During the Pandemic, KIPP Navigate High School Prep and KIPP Heritage Teachers Have Provided Unconditional Support

08Feb
by Evangelina Núñez

I will never forget 2020. Last year was a challenge, all of our lives changed tremendously in one way or another. Students began to take classes on Zoom or some other virtual platform, and teachers had to get up to speed and teach the curriculum online. It’s been difficult to adapt to our new lives, but we’ve been able to manage it little by little. I have always recognized teachers play an essential role in our children’s lives, and am grateful for my childrens’ teachers at KIPP. They were always there to provide support; I know my children and I will never forget that.

As a parent of three KIPP students, I’ve been able to see teachers giving their all to help students excel. Taking classes on Zoom can be challenging for some students; they lack human interaction. The first month of the transition to the virtual setting was stressful for my children — and for me. It was hard to adapt to a new routine. I felt frustrated when I couldn’t help my children when they needed it. However, their teachers continued to offer after school office hours in order to provide support to parents and students.

My child has an assigned counselor, Mr. Malik, who provides socio-emotional support. He has been able to help my child tremendously with balancing his emotions. It’s essential to help our children with their emotions, as they are living through an unprecedented moment in time. Having the added support has made a huge difference.  Mr. Malik has a dedicated time and space for all students to share their feelings. In addition, every month the school has KIPP Family Association meetings where an open space is made available for parents to help to organize events like an annual Thanksgiving potluck, parent workshops, Lunar New Year, and more! During the pandemic that space was an opportunity to share information such as local resources and events. During the Zoom meetings, Mr. Malik also designated a special time for parents who needed extra support and advice on helping our children emotionally. I  found it very helpful.

I am also very grateful for Mrs. Visa, an AP high school teacher at KIPP Navigate High School Prep. Last year, she helped my child to achieve his AP Computer Science project goals. Her organizational skills and structure was a blessing for my son. During the first week, she dedicated an hour of her evening hours to explain how to complete the project in great detail. Prior to their meeting, my son felt frustrated and confused regarding his project, but all that changed after their session. My son told me that Mrs. Visa has helped other students individually as well.  Thank you for being a fantastic teacher Mrs. Visa; you made yourself available when my son had questions and needed extra support. The hours you spent during and after class helped my son become more confident, excited, and ready to complete his project. Mrs. Visa is truly dedicated to the success of her students. 

We had many new experiences, and are grateful for the challenging ones because there was always someone at KIPP willing to help us out. We are now just hoping everything will return to normal, and my kids can soon safely return to in person classes.

To any families looking for a quality high school: KIPP Navigate High School has open spots!  Kipp also has sports teams and provides courses for special needs too. Next year, the school will provide five more AP classes that are great for our children because they can get college credits. I like KIPP Navigate’s vision because they truly stand by it; “Together with families and communities, we create joyful, academically excellent schools that prepare students and confidence to pursue the paths they choose- college, career, and beyond- so they can lead fulfilling lives and build a more just world.” 

Once again, thanks to all the amazing teachers!

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Evangelina Núñez

Evangelina Núñez is a Latina mom leader from Zacatecas Mexico, she lives in San Jose, CA with her family, her husband and three children, two daughters and one son. She graduated from the High School Escuela Popular in East San Jose, because of her bad experience in her education. When she was young she decided to study child development and her goal is to be able to help as a teacher's assistant recently she became interested in studying topics that have to do with children with special needs. She is a founding mom at Kipp Navigate high school in East side San Jose. She is a believer 100% of school choice and high quality education she is a member of the santa clara charter school collision, her children attend Rocketship Mateo Sheedy, Kipp Heritage and now Kipp Navigate , she is very involved in all the school she go also she is part of KFA (the kipp family association), she knows first hand the education and believes that the involvement of parents involved is essential in the daily life of a student.

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