IMMOKALEE, Fla. — Immokalee is home to so many beautiful cultures and hard working people, such as, the migrant farm working community.
At the Immokalee Library, several books celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month including Migrant Students Matter: Stories of Triumph and Approaches That Work, written by Immokalee's very own, Dr. Pete Cade.
I recently sat down with Dr. Cade and asked why the book has such an important message.
"Unfortunately, a lot of teachers see migrant students as just temporary students because they're in and out of the classroom, and they are not given the support that that they truly need," Dr. Cade said.
He grew up in Immokalee and traveled with his parents when it came time to work in the fields wherever the crop was in season along the East coast.
Watch Immokalee Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades report below:
Dr. Cade shared with me a childhood photo where he sat in a bin of oranges next to his sister.
His parents had no choice but to take their kids to work for example in South Caroline cucumber fields.
Dr. Cade said, "It's important that our teachers understand what it entails to be a migrant farmer, or sometimes our parents don't show up to meetings, and it's not because they don't want to...they have to make that decision whether between the paycheck and going to the meeting and it it of course you know the choice for them is obvious."
His book is a resource to help teachers understand the obstacles migrant students face and how they can support them from different schools in the same year, to new people and catching up on lessons.
"You are not just a temporary student in the classroom. You're a student that's just as much a student as anyone else," Dr. Cade said.
In his book, he shares stories from former migrant students who graduated college like Adriana Carranza who now teaches elementary school students in Immokalee.
She spent her summers with her family working in the fields. Even on summer break from college she chose to work alongside her family packing watermelons.
"Going back into the field, it's just always a reminder and realizing you know, I want I want more," Adriana Carranza said.
Her childhood helps her connect with students in a way not all teachers can relate to migrant students.
She said, " I don't think it's about teaching them better. It's just knowing them, knowing their background."
Her background is the reason she became a teacher and wants students to know she was once in their shoes.
"Some students may not feel comfortable with saying where their parents work, and, so, I want them to know that it is okay and that they should be proud of that," Carranza said.
Proud that they come from a hardworking, resilient community.
