Engaging Latino Families:
A Conversation With Pat Mora, Author of Tomás and the Library Lady¹
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Pat Mora |
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What can educators learn about Latino families and their involvement in
education from Tomás and the Library Lady?
A basic lesson is that all families tell stories, and everyone in a family
has stories to tell. This is an especially strong value in Latino culture. At
first, the grandfather tells his stories, and then later, Tomás goes
on to tell his own stories. The book also shows how a child's enthusiasm for
learning can be a catalyst within the family.
In the story Tomás goes to the library during the summer months.
What can you tell us about community-based learning experiences for Latino families?
One of my own special passions is museums. Museums, historically, have welcomed
certain people and not others. But now, museums offer days with free admission
and all kinds of activities. The democratization of museums has been happening
for a while now, but it will take time to get families used to going. The child
is an important link. When I was a museum director, we had the schools bring
the children in. I would tell the children: "This is your space, and I
want you to come back with your parents. Bring them to this room. Let them know
we have free parking." Museum directors and teachers need to help families
who may not be familiar with museums or libraries feel welcome there.
What should U.S. elementary school teachers understand about Latino families
to support their involvement?
We all bring a set of values and assumptions with us when we go into a classroom.
The further a family deviates from that image of what an involved family is
and how they behave, the more likely some teachers can feel that such families
don't really care (and I'd like to think this is changing). I hope more and
more teachers and librarians realize that most families do care.
Another issue is that successful outreach to Latino families not familiar with
our educational system—whether they have lived here for generations or
are new families—requires creative strategies. If a teacher takes the time
to meet families where they are, sees their strengths, and views them as partners
in the child's success, the gratitude and willingness of families is overwhelming.
I do see examples of schools doing this.
I saw an example of really innovative outreach that connects families with
learning outcomes at the Barrett Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, called
Kitchen Math Exchanges. During these exchanges, teachers visit the student's
home and help in the preparation of a traditional dish of the family's native
country. The cooking is an opportunity to review and teach math skills. After
the family and teacher enjoy the meal together, they all play a math game that
the teacher brings and leaves for the family.
The school has parents who do not speak English, who are new to the country,
and who are at school volunteering because of a committed Family Program Coordinator.
One of the most popular events at the school is the monthly Family Library Night.
It includes a book reading, an arts-and-crafts activity, and time for checking
out books. Translators are available to explain the story to non-English-speaking
families. We all respond when we feel valued.
In Tomás and the Library Lady, the grandfather tells stories
in Spanish and his grandson, Tomás, tells the stories in English. How
can teachers and parents encourage children's literacy in both their native
language and English?
I tell teachers that to be able to read in both languages is an intellectual
activity, not a weakness. I often say to Spanish-speaking parents, “Ask
your child to read the book in English to you. Tell your child that you are
going to listen. Then ask the child to tell you in Spanish, in his own words,
what happened in the story.” That process can be done page by page or by
the child just talking about what she read.
You are especially interested in how educators can reach out to parents
who are not print literate. How can educators effectively and sensitively reach
out to these parents?
We can reach these parents first, by honoring the parents' journey and the
knowledge they bring. We often could not survive what they have survived. We
need to give them the respect they deserve. Anyone who is print illiterate in
a literate country is going to feel embarrassed. We need to realize this and
create psychological safe places for these families. This can help parents feel
supported by teachers and schools. Then, educators can share strategies to help
these parents be actively involved in their children's education.
During a public school workshop some years back, a teacher said, “When
I was a little girl, my father used to sit across from us at the kitchen table
and have us read aloud to him. Although he could not understand English, he
still made us read to him every night.” Tears were running down the teacher's
face when she told me her story. She continued, “What must that have been
like for my father? But he did it.”
We have to recognize that many parents are intensely interested in what their
children are learning. Many feel unprepared to be a partner with the school
because they may not understand our educational system. We need to encourage
and assist these families not to step back and feel that because they can't
read—or speak—English, they can't be part of this educational process.
Teachers cannot fully prepare students to reach their potential without the
parents' help. There is too much work to do.
¹ Mora, P. (1997). Tomás
and the library lady. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers. Hardcover.
Also available in paperback from Dragonfly Books, with editions in both English,
and Spanish (Tomás y la señora de la biblioteca). Tomás,
a Mexican American child of migrant farm workers, discovers the joy of sharing
stories from his grandfather at home and the joy of reading books from the librarian
at the local library.
Interview conducted by Martha Kateri Ferede, Elizabeth Heymann, and Ellen
Mayer, November 2005.
Go to Pat Mora's website at www.patmora.com
to learn about her work, including El Día de los Niños/El
Día de los Libros (Children's Day/Book Day), a family literacy initiative,
started over a decade ago by Pat Mora and others, that celebrates the beauty
and power of books. Schools, libraries, and communities all over the country
participate by planning activities every year for April 30.
Learn more about Pat's ideas about partnering with and reaching out to Latino
families in an interview with Colorín Colorado at www.colorincolorado.org/read/meet/mora.
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