If it is for parents who need to learn more about the school system, label the meeting that way. My DH and I are college educated Hispanics with kids who are academically advanced. A meeting with that title assumes Hispanic parents ALL don't understand the school system or need help. We have a hard enough time with people assuming we aren't educated. Last week my husband went to pick up my son afterschool and some kid asked if my husband was the janitor, I suppose because he is brown.

Interesting because DH is a college educated Hispanic and did not have this view at all! Honestly, he was puzzled by your take on it.

[Anonymous]

FCPS has a job called Parent Liaison which is really for Hispanic families:
http://www.fcps.edu/cco/fam/parentliaison.shtml

http://www.fcps.edu/cco/fam/programs/documents/ParentWorkshops4-22-13.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Hispanic and I would be annoyed if a meeting with that title were held at my child's school. If the meeting is going to be run in Spanish, call the meeting - Spanish meeting or bilingual English-Spanish meeting. If it is for parents who need to learn more about the school system, label the meeting that way. My DH and I are college educated Hispanics with kids who are academically advanced. A meeting with that title assumes Hispanic parents ALL don't understand the school system or need help. We have a hard enough time with people assuming we aren't educated. Last week my husband went to pick up my son afterschool and some kid asked if my husband was the janitor, I suppose because he is brown.

Interesting because DH is a college educated Hispanic and did not have this view at all! Honestly, he was puzzled by your take on it.

That's exactly the point! Not all Hispanics have the same needs. Not all Hispanics think the same way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Hispanic and I would be annoyed if a meeting with that title were held at my child's school. If the meeting is going to be run in Spanish, call the meeting - Spanish meeting or bilingual English-Spanish meeting. If it is for parents who need to learn more about the school system, label the meeting that way. My DH and I are college educated Hispanics with kids who are academically advanced. A meeting with that title assumes Hispanic parents ALL don't understand the school system or need help. We have a hard enough time with people assuming we aren't educated. Last week my husband went to pick up my son afterschool and some kid asked if my husband was the janitor, I suppose because he is brown.

Interesting because DH is a college educated Hispanic and did not have this view at all! Honestly, he was puzzled by your take on it.

We are Latino and equally puzzled by that comment, which shows lack of understanding of how affinity groups work in the US, from AA to Jewish to LGBT to alumni groups to you name it. In any case, same as not all Hispanic/ Latino think the same, not all college-educated Hispanic/ Latino think the same

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, go ahead and be pissed about this, OP, because clearly Latino parents have SO MANY advantages and special deals that you are cut out of.

PP again. Okay, this is my last post in a row, I promise!

This right here if what I find offensive. As if ALL Latino parents are somehow 'disadvantaged'? Just because we're Latino, you assume we're disadvantaged? Where is the Asian parents meeting then? Or, the White parent meeting? If it's to address the 'needs of the community', then there should be one for all the different communities.

I'm done ranting (for now).

D
21:20 here I understand where you are coming from.
As an AA, I get the sensitivity about how people view toy and assume things about you.
But I need to make it very clear that I was speaking about what took plAce at my school.
I was also made a point to say SOME and MAY because common sense would dictate that not every Latino person has the same needs.
At my school there is as the Latino population.
Within that populAtionTe those who have need of and a bail themselves of the groupsime OP mentions.
If there were a large population of Vietnamese speaking filies who expressed Amex and desire for such a group more power to them.8?

OMG! My phone went nuts!
I meant to say:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, go ahead and be pissed about this, OP, because clearly Latino parents have SO MANY advantages and special deals that you are cut out of.

PP again. Okay, this is my last post in a row, I promise!

This right here if what I find offensive. As if ALL Latino parents are somehow 'disadvantaged'? Just because we're Latino, you assume we're disadvantaged? Where is the Asian parents meeting then? Or, the White parent meeting? If it's to address the 'needs of the community', then there should be one for all the different communities.

I'm done ranting (for now).

21:20 here I understand where you are coming from.
As an AA, I get the sensitivity about how people view you and assume things about you.
But I need to make it very clear that I was speaking about what took plAce at my school.
I was also made a point to say SOME and MAY because common sense would dictate that not every Latino person has the same needs.
At my school there is a large Latino population.
Within that population those who have need of and a desire to, avail themselves of the groups OP mentions.
If there were a large population of Vietnamese speaking filies who expressed Amex and desire for such a group more power to them.

I'm the PP you quoted. And, I am not 19:50, though I agree mostly with the sentiment in that post.

I understand what you're saying PP, and can see how having a 'Hispanic Parent' Meeting can be somehow, convulutedly (sp?) be considered well-intentioned. And, you're right. I might be overly sensitive about how we (especially, my kids) are viewed and how people do make assumptions about us based on race.

We're at a very diverse public MoCo school. The ES does NOT have a 'Hispanic Parent' group, but the MS does.

What bothers me most is that by simply having this association, it implies the following assumptions:

1) Hispanic parents would prefer or would benefit from meeting up with/socializing with other Hispanic parents.
Again, our school is very diverse and I have made great friends of various races. I have hit it off with some Hispanic parents, but have also hit it off with some Asian and AA parents. The separate 'Hispanic' group seems almost like segregation.

2) Hispanic parents need 'extra' services.
There is no Asian parent / White parent group at our MS. It's as if it's assumed that those parents/students will be fine. It seems to me, to subliminally send a message to other parents that Hispanic parents are all somehow 'disadvantaged'.

3) All Hispanic parents are the same and should be lumped together as one group.
Hispanic can describe a college-educated parent, or an undocumented worker, or a Fed employee, or an attorney, or a physician. It can describe someone from Columbia, Venezuela, Mexico, Guatemala. There is a huge diversity amongst Hispanics. Why would we all be lumped together?

Again, you're probably right that I'm being overly sensitive. If it's a language issue, then address it as such. Our school most all its notices home in Spanish and English. I think that's great so that parents can stay informed. But, I'm still not sold on the need for a 'separate but equal' Hispanic Parent Committee.