Your donation will help us produce journalism like this. Please give today.

Via Sacramento Bee | By Evelyn Alemán Macias

“Maybe you’re just not good at math. Some people are good at some things, and others aren’t. Maybe math isn’t your thing.” Those were the words my child, Julia Macias, heard from her second-grade teacher at a San Fernando Valley elementary school when she struggled to learn new math concepts.

At the time, I didn’t realize that my daughter was hearing these words throughout the day in her classroom until the teacher repeated those same words to me during a parent-teacher conference.

My 7-year-old child believed her teacher because she was an adult whom she trusted. Over time, this began to erode my child’s confidence in the subject – and in herself. When I repeatedly shared with the teacher my concerns about Julia no longer wanting to attend school – her class in particular – she complained about how Julia simply wasn’t performing in any subject. Worst of all, she suggested Julia – who is now a 13-year-old honor student – might have learning disabilities.

Read the full story here.