Latest news with #CarlaRodas
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Florida teachers remind immigrant students to look past barriers
The big story: With all the attention being paid to tougher immigration enforcement, the message might get lost on some students that their status does not have to define them. Children can find success in education and beyond, overcoming obstacles along the way. That's the message that Palm Beach County teacher Carla Rodas brings to her students at John I. Leonard High, where about 70% of the population is Hispanic. Rodas herself was an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala growing up. 'It wasn't our choice to come here. We were brought here for a better future,' Rodas told the Palm Beach Post. 'But we can make it. We aren't going anywhere.' Read more here. Classroom walls: Pasco County schools are moving away from the 'open school' model that built classroom pods without walls. Educators say the distractions were too many. College presidents: Trustees named a 15-person search committee and hired a search firm to begin looking for a replacement for retiring Rhea Law. • The Board of Governors formally approved new presidents for Florida International and Florida Atlantic universities, News Service of Florida reports. History lessons: Families sending their children to a microschool in Miami's Overtown neighborhood say their children are excited to learn more about Black history, the Miami Herald reports. Legislation: A state senator has filed legislation to remove restrictions on work hours and break times for employed teens, Florida Phoenix reports. • A state senator is proposing new measures to track and improve upon student chronic absenteeism, WPBF reports. Preservation: The Escambia County school district will sell an historic school for Black students to the city of Pensacola as part of a future affordable housing project, the Pensacola News-Journal reports. School buses: Central Florida school districts looking to update their aging bus fleets are being confronted with fast-rising costs, WKMG reports. Teacher shortage: The Lee County school district aims to encourage high school juniors and seniors to consider becoming teachers through its 'Building on our Legacy' program, WINK reports. University research: Florida Institute of Technology has revamped its underused manufacturing design center to be an applied innovation hub, Florida Today reports. • Florida State University leaders are bracing for cuts in federal research grants totaling as much as $65 million, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. From the police blotter ... Leon County high school student was arrested on allegations of bringing a hatchet to school, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. • A giant brawl broke out at Gadsden County High School, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. At least one student was injured, WCTV reports. From the court docket ... A former Palm Beach County elementary school teacher pleaded guilty to charges that he tried to have sex with a minor teenager, the Palm Beach Post reports. Don't miss a story. Yesterday's roundup is just a click away. Before you go ... Enjoy this gypsy jazz version of Claire de Lune.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'We can make it': Teacher's class helps Hispanic students prepare for college, careers
GREENACRES — Carla Rodas didn't know it that day, but she discovered her life's mission the moment her guidance counselor told her she couldn't go to college. Rodas was an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala. She soon proved that counselor wrong, becoming the first person in her family to graduate from a U.S. university and then earning a master's degree. Now a teacher, she assures her students at John I. Leonard High School that their DACA or temporary immigration status will not keep them from getting an education or building a career. And she helps them chart a course to make those goals happen. 'It's like going back to that moment and being the teacher that I needed back then,' said Rodas, who has taught for 15 years in Palm Beach County schools. 'A dream come true': Single mom hopes her Habitat home inspires other young parents to try Rodas was teaching at Woodlands Middle School west of Lantana in 2019 when Leonard's former principal, Melissa Paterson, called her. She wanted her to teach the school's Latinos in Action class, which bridges 'the graduation and opportunity gap' for Hispanic students. Leonard was the first Palm Beach County school to start the class, now offered in 16 states, and for good reason: 70% of its students are Hispanic. Rodas had wanted to teach at Leonard ever since her oldest son returned from his first day there celebrating that he no longer had to hide his Tupperware of rice and frijoles during recess. She transferred there in 2020 and immediately felt at home. That Christmas, instead of gift cards, students gave her handmade tamales, arepas and empanadas. One bride's story: Dance, determination helped her beat cancer. Would they help her beat a new health scare? Rodas describes Latinos in Action as teaching pride about culture, preparing students for college or trade school and developing teens into leaders who give back. Students learn to research careers, write resumes and prepare for interviews. They get lessons on how to make a budget, organize community projects and eating etiquette. They also talk about the history and traditions of each Caribbean and Hispanic nation and even go into racial stereotypes and colorism within Latino communities. 'It's a quilt of everything they need to know to feel confident in the real world,' she said. Each year begins with 'Mi Historia." Each student must share their story. Rodas breaks the ice by telling her own. She was 10 when her family fled from the civil war in Guatemala. It flew to San Francisco on tourist visas and overstayed them to start a new life. In Guatemala, her father was a doctor for indigenous tribes and her mother was an accountant. In San Francisco, her mom raised her while working as a housekeeper. She recounts the fear she felt every time her mother laid out a plan just in case 'La Migra" knocked on the door. She ends being accepted to universities, receiving scholarships and obtaining permanent residency. 'You crushed it': How a 7-year-old Gardens boy saved his mom during an epileptic seizure Afterward, Rodas says many students admit they are undocumented, that their parents don't live in the U.S. or recount their journey here. It's important they know their stories and feel proud of where they come from, Rodas said. She reminds them they are diamonds being forged under pressure. 'It wasn't our choice to come here. We were brought here for a better future,' she said. 'But we can make it. We aren't going anywhere.' Rodas loves it when her students wear traditional clothes to graduation, call her when they open college-decision letters and stage events like a community Quinceanera. Her proudest moments, however, come from people like Mario, who crossed the border at age 15 from Guatemala. 'I am proud of you': How 10 girls had the quinceañera they thought they'd never get to enjoy He didn't even speak Spanish when he arrived in Latinos in Action. He picked up broken English on his journey to the U.S and mostly spoke Kaqchikel, an indigenous language. After school, Mario worked in construction and lived in a rented room. In 'Mi Historia,' Mario said he dreamed about going to college, Rodas said. By the time he graduated, Mario had a 4.0 GPA and he attended Palm Beach State College on scholarships. 'He had everything against him,' Rodas tells her students. 'You guys have no excuse.' Rodas is confident her students will become leaders in Palm Beach County and professionals proud of their roots and stories. 'Mission accomplished,' Rodas said. "It's like giving back my little grain of sand to my community.' Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@ and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Teacher's class helps Hispanic students prepare for college, careers
