Marquette Parents Kick off Organizing Drive

By Maureen Kelleher

Parent organizing efforts at Marquette Elementary are starting to pay off. On September 17, more than 100 parents showed up for open house. Though a hundred-some parents in a school with nearly 1700 students may seem like a drop in the bucket, in previous years "we only got a quarter this many," said Principal Paul O' Toole.

At least 20 of them expressed interest in joining the school's Parents as Mentors program, in which parents work in classrooms for two hours, four days a week, while furthering their own knowledge and skills.   Unlike previous years, this year's open house orientation was planned and run by parents themselves. Preparations began back in the summer, when the Southwest Organizing Project sponsored three barbecues in the homes of Marquette families during July and August to help parents connect with each other. In late August, about 20 parents met in Marquette's courtyard and heard from peers about the importance of joining groups like the Local School Council, Parent Advisory Council and the Bilingual Advisory Council.

They also heard testimonies about the power of the Parents as Mentors program to change lives. "When I started here I didn't have no set goals for myself. I didn't even know how to set goals."said Ida Pullum.

Photo: Maureen Kelleher

Through Parents as Mentors, "I did go back and get a high school diploma. That taught me how to help my children and grandchildren set goals, too." Pullum plans to return to Parents as Mentors this year, as the program expands to work with young people in grades six through eight. She knows what it takes to reach middle-schoolers from working in Marquette's after-school program. "You have to listen more," she said. "You cannot talk to them like they are five years old. They are the ones with the most problems. Peer pressure is real bad." 

At September's open house, parents showed they need someone to listen, too. Parents in the audience asked questions ranging from how to manage students safely as they arrive at one of the largest elementary schools in the city to why Spanish-speaking students learn English in the earliest grades while English-speaking students have to wait until 6th grade to learn Spanish. At times, the questions grew heated.  

Local School Council vice chair Maria Mena responded to parents' concerns by sharing her own story. When she first came to Marquette, she too complained about safety. Over time, she got involved in solving the problem by joining a group of parents who succeeded in bringing 32 security cameras into the school.

"I can see the difference they have made in security. I hope parents here today will not only complain, but will come to parent meetings and get involved in helping the school," she said to applause.  

Later, Local School Council chair Jamanika Chillis told the story of how a drop in her son's grades brought her into Marquette, where she learned more about how to help him succeed in school. "I learned the importance of homework, quality time, keeping track of who is my child's teacher. What classroom is he in? What is he going to be learning this year? We have to be faithful like that for our children."

After the meeting, while most parents went to observe their children's classrooms and meet their teachers, about a dozen of the most vocal parents stayed to speak with O'Toole and Chillis. "I heard people saying, 'They should do this every month,'" she said afterwards. She told them, "We do do it every month! Come to the PAC meeting."

Marquette staff were delighted to have parents take on the job of orienting their peers. "This is the first year the parents organized the auditorium portion [of open house]," said O'Toole. "Parents really took charge and they did a great job."