English as a Second Language Before moving to the U.S. in 2017, Jeramel spent 26 years as the manager of one of the prestigious casinos in the Dominican Republic. He is a single father who recently brought his young children to Lawrence from the D.R. He is enrolled in ESL at the Quintana Center and is motivated to improve his English skills is so that he can be an advocate for his children. Jeramel recently shared that his daughter has been struggling with school due to the language barrier and asked if she could stop going. He shared his concern and frustration with his ESL teacher, and she advised him to set up a meeting with his daughter’s teachers, the administrators, and the guidance counselor. He immediately agreed. He joined the school PTA and set up a meeting with the school staff. When he arrived, there was no interpreter available for the meeting. Instead of delaying getting help for his daughter, Jerameel found the confidence to attempt the meeting without the aid of the interpreter. To his surprise, he found that he could follow along and advocate for his daughter in English. Being able to get his child the help she needed, to navigate a complicated and new school system, and to do it all in English was a big success for him. Jeramel plans to become a U.S. citizen and purchase a home in the next 5 to 10 years. 94% of Lawrence Public School Students are Hispanic vs. 32% of the staff English is not the 1st language for 72% of Lawrence Public School Students 38% of Lawrence Public School Students are English Language Learners LAWRENCE PROSPERA FY’23 ANNUAL REPORT “ PAGE 12
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