Stories
Marielena:
A Graduate Becomes a Teacher
Marielena graduated from Avance-Dallas in 1998 and earned her GED with us that same
year. She went on to get her associate’s degree through Mountain View Community
College and then obtained her bachelor’s degree at the University of North
Texas. Today she’s a public school kindergarten teacher. Read her full letter
below:
Dear Avance
family,
My Avance
experience (from 1998) impacted my life forever. It was in Avance where my dream began to become a
reality. Since childhood I had wanted to be a teacher, but because I came from
a large, poor family, this seemed impossible. When I arrived in this country,
my dream seemed even more distant because I didn’t speak English—how wrong I
was! Avance opened the doors to
resources that immigrants like me could depend on. It was at Avance that I began my first GED and ESL
lessons and where I learned about so many strategies to help my children be
successful in school. I still have the recommendation letter that Lisa Oglesby
Rocha wrote for me. Thanks, Lisa, for believing in me.
Today I am still practicing what I learned in Avance to guide my children in their
education and they have always been in talented and gifted classes. Both of my
children know that one day they will go to the university. I am happy that two
years ago I accomplished my goal of obtaining a bachelor’s degree. I am now a
kindergarten teacher in a DISD elementary school, and I plan to continue
studying to obtain my master’s degree. The Hispanic community has a lot to
offer to this great nation and I have determined that if in some way I can
return some of what I have received—that I will do it.
With love,
Marielena
Adriana:
A Graduate Becomes a Star Employee
Adriana graduated from Avance-Dallas in 2001 with three children in the program.
Motivated by her desire to work at Avance, the next year she learned how to
drive, got her driver’s license, and applied and was hired as an Early
Childcare Teacher. Soon after, she began ESL classes and was nominated for the
Dallas Association for the Education of Young Children "Teacher of the
Year" award. She obtained her Child Development Associate certificate in
2004, after which she began taking community college classes.
In 2006 she obtained her TEEM (Texas Early
Education Model) certification and was promoted to Lead Early Childhood
Teacher. Adriana also started studying for her citizenship exam and in 2007
proudly became a U.S. citizen. In 2008 her early childhood classroom was the
first Avance-Dallas classroom to
receive "Texas School Ready!" certification from the Children’s
Learning Institute at the University of Texas at Houston.
At home, Adriana’s children are excelling in
school. Joel is taking advanced classes and applying to Dallas ISD’s Townview
Magnet School; Mariana is in the Talented and Gifted Class at Sidney Lanier
Expressive Arts Vanguard; and Fatima is in the Talented and Gifted Classes at
her elementary school.
Adriana also finds time to be an active member of
her church, continue with her ESL and college courses, and serve on her
daughter’s school PTA Board. Because of Avance,
Adriana and her family have integrated into Dallas and are helping to build a
stronger community through their own unique contributions.
Denise:
A Surprising Four-Year-Old
Denise Michelle, an Avance-Dallas
graduate from 2009, started pre-kindergarten the following fall. A mix-up at
the start of the day gave an educational surprise to all.
When Denise showed up at school, she didn’t yet
recognize the faces of her classmates, and she inadvertently joined a line of
students entering their classroom at the beginning of the school day.
At the end of the morning, Denise’s mother, Carmen,
went to pick up her daughter from her classroom, but the teacher informed her
that Denise had not come to school that day. Carmen was understandably alarmed.
She insisted on a search for her daughter because she herself had walked the child
into the waiting area of the auditorium that morning before school started.
The administrator joined the search in the pre-K,
kindergarten, and first grade classrooms. They finally found Denise in a first
grade room.
The administrator admonished the first grade
teacher for not noticing that the child was in the wrong group. However, the
teacher explained that she had been told to expect a new student, and she
assumed the lost child was that new student. Furthermore, the first grade
teacher had administered a pre-evaluation of acquired skills for first grade in
which Denise had successfully scored high in various areas. Because of the
level of acquired skills the teacher assumed she was on level in first grade.
Astonished, the teachers credited Carmen for having
worked so much with her daughter to bring her up to a first grade level. Carmen
proudly told the teachers that her daughter had spent her pre-K year at Avance-Dallas and had acquired her
skills through the work of the Avance
teachers. The school staff were quite impressed by all that Denise, a
pre-kindergartner, had accomplished at such a young age.