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Where school has become a family affair

Andrew Glazer

COSTA MESA -- He sat cross-legged on the floor of his home, head bent

over “Bears on Wheels,” a Bernstein Bear book, and read each line to his

mother and baby sister.

“He’s improved so much this year,” said Juana Anaya, in her native

Spanish. She is the mother of Jason, 7, a first-grader at Wilson

Elementary School. “Last year, he couldn’t read at all.”

Anaya owes much of Jason’s reading improvement to the 30 minutes she

spends each night listening to him read. Eight weeks ago, she didn’t know

how important that half-hour could be.

But she learned in a weekly class that just listening to her children can

make a world of difference in their social and academic development.

“If he comes up to me while I’m making dinner every day, and he says

‘mom, mom!’ and I tell him, ‘I’m too busy,’ he’ll remember that,” she

said. “Then, when he’s older, he might wind up in the streets where

people will give him attention.”

On Monday, 10 families with children at Wilson Elementary School

graduated from Newport-Mesa’s first Families and Schools Together class.

The program, which has participants in more than 30 states and four

countries, brings parents closer to their kids and gets them more

involved with their child’s school in a supportive environment.

Since starting the evening classes, Anaya has joined Wilson’s PTA and has

spent several days volunteering in Jason’s classroom.

“The main thing is it helps parents learn to bond with their children and

each other,” said Marcia Garcia, one of five teachers and counselors who

helped run the program.

She said she chose families with parents who seemed to want to be more

involved in their children’s school, but were shy or reluctant.

“I used to just drop Jason off and say goodbye,” Garcia said. “Now I go

by and the teacher asks if I can help.”

For two and a half hours each week, Garcia and the others lead the

families in games and activities designed to help parents and children

understand one another. At dinner time, each family sits at their own

table. The children serve their parents food.

“I like to serve my mother because she’s beautiful and I like to help

her,” Jason said, burying his head in his smiling mother’s arm.

The leaders also allot 15 minutes of “special play” during each class.

“Parents do whatever the children want without criticizingthem,” Garcia

said. “It helps them build self-esteem.”

Although formal classes ended Monday night, parents and children each

month will continue to meet to provide each other with support and

suggestions for raising children.

“No matter how busy you are, you can always organize your day to spend

time with your children,” Anaya said. “They’re the most important thing

in the world.”

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