Parent Perspectives: How Lety Gómez Became a Parent Leader

Nosotros are proud to share the parent perspective of Lety Gómez in this invitee post about beingness a parent leader and education advocate.

I grew up in a predominantly low-income, Latino community. I didn't take the all-time feel in school growing up. My freshman yr in high school, I had a scientific discipline teacher—a big, white man—who did not desire to sign my permission slip then I tin go on a college field trip. He told me, "You are not going to go to college, then why practice you want to go along the field trip?" I was upset and disappointed, merely kept it inside me.

In my junior year in loftier school, I took an bookkeeping class, which triggered my involvement. My accounting teacher motivated me to acquire and exist engaged in his course. At the time, Fr. Mateo Sheedy was the pastor at my church building. I remembered that he would always say that education is the central to terminate the wheel of poverty. So I decided to continue my education after high school, and I received my available'due south caste.

Due to my feel in school, I did non want to send my children to the same schools that had failed me. With my two oldest children, the only school choice nosotros had was determined by our nix code, so we moved to an expanse with a better commune. I thought moving would ensure they had a amend feel in school than I did, but unfortunately, that was non the case—the school system failed my two oldest children also.

Becoming a Parent Leader

When our youngest daughter was going to start school in 2014, we moved back to the community I grew up in. I worked with parents to bring a new schoolhouse selection to our customs. By volunteering as a parent leader, I learned more than about the failed didactics system, the politics involved, and those who agree power and make decisions for our families and customs. I learned the importance of civic engagement and holding elected officials answerable. I worked with other charter parents to hold the largest parent-led mayoral candidate forum in San Jose in 2014. We wanted to bring candidates together and so the community can larn from their views on instruction.

I besides utilized my parent vocalisation by chairing meetings with elected officials and shared my testimony at many lath meetings. I also had the privilege to show at a Country Assembly Education Committee hearing against a bill that was harmful to lease schools. I spoke as a parent leader, representing thousands of lease families from the country. I started learning about land bills and the process of how a beak becomes a police force. And I realized the importance of beingness informed. So I got involved with organizations to learn more about the politics and the bills at the land and local levels. I signed upwardly to receive alerts when there was a call to action for parents to defend charter schools. Nosotros mobilized parents from unlike charter schools and we collection to the state capitol multiple times to oppose bills that were harmful to charters. Thousands of charter families from beyond the state rallied together and showed their power past defending schoolhouse choice.

Parents have a voice; I didn't realize it until I learned community organizing tools and the importance of sharing my story with others. Just the most important thing I learned is that I tin can not practise this work lonely. The feel I had in schoolhouse is similar to many families. The struggle of finding a high-quality school option for our children is similar to many families. The issues are the aforementioned for many families beyond our land.

Building Parent Advocacy in Texas

Where I grew up, only private schools provided classical educational activity, which nosotros could non beget. And so when I learned about Corking Hearts and that information technology offers gratis classical education, I was excited to be able to have this pick for my youngest girl. I am learning the politics and procedure here in Texas, but quickly realizing that nosotros parents must work together to ensure that our schools are treated fairly, that elected officials hear our stories, and that we concur them accountable to ensure that we tin can proceed to accept this option for our families and community. We must learn about who is running for local and state offices and be informed of their views on instruction.

Here in Texas, there is a need for equitable state funding for lease schools. We, parents, must unite and piece of work together to demand equitable funding for lease schools, because charter schools are public schools. Nosotros parents are our children's biggest advocates. Our phonation and our vote thing. Together we tin create change in our communities and beyond the country.

Lease Moms Chats

Scout Lety Gómez share her story of parent leader with Inga Cotton fiber on Charter Moms Chats on Thursday, May twenty, 2022 at 10:00 AM Central on Facebook and YouTube.

Lety Gómez was born and raised in East San Jose. She is married with three children. She is proud to be the first in her family to attend college and receive a bachelor'southward degree. When she was a teenager, Fr. Mateo Sheedy was the pastor of her parish, Sacred Heart of Jesus. She fondly remembers his passion for social justice, specially justice for the immigrant community in San Jose and ensuring that the parish youth had access to high quality education. Fr. Mateo instilled in her his passion for social justice, but for many years information technology was kept unlit, deep inside of her. Information technology wasn't until her youngest daughter was enrolled at Rocketship Fuerza Customs Prep in 2014 that her passion for social justice lit upwards. Cheers to the Rocketship parent organizer at that fourth dimension, Lety received training and the tools to employ her voice for social justice and learned nigh community organizing. She is proud to be one of the many parents who worked hard to open their schoolhouse, knowing that the kids needed and deserved a better public school. That struggle is why they named their schoolhouse Rocketship Fuerza Community Prep. "Fuerza" is the Spanish word for forcefulness, force, or power. Her passion for advocating for equity in education has allowed her to be a vox for other parents in her community who seek high quality education options. In 2014, she chaired the first parent-led Mayoral candidates forum in San Jose, where she realized the power parents have to create change in their communities. She wants to share her story with other parents in an attempt to motivate them to get involved then they can abet together, because united, they can make a modify in the educational organisation and in their communities. In 2022 Lety moved to Texas, where she continues to advocate for equity in public education and schoolhouse choice across our land.

Parent Perspectives: How Lety Gómez Became a Parent Leader

Becoming a Parent Leader

Building Parent Advocacy in Texas

Lease Moms Chats

Read More About Advocacy and Parent Leadership

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