By Vanessa Delgado, Cal Matters, December 17, 2020
When the stay-at-home order went into effect, schoolteacher Andrea Rivera scrambled to transition her 3rd grade class material into virtual format. Not only was online learning affecting her students but as an older sibling, it was affecting her 14-year-old sister and 20-year-old brother.
Andrea helped her younger siblings by creating email and Zoom accounts, sharing her laptop so they could review weekly lectures, walking them through homework assignments, and translating conversations between her sister’s teacher and their mom. Even before the pandemic, Andrea had always gone the extra mile to support her siblings.
Latino/a immigrant parents are strong advocates in their kid’s education; however, their limited English language skills and unfamiliarity with the U.S. educational system can create barriers in helping their children. In some cases, parents struggle to help when their children’s education surpasses that of their own. Parents and older siblings work together to support the academic achievement of younger kin through encouragement and tangible resources.
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