Meet your neighbors: Loida

Loida Casares Ruiz, 37
Lindale, Houston

What project did you do? I send my daughter to public school. I’m especially an advocate of the Vanguard program, one of the many Magnet programs in the Houston Independent School District. As more people move into the city and choose to raise their kids here they want a good education for their children. Many send their kids to a private school and that’s fine. But I believe that our public schools have some great programs.

Why did you start your project? I really believe that a school can be as good as the parents make it by their involvement. Since I too am a product of Magnet schools in Houston I knew that when the time came for my kids to go to school that I would look into the Magnet program. I went to Vanguard in middle school and I was in the International Baccalaureate program in high school. I believe that I received a very good education and I even had some college professors ask me where I went to high school because they were so impressed with all the literature that I had already read in high school. My husband also went to Magnet schools and was an excellent gymnast because of the Magnet program.

How long did it take you? I started preparing my daughter for the Vanguard test a year before she would actually test. My daughter didn’t go to pre-school so I taught her at home in the evenings. We went over the numbers, the letters, the shapes, and different things together. I also started touring schools. I visited my first three choices to find out more about the make up of the students, the teachers, and what the overall schools were like. I specifically looked at three schools because when you apply for Vanguard you have to give them your three choices. Depending on if your child passes the test and their score they either go to your first choice school or they put his or her name into a lottery. They really try to put you into one of your three choices. We got into our first choice school and we were very excited!

What were the major challenges you encountered during your project? The thing about Vanguard is that the child has to test when they are only 4 or 4.5. My daughter was 4.5 when she tested. As you can imagine with a child that age, you don’t know what kind of day they will have. You can only hope for the best. You also have to apply by a certain deadline the Spring prior to the Fall that your child is going to start Kindergarten. In addition to the Vanguard program I also looked at some other schools that have really good Magnet programs. I also applied to some of those schools as a back up in case she didn’t make it into the Vanguard program. There’s an elementary school that has a Communications program, another has a Math program, and another has a technology program.

What did you enjoy most about your project? I loved the feeling of going back to school. I loved visiting the schools and seeing all the other parents who were also touring with me. They all came from such diverse backgrounds and they lived inside the city. I loved seeing how involved they were in their child’s education.

What would you have done differently if you could do it all over again? Nothing. I feel like I prepared my daughter as well as I could. Once she took the test there was nothing I could do but hope for the best. I’m also glad I applied to the other schools as a safety net.

What's your advice for other people who want to do the same project? Read up on it. Read all that you can about special programs in your public schools. Go to the school district website and read up on everything. Call schools and ask if you can have a tour.

What's your next project? I’m starting to work on my 3.5 year old son this January because he takes the test in one year. He’s definitely going to be more challenging.

What would you like to see Neighbors Project accomplish? I would love to see more people send their kids to public schools. I believe that if everyone did that the schools would be even better. The parents are the tax payers and they deserve to have good schools for their children. There is no need to pay extra by sending children to private schools. Use the resources that the school district provides. My daughter’s school is an excellent example of that. The PTA is very strong there and the school is wonderful. The teachers, the principals, the Vanguard Coordinator, all respect the opinions of the parents. They have a wonderful program and a very diverse school.

Read Loida's excellent blog, ShoeGirl Corner.