It’s important for any parent that they have the chance to play an active role in their child’s education. However, for parents who aren’t fluent in English, language barriers with their student’s teachers or school administrators can make clear, consistent communication difficult. Schools need to be able to reach parents of all backgrounds to ensure the best academic outcomes for their students. At John F. Kennedy High School, Bilingual Family Support Specialist Ana Palomares is helping bridge that gap.
Palomares spent a decade working in interpretation at a podiatry practice before starting at JFK in August of this year. Her change of venue was prompted by JFK Principal Dr. Alfreda Smith, who taught Palomares back when she attended Atkins High School. Smith remembered Palomares for her willingness to learn, grow, and serve others, traits she felt would make her an excellent candidate to provide bilingual support at her school.
"She was a great student, passionate about her work, always willing to give a helping hand, and wanting to do her absolute best,” Smith said of Palomares. “As my staff member, those special qualities have not changed.”
Every day, Palomares is available to take calls from families who need to speak with someone in Spanish about what they or their child needs. It’s a mostly straightforward job, but Palomares says she’s been moved by the gratitude that the 40 or so families she’s worked with this semester have expressed. There are numerous occasions where parents who otherwise wouldn’t engage with the school are showing up, getting involved, and asking good questions because they’re confident that she’ll listen to them.
One example of this cultural shift is at the school’s open house. JFK has several remote interpreting devices that attendees at events like open house can use to listen to Palomares translate oral presentations into Spanish. Spanish-speaking parents had a much larger presence at open house once they learned this option would be available.
“They don’t have to feel like they’re a burden or like they’re being left out,” Palomares said. “They’re happy that there’s actually somebody here who speaks their native tongue and who can help them communicate.”
Parents depend on Palomares for support in everything from conferences with teachers to disciplinary notifications to college and career readiness opportunities, but her impact reaches students as well. For several students who primarily speak Spanish at home, she’s the first adult in the building they come to when they need someone to talk with. That element of trust and connectedness is essential to any school’s mission.
“She has been such an integral part of our school's success,” said JFK Assistant Principal of Instruction Rachel Scott. “She helps us feel much more connected with the community that we serve as a school.”
Not every school in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools has a bilingual family support specialist, but Palomares hopes positions like hers will become more standard at other schools in the district over time and that Spanish-speaking families will continue to be more welcomed. Her biggest piece of advice for others trying to reach diverse populations is to be kind and focus on listening – you never know where someone is coming from.
“When you receive someone with a smile, they feel better and they feel like they are welcomed,” Palomares said. “A smile definitely makes a difference.”