Lo Que Aprendimos: Advice for the Next Generation of Parents

Abstract

This essay identifies several themes presented by my parents, Abel and Juanita Jiménez. They are parents of five children who successfully navigated through the k-12 system and earned university degrees. They were interviewed over several evenings and asked what advice they would provide to the next generation of Latino parents. My parents discussed the importance of being engaged with their children both at home and at school. At home, they emphasized nurturing  a strong familial idenity, a strong linguistic and cultural identity, and modeling lifelong learning. At school, the focus was on advocating for your children and for the needs of the Latino community. Schools as well as our research community need to place more emphasis on the voices of parents who have effectively engaged in their children's education and worked collaboratively to welcome and support parental engagement.