On this day, I visited two sixth grade classes at East Palo Alto Charter School.

    East Palo Alto, which sits directly next to affluent Palo Alto, is made up almost entirely of immigrants. This school serves to help many of these students, almost all of whom speak English as a second language, achieve. The students are in school nearly year-round, which I learned when I referenced ‘summer vacation’ and the teacher, Ms. Umana, corrected me. Ms. Umana also asked me to talk about the importance of a college education. I did, and was surprised to find that a few of the sixth graders raised their hands and stated ‘I don’t think I’ll make it to college,’ or ‘no one in my family has gone to college.’
    I was also impressed by these students enthusiasm, and I will probably visit the school again before leaving.