Treading a difficult path in the community

HUMBERTO CASPA

First of all, I want to thank the parents and local residents who

have written me letters to show concern regarding the latest

controversy at TeWinkle Middle School. I must recognize that most

letters stood strong in support of principal Dan Diehl and his

assistant Tim Tolzda and a few of them backed the parents who made

the discrimination chargers.

Based on the following answers, I will let the reader decide why

such a skewed response occurred: A) Latino parents’ inability to

write English; B) The lack of participation in some neighborhoods; C)

A lack of information to merit an answer or opinion; D) All of the

above; E) None of the above.

Whatever the reasons, there is a common theme in the letters: Most

parents have profound concerns about the education of their children.

We all would like good teachers, adequate resources, healthy

environments and excellent administrative leaders, especially those

espousing diversity.

My wife and I are raising a charming little girl who goes to Adams

Elementary School. I would need days, and perhaps months, to write

everything about the efficient work of teachers, the staff,

volunteers and administrators at this school. Although programs at

Adams work smoothly, principal Candy Cloud is always making extra

efforts to make them run better. She does a terrific job, despite all

the existing budgetary limitations in the district.

Moreover, besides teaching at a state university and writing

columns in Spanish and English, I also hold a part-time job at a

retail store in Newport Beach. My supervisor, Nan Ruvelson, is

another incredible woman, who understands, maybe more than most

public officials, that diversity is a key ingredient for successful

businesses. She is a proud Jewish woman, and leads by example an

eclectic group of Latino, Asian and white employees.

When I compare both the public and private sector, at least in the

places I’ve worked, it is quite interesting to find more ethnic and

racial integration in the latter than in the former.

I will never forget my first regional manager at a defunct

janitorial company in South Costa Plaza. Unfortunately I can’t recall

his name, but I do remember he was white. He would usually stop by

our workplace to supervise on a weekly basis, wearing an expensive

dark suit, a pair of shinning back shoes, silk tie and a white shirt.

He would take off his jacket, soften his tie, literally roll up his

sleeves, get a vacuum cleaner and work shoulder-to-shoulder with us.

His actions conspicuously demonstrated to me that there was no such

thing as indecent jobs in America.

While performing odd and professional jobs in this country, my

experience tells me that excellent administrators transcend

nationalities and racial lines. It doesn’t matter whether a leader is

black, Latino, Asian or white, as long as his/her performance

satisfies the common interests of the employees.

On a more immediate, daily basis than chief executives in the

private sector, administrators in city halls and on public school

campuses have to deal with people beyond their businesses’ walls. For

instance, a principal’s decision can have a ripple effect beyond the

student body and the school. It can reach out to parents and

sometimes -- like recently at TeWinkle -- the community.

For this reason, effective school administrators often have to

work with students in their homes and their neighborhoods. That, of

course, means they have to speak to the parents and find out their

concerns or grievances, all while being aware of their customs and

traditions.

It simply doesn’t make us less American to identify new issues in

Latino barrios. On the contrary, it only recognizes changes going on

in our community.

In this context, the problem surrounding discrimination charges at

TeWinkle might be a matter of semantics. In other words, what school

officials believe to be acceptable language, Latino students and

parents might feel is offensive.

Both, especially school administrators, must know that

discrimination is expressed in different ways -- individually,

systemically and structurally. I think it is time for them to fully

understand these concepts, or unfortunately, they are condemned to

repeat the problems.

* HUMBERTO CASPA is a Costa Mesa resident and bilingual writer. He

can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].