How One Teacher Is Helping Kids Achieve Greatness

To commemorate Teacher Appreciation Week we caught up with Ruth Valdes, a teacher at Amigos for Kids, a Miami-based Affiliate, to find out what issues are on teachers’ minds. We also asked her about life as an Escalera instructor and how the program can help kids achieve success.

NCLR: When did Amigos for Kids become an Affiliate and why? What are the benefits?

Valdes: Amigos joined NCLR as an Affiliate in 2008 given the entity’s important advocacy work on behalf of Hispanics for over 40 years. Miami-Dade County has a diverse representation of the Hispanic population. Our mission is to reach Hispanic families throughout the country with our message of child abuse prevention. Being an Affiliate of NCLR has provided numerous opportunities to continue to create awareness and provide services to children and families.

One of the benefits is having been selected to implement NCLR’s Escalera Program. In March 2014, Amigos for Kids began the implementation at Mater Academy East High School. Amigos for Kids was excited to partner with Mater Academy East because it was an opportunity to provide further services for these students. Since implementation, the students have become leaders within the school. They have learned important skills, such as résumé-writing and interviewing. Additionally, they were given the opportunity to implement the skills they have learned through work internships. As a result, the students have become more responsible in terms of school work and extracurricular activities.

NCLR: How do you hope the Escalera Program will have a positive impact on the youth you serve?

Valdes: The youth population at Mater Academy East High School has a majority of Hispanic and low-income students. Most of the students live in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, which is predominantly Central American. The students at Mater who participate in the Escalera Program come from humble, hard-working families who want to see their children succeed as professionals.

I hope that by having participated in the Escalera Program, my students develop a sense of responsibility beyond the classroom walls and become active participants in our community in many diverse roles.

NCLR: What is your favorite part of working with the Escalera Program and with Amigos for Kids?

Valdes: The best part of working with the Escalera Program is the students, seeing their growth: watching them go from shy, hesitant students to assertive young adults who proudly flaunt their new strengths. Additionally, Amigos for Kids provided me the opportunity, along with two of my students and a parent, to attend NCLR’s 2014 Conference in Los Angeles. It was especially rewarding to witness the interaction of these students with other students and participants of the Conference and exchange ideas and views. They were able to travel, network, learn, and even meet the president of NCLR.

As an instructor, I also enjoyed the opportunity to network with other Escalera participants from around the country at the NCLR Conference and at the NCLR training hosted in Chicago in August 2014. It was clear that, as instructors, we had a lot in common!

NCLR: How would you describe the life of an Escalera instructor? What’s a daily schedule like? What is most challenging and rewarding?

Valdes: Our job is hectic but fulfilling. A daily schedule for me includes teaching all day, conducting an Escalera session after school, having discussions with the students about their concerns or what’s new, and responding to emails and calls from students who need a letter of recommendation or a job reference. I have to juggle many responsibilities and be extremely flexible. However, I also enjoy the invaluable reward of seeing the students make progress in so many ways.

NCLR: What is something you have learned about working with youth that you would like to share with other professionals?

Valdes: If I could share one thing that I have learned from working with young people in different settings, it is that there is a way to reach them. Working with the youth doesn’t have to be a fight; it’s not “us” versus “them.” It can be a win-win scenario. Getting to that point is not always easy, but it is very rewarding. Working with Escalera has been especially rewarding because I’ve had the opportunity to pay it forward and serve as a role model for Hispanic students. The biggest reward of the program has been the encouragement and confidence that it provides for the students. Escalera has enlightened the students to see possibilities, to the belief that si se puede!