This may be a good time to remind our children not to accept car rides from strangers.
A middle school student from Pacific Grove Unified School District was approached Tuesday afternoon by a man who offered her a ride, then followed her when she refused. The following message was sent to all the families in the Pacific Grove Unified School District by Superintendent Ralph Porras:
At approximately 4:45 pm yesterday (Dec 20) afternoon, a middle school student was approached on her way home from school yesterday by a man who tried to lure her into his vehicle. The incident occurred near Congress Road and Morse Drive in Pebble Beach.
The driver asked the student if she wanted a ride. When the student refused, the driver persisted in asking her if she wanted a ride home and followed her for several blocks until the student was able to evade him. He was driving a gray Porsche sports utility vehicle (Cayenne). The car was dirty and had a dented front bumper.
The man was described as a balding white male with whitish gray hair around the sides of his head and strands of hair combed over the top of his head. His face was unshaven, and he has an inch-long scar on his left cheek near his nose. He wore frameless prescription glasses with silver arms. At the time, he was wearing a navy blue button down shirt with black stripes and has a medium build.
Thankfully, the student is safe and has provided a good description of the man.
The Pacific Grove Police Department is aware of the situation and is on the lookout for the vehicle. If you have any information that you deem helpful, please contact the Pacific Grove Police Department at 831-684-3143.
Please remind your student to never accept a ride from a stranger and to report any incident to a responsible adult as soon as possible. We are grateful that our student followed this important guideline and is safe.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Author, advocate to lead California's efforts to teach English learners
Karen Cadiero-Kaplan, a scholar, published author and longtime advocate for students, will lead the California Department of Education’s efforts to help school districts across the state teach English learners effectively, California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced Wednesday.
A professor at San Diego State University, Cadiero-Kaplan chairs the Department of Policy Studies in Language and Cross Cultural Education, which focuses on biliteracy and English language acquisition. She began her career teaching elementary and secondary special education, and English as a Second Language at the community college level, and went on to become a professor and a provider of professional development for teachers and administrators working with bilingual students.
Cadiero-Kaplan has a range of publications focused on the role of education and language policies in curriculum development and teachers’ professional development, including “The Literacy Curriculum; Bilingual Education: A Critical Examination.”
She will take her post mid-January
A professor at San Diego State University, Cadiero-Kaplan chairs the Department of Policy Studies in Language and Cross Cultural Education, which focuses on biliteracy and English language acquisition. She began her career teaching elementary and secondary special education, and English as a Second Language at the community college level, and went on to become a professor and a provider of professional development for teachers and administrators working with bilingual students.
Cadiero-Kaplan has a range of publications focused on the role of education and language policies in curriculum development and teachers’ professional development, including “The Literacy Curriculum; Bilingual Education: A Critical Examination.”
She will take her post mid-January
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Carolina and her children
Seldom have I received the type of response I got about the story on the Marina family we featured on Sunday's paper. The story about Carolina and her children. If you missed it, you can find it here.
The overwhelming response was filled with desire to help: people want to send money, help run errands, buy clothes for the children, you name it. We have a generous community, and we're blessed by it.
I also received two emails that were more questioning, if you will. Where's the father of these children? Is he paying child support? Yes, Carolina is in a terrible situation, but that's because she made bad choices. Maybe Sabrina won't make the same choices. Maybe the cycle will be broken.
Because I have first hand experience in dealing with families in abusive situations, I can tell you it won't be easy. Sabrina will need a lot -- A LOT -- of help. Not just Sabrina, all of her siblings. They will need guidance, support, constant caring adults. Most importantly, tons of love. And their unstable situation does not seem to have an end in sight. Who knows how long it will take for her mother to regain her health.
This is what experience has taught me: the only "choices" we have are the ones presented to us. If a woman's practically locked up by her husband, with no access to friends and family, does she really have "choices"? If a young girl has to forgo an after-school science program because she has to help with chores and take care of her little siblings, is that really a choice? Could she be blamed later on for not becoming a scientist? (For the record, I'm not writing about Carolina and her family here. These are just scenarios I've run into often in my years of reporting)
I hope, for Sabrina's sake, that she indeed makes wise choices as she grows up. But what I hope for most is that she's surrounded by caring adults who show her what those choices are.
The overwhelming response was filled with desire to help: people want to send money, help run errands, buy clothes for the children, you name it. We have a generous community, and we're blessed by it.
I also received two emails that were more questioning, if you will. Where's the father of these children? Is he paying child support? Yes, Carolina is in a terrible situation, but that's because she made bad choices. Maybe Sabrina won't make the same choices. Maybe the cycle will be broken.
Because I have first hand experience in dealing with families in abusive situations, I can tell you it won't be easy. Sabrina will need a lot -- A LOT -- of help. Not just Sabrina, all of her siblings. They will need guidance, support, constant caring adults. Most importantly, tons of love. And their unstable situation does not seem to have an end in sight. Who knows how long it will take for her mother to regain her health.
This is what experience has taught me: the only "choices" we have are the ones presented to us. If a woman's practically locked up by her husband, with no access to friends and family, does she really have "choices"? If a young girl has to forgo an after-school science program because she has to help with chores and take care of her little siblings, is that really a choice? Could she be blamed later on for not becoming a scientist? (For the record, I'm not writing about Carolina and her family here. These are just scenarios I've run into often in my years of reporting)
I hope, for Sabrina's sake, that she indeed makes wise choices as she grows up. But what I hope for most is that she's surrounded by caring adults who show her what those choices are.
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