Parent Teacher Magazine Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools May/June 2016 | Page 11

Crossing cultures to find ‘My America’ South Meck book describes students’ early days in a new school ​Going to a new school is always hard. When school is in a new country, the difficulty increases exponentially. That challenging journey across cultures is the subject of “My America,” a book of essays written last year by South Mecklenburg High students that will be used by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. When Juan Parra, who is from Ecuador, came to live in the U.S. four years ago, he spoke very little English. “My first day of school was 11 hours and 15 minutes long. That day, things didn’t go like I was expecting, but I survived,” said Juan. “I can find the humor in it now because I’ve learned English, met nice people and graduated high school at 16. I plan to go to college to be a neurosurgeon.” On his first day of school, he was 45 minutes early for his morning bus. But once he got to school, he couldn’t understand his schedule and was late for his first class. He nearly left school too early but was stopped by the resource officer. ”He asked if I was trying to skip school,” said Juan. “I didn’t understand so I mumbled ‘me don’t English.’ He took me to the library, explained the schedule and gave me a pass for my next class.” At the end of the school day, Juan went to the bus lot. He saw a fleet of 50 yellow buses and didn’t know his bus number. He missed the bus and had to wait to be picked up. Juan is one of 28 students contributing to a writing project led by Spanish teacher Nhora Gómez-Saxon. The idea sprang from a partnership between the students in the language-immersion and English as a Second Language programs. Students shared their experiences with one another during tutoring sessions. GómezSaxon wanted them to have a chance to write their stories. Principal Maureen Furr thinks the whole school will benefit from the book. “Our school climate is created by our students and supported by our staff,” said Furr. “Everyone has value. We appreciate the differences, we don’t avoid them. This book has given a voice to students who might not be heard. We can see their experiences through their eyes. That’s powerful!” “My America” also includes accounts of dangerous border crossings, heartbreaking farewells and painful changes. ”Our students’ stories help us appreciate the diversity in our community and help us see our combined identities,” said Gómez-Saxon. “Thanks to the Hornets Teacher Innovation Grant, we had the opportunity to publish ‘My America’. Every testimonial is a patch in a quilt that illustrates our school, our community and our country.” Eleventh-grader Ghadeer Al-saadi is from Iraq, has lived in Turkey and is now living in the U.S. She has found the transition difficult because of the family she left behind but has found comfort in her school family. “My story is sad. I was with my cousins all the time and then I wasn’t. When I left, I cried a lot,” said Ghadeer. “I love South Meck because they have made me feel at home. I still get homesick but I’ve go