I would like to introduce myself - my name is Pamela Romero, and I am a proud Early Learning Center Education Director at Federal Hill House Association, an agency with more than 100 years here in the central area of Providence helping families to achieve their goals in life. Federal Hill House supports families from the early to the golden years.
I have been in the education field since 2001. I am originally from Chile, a beautiful country in South America. Today, I recalled my first informal teaching practices. Oh yes, it was in the summer of 1984 when I was only 11 years old, and one of my neighbors could not read. His mom used to make fun of him by calling him names, using unpleasant vocabulary (which I was never a fan of). She was mean to children, to all of us (many years after I found out that this lady was his stepmother, I never understood why someone who loves you could be so arrogant and despicable to try a child as she did). I took this remarkable instance to design my own classroom - the back of my bedroom door was my blackboard with white chalk as the only supplies I had. I started teaching him the vowels, moving to consonants, and of course, the letters in his name. It was not easy, but the rest is history, and after three months, my friend was reading, and my story had begun. From that moment on, my teachers, parents, and neighbors started to contact me to teach other children. It was overwhelming at first, and I felt like I had no right to be a child who could play, enjoy the outdoors, summer days, and even the cold weather in Santiago, Chile; instead, I needed to be an educator. At only 11 years of age, the same age as my second child now, everybody could see the potential in me, but I got so scared of becoming a teacher that I could not trust other people. At some point, I had no empathy for teachers, all I could see was adults not making any efforts on teaching little people. The ABCs and 123s were not the only thing they needed to teach - what about resilience, courage to keep trying no matter what? I was really afraid of becoming another teacher, not only because of the uncertain wages but that I did not want to be part of a blind system, which is the reason why I decided to become a Child Psychologist instead. I enjoyed this career, but something was telling me to listen to my heart and do what was the right fit for me. I finished my Master’s degree and took classes to become a special education teacher. I really wanted to go for what I loved the most - help others, kids that nobody could believe their potential, the willingness to learn, their readiness to explore a world of opportunities, and much more.
In 2004, I decided to move to the U.S. with the idea to help the Latino community, which did not have the same opportunities in life as I had. I started from scratch; by saying this, I mean that I had so much to do before moving forward with my path and career here in the United States. I needed to validate my credentials and learn English first, all of that did not stop me. I just needed to focus on what I can do best, and teaching was my passion. I started to watch TV with subtitles and write their pronunciation. I was going back and forth to my English/Spanish dictionary, which was hard, and I got frustrated many times, but I never gave up, and I am still learning and won’t ever stop. Many people have said that I have a strong accent, which I love because people ask me where I come from and why I am here - there is when I am able to say that I am here now, serving the Providence, RI community as an Education Director of an amazing organization, who originally opened their doors to me as a bilingual Parent Educator. In this role, I was able to engage with a caseload of 24 families which gave me the opportunity to tell other people, Americans, immigrants, people of many colors, what it looks like to come to a country without speaking the language and also start all over in life. I could tell my story over and over, all day long to inspire others. I do not want to stop with this passion of mine and am always looking for opportunities to grow professionally. One of those instances has been becoming a member of the Ready to Learn Advisory Committee for Rhode Island PBS Education Services. Through this, I had the wonderful opportunity to facilitate a cohort of about 50 families over 5 weeks. They were able to learn and spend time together; getting out of their homes since the pandemic abruptly closed everything, and many opportunities were taken for development and growth for children and their families. They were able to learn about technology, explore outdoors, play freely, and, more importantly, messy play was allowed. It was significant for families to get this opportunity because this experience helped many children and their families to see the world from an educational point of view; not only to play and learn but also to socialize and encourage others, just like I did many years ago when I started teaching my neighbor Carlitos. That is why in my practices as a parent educator, I was always looking for other Carlitos, and I found him in many households, many neighborhoods, all of them asking for the same opportunity, and to expect more and grow every day from experiences throughout their lives. It was impressive to see how many children and parents did not have the opportunity to see what this country had to offer them before the Ready to Learn Program, and I was there to show them the way and to also encourage them that it is ok to dream as long as you are willing to wake up one day and start all over again, and again and again, and never give up!
Good opportunities in life are presented to people with values, enthusiasm, perseverance, and empathy. Yes, I was always there, and I am still here to continue educating children and their families, at this time not only to read but also to become a better version of themselves. I will be here for many more years to not only help my community but also to help as many children and their families I come across. I am in this role where I am an educator 24/7, and no matter where I go, I am always looking for opportunities to teach others. Recently, technology has been a crucial tool, and I can see what people post on different platforms, and of course, I am always available for anyone with the desire to learn.
It is now 2023 and my life has changed - I have met many people over the years, and have created a circle of support for families, and I know there is so much more to do for them. This is why I
decided to become a part of Rhode Island PBS Education Services through their Ready to Learn Project, which has brought us the next step for families, technology, and motivational learning materials and hands-on activities. Many parents/caregivers never had seen a tablet, they never got to play with their children as their lives are very busy, they were able to take the time to come to a two hours session and explore many learning opportunities, they got to see other families in the same shape or even a better shape, we communicated the importance of bringing new opportunities to today’s generation of children and I asked families to be onboard to make some changes in their lives, I asked them to get out of their comfort zone and explore with me what life had for them.
Every time I think of my path and career, it takes me to my first years of teaching and I remember my friend Carlos. I hope he was able to move forward and take the leadership to continue blessing others with knowledge and empower people around him to become a better version of themselves.
Now, 20 years later, I can say that I do not only teach, but I educate little learners, and I know for sure that is making an impact in others’ lives. Teaching is a strategy, to educate is a superpower.
