Demographics
I teach third grade at Los Arboles Literacy and Technology Academy, one of the fourteen elementary schools in the Franklin McKinley School District. The demographics of my students are representative of the Seven Trees Community in the South Side of San Jose, California. It serves around 500 students from kindergarten to third grade. Of our families, 95.7% are socioeconomically disadvantaged; 70.6% of our students are identified as English Language Learners; and 86% are of Hispanic/Latino students. A majority of the parents work multiple jobs, and quite a few students belong to single-parent families. The students are usually taken care by either their grandparents or other relatives. A few of my students take care of themselves as well as their younger siblings, a situation that results in a lack of structure, social skills, and increased absences.
Since third grade is the senior class in our school, my students are usually seen as the role models for their younger peers. At the same time, they are being prepared to transition to fourth grade in another school with a new environment. Thus social skills and problem solving become even more important at this stage.
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