Tamara+A.

Phase I: Who Am I? What's My Place?


 * What __really__ makes up your identity? I view my identity as who I am and what I believe. Family is the most important people on earth to me. I believe that they should come first. I have a daughter and a son and most of my time is spent making memories for them and preparing them for their future. My husband is my best friend and together we can accomplish any goals. Our faith in God is equally as important and is evident in our values and in what we teach our children. I enjoy my job as a teacher because I love the process of watching children grow and develop socially and intellectually. I think teaching comes naturally to me and if I wasn't teaching in a school, I do believe that I would be teaching something. God, my family and my career keep me in check and make me strive to be a better person every day


 * What __really__ makes up your sense of place? Home is where I feel the most comfortable. I always tell my family the best part of my day is when we are all home, the alarm is set and everyone is safe. I was raised in Fayetteville, NC but Raleigh has really become home to me. When I am with my family I feel at home. Church is a place where I enjoy going and feel at peace. School is a place where I spend a lot of my time and have many friends but at times it can be stressful.


 * What roles do your identity and sense of place play when you work with others in a group project? The roles I take on depend on the group. If I am expected to lead the group then I will definitely do it by assigning everyone tasks to complete and will help them bring it together and organize the final project. I also don't mind working hard to get the job done. I analyze everything and I am always thinking how to make it better. I can also take the role as a follower and if given tasks will do my best to complete my part in a way that best benefits the group.


 * What are the qualities that you bring to the GLIP conversation that will help you make a contribution to your global group? I am task orientated and organized. I like to get the work done on time and I want it to be done correctly. In addition, I have experience teaching Limited English Speakers and working with their families from all over the world. My husband is from El Salvador so I am aware of the obstacles other cultures have to overcome and the obstacles of becoming part of a family from a different culture.


 * What is one local problem (where you live) that you believe needs to be addressed? Suggest some steps could you take to try to solve it? One local problem that I believe needs to be addressed where I live is that many LEP students are bused to our school from miles away. Their parents have very little contact with the school because of the distance from their homes, work or because they lack transportation to the school. Furthermore, most of them speak Spanish and we have very few Spanish speakers in the school. One way we could address this problem is to put in place programs and parent nights that help them become more involved in the school. This means we may need to hire people who speak Spanish to hold family nights or provide some type of transportation or even hold meetings in community centers close to where they live.


 * Finally, some problems have been around for a long time. What qualities do you think a person must have to step up and try to solve them? First the person must have leadership qualities. They must see the problem and want to help solve it. They need to be able to analyze the problem and come up with ways to solve them. The steps to solving a problem to me are: identify the problem, educate yourself about the problem, come up with solutions, form committees and gather ideas and then develop a plan and follow it through.

Phase II: Sense of Place

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Use these questions to help you determine which picture shows someone else why your “place” is so special to you.
 * Does a scenic picture represent the beauty you believe that your town has? This Picture is a representation of the great schools we have in Raleigh, NC. Brassfield Elementary is a K-5 School of Excellence. Students consistly excel at this North Raleigh school. The school has a highly qualified staff and technology access for teachers and students such as I pads, student computers, and smart boards in every classroom. Parent volunteers are also an important part of its success. Not only do they volunteer daily in the classroom but they handle all the fundraisers and special events such as the science fair and parent's night.
 * Does a picture of a group of people represent and show a warmth and friendliness that your town has? Yes, the staff, parents and students at this school have a positive attitude toward school. Parents are supportive in and outside the classroom. They assist their students in doing their homework and support the goals of the school. In addition the PTA, Parent Teacher Organization, in this school also supports outside fundraisers such as Fight Like Paxton. Fight Like Paxton was an organization started by one of this school's parents after her 3 year old son died of cancer. The school has participated in an art and bake sale and toy drive to support this organization. In addition every year this school supports its most needy families by providing them with support at Christmas.
 * Does a statue or building convey the feeling of history that makes your place important and unique? Yes, this building was built in 1997. When I came to work at Brassfied as a Kindergarten teacher, seven years ago, most of the orginial staff was still there. Over the past few years most of them have retired and a new generation of teachers are accepting employment at this school. Among the other elementary schools in Wake County, it is one of the most sought after schools by teachers and parents due to its reputation and high standards.
 * Is there a cultural event that represents the values of your home location? Yes, the LEP teacher and principal at our school wrote a grant requesting money for our Limited English Speaking students. The funding from this grant has enabled our school to provide track out camps for the last two years for our LEP students. In addition, we have hosted a foreign language night for our Spanish speaking parents.

What are your initial thoughts about how your image addresses the questions above? The image represents the one of the many great schools in Wake County and the wonderful work taking place in and outside the school to support our community.

Later, you will be working with the members of your group to create a travel package that includes visits to each group member's home location (see Phase II)

Phase III: Identify Local Issue:

What is your local issue? One local problem that I believe needs to be addressed where I live is that many LEP (Limited English Speakers) students are bused to our school from miles away. Their parents have very little contact with the school because of the distance from their homes, work or because they lack transportation to the school. Furthermore, most of them speak Spanish and we have very few Spanish speakers in the school.

What can you do to be address the issue? One way we could address this problem is to put in place programs and parent nights that help them become more involved in the school. This means we may need to hire people who speak Spanish to hold family nights or provide some type of transportation or even hold meetings in community centers close to where they live

What is the global impact of your local issue? The global impact of my local issue is that because of language barriers and distance from the school parents are not as involved in their child's education. This is a disadvantage to LEP(Limited English Speakers) students and causes a gap in their educational experiences. Parents are not as equipped to help them with school work. These children began to see themselves as different from the others in class. Some are reluctant to speak their native language in school. These families bring diversity to our schools and if we can get them more involved we can use them as resources to help us learn and teach about other cultures and languages. In return, we can help them become more involved in their child's education and create a more diverse population and a variety of perspectives in our schools.

Add these thoughts to your Group's Discussion Forum on Local Issues