Hi, Good Morning everybody.  My name is Lizette Brant

My four children and I participate in Southwest Solutions family literacy program at Academy of the Americas school.   I am in their school almost every day, learning while they learn.  

The children, Alexia (grade 3), Alejandro (grade 2), Cesar (kindergarten), and Kenya (1 1/2 years) motivate me to do everything I do, including the family literacy program.  My oldest, Alexia, is asking me, “When are you going to come to my class?”  

She feels so special and excited when I am with her in the classroom.  She is determined to be the best reader in her class.  When she found out she was the second-best, she came home and practiced her reading.

I was raised in Mexico, and I did very well in elementary school.  In middle school I lost interest and quit studying.  The problem was that I did exactly the opposite of what my parents wanted me to do.  I dropped out.

To tell you the truth, I am in the program because I don’t want that to happen to me.  I know how disappointed my parents were.  

I want my kids to come to me with any problem they have at school.  I tell them that in the 5th or 6th grade, some kid is going to tell you to skip school.  I tell them, “Challenge yourself to think about what is going to be best for you.” I want my kids to come to my husband or me with any problem that they have in school.

This program teaches me parenting, child development and English.  It also allows me to go into the classroom with my children and learn side by side with them.  This way I am involved in their classes and what they are studying.

Jorge, my teacher, spent a lot of time teaching us parents how to explain pronunciation and spelling rules to the kids.  And it worked.   Alexia and Alejandro both won first place in the spelling bee last year.

I tell my kids that I feel very sorry for dropping out.  If they graduate from college, I will feel very successful.  For them to succeed is my goal in life.  The family literacy program is helping us parents make sure that they have a good chance at success.

Thank you for listening!