My name is Brenda Cabrera, and I am the mother of a second-grade student at Rocketship Redwood City Prep. I want to share my story with the Redwood City parent community because my school is at risk of not being reauthorized for another five years, and the loss of this school would be a great loss to my community.
Before becoming a Rocketeer, Sebastian was in a school in the district where he was classified under the umbrella of Autism. He was placed in classes for children with special needs from preschool to first grade. Having a child classified and isolated from the rest of the students was very difficult to understand because he was never diagnosed by his doctor, but by his IEP meetings.
After hearing that his main teacher would no longer be at that school, I decided to start the search for the best options for Sebastian. I decided to give Rocketship a chance after hearing so many good references from the school, but I was not going to be happy unless it was the right one for Sebastian’s needs.
I was very interested in the inclusive model provided by Rocketship. At his preschool, I had to be with Sebastian three hours a day to make sure he stayed in the program. If I could not help him, he could not stay there alone. This was what the teachers recommended. That’s why I was very nervous to leave him alone in his new school. I do not regret my decision because from the registration process, to class coupling, and the experiences meeting his new teachers and schoolmates have all been the best. He enjoys attending his school!
Having him in a class where he coexists with classmates who do not all have special needs gives me the peace of mind that he is going to grow up being accepted. He will develop with children who are compassionate and who will know the funny and loving child that Sebastian is and not the child that belongs to the class of children with special needs.
I hope this amazing school has the opportunity to continue giving our children specialized education.
Brenda Cabrera