"I am Magaly and I am a teacher in Freeport, but I now live with my family in Massapequa. I know from my experiences teaching in Wyandanch and in Freeport, and then seeing with my son in Massapequa, there is a huge difference. Let us say for example, teaching at Wyandanch they do not have the materials or the money needed to get materials. It sucks because that is where the state should be getting involved more, knowing that it is a lower socioeconomic area. The taxes are low so it attracts people who are struggling into the neighborhood. One time Wyandanch was penalized because of the number of Black students that were suspended, but the majority of students there are Black, so that does not make sense. That should not be right.
Even in Freeport we have a little more resources and programs through the district, but they are not truly helping out these kids with special needs, or learning disabilities, or even just kids who are behind. A lot of these kids' first language is Spanish, and even at that it is just the Spanish they learn at home. They do not want to report that and give these kids the extra help because they do not want it reflected in the paperwork. A lot of these kids are being pushed through because the district does not want it reflected on paper. The district might get penalized for too many kids in ENL, so that the kids are not getting the support they need all the time.
Parents try and they want to be there for their kids, but a lot of the time these parents have two jobs and they are not always able to show up. It is hard to get people to come to some events because they are so busy and just trying to survive. Even in PTA there is a difference. In Massapequa, the PTA is huge and full of stay-at-home moms and they can ask for money, whereas in Freeport they cannot ask for things like that. Because the district knows that a lot of these parents are struggling, they can get away with more knowing the parent involvement. Plus you have people who may be staying in the country illegally so they do not want to get flagged. They are just trying to survive.
Honestly I think that I can relate to the Spanish kids and Black kids that I teach because that is how I grew up, with all that diversity. So that is a great thing to have that diversity, and it allows them to see other perspectives of how people are living and what they are experiencing. Anytime I had a teacher of my ethnicity or race, I felt like they could connect to me and they get it.
In Freeport, I feel like everyone does try to be respectful and understanding of the diversity we have, and the school has programs and Professional Developments to understand how to work with that level of diversity in the school. That is the good thing about a district like Freeport, you have that diversity and you pick up a little bit of those other cultures. We try to every month celebrate different heritages and cultures so that they feel that kind of acceptance. And when they get to share about their culture it makes them feel good and they get excited. Here that cultural connection is embraced.
I do miss some of that diversity for my son who is in Massapequa, that is one thing I miss about living in Freeport. I worry that he will lose some of himself to try to fit in. He may not embrace his heritage as much because everyone there is white. There is more acceptance with diversity around.
On the topic of Massapequa, I had one bad experience recently. A new nail salon opened up in town, and I called ahead of time to ask if I needed an appointment and the person said no. I came in with my hair curly and in yoga pants and the man immediately asked if I had made an appointment, and I said no and asked if I needed to make an appointment, but he told me to just sit and wait until something opened up. Sure enough, two white girls walked in, asking for a pedicure, just like I was waiting for, and he took them first. A lady looked over and shook her head at me, because she realized that they passed me by because I am Hispanic. I left there so angry. It is not okay to be doing this, but people feel okay treating others like this because they know they are not of the norm in this neighborhood. People are still out there who are very close-minded. There is a separation there if you do not grow up around diversity. That stupidity still spreads, the next generation needs to break that cycle and really realize that we need to stop this."
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