11 años en Delaware • 1996 - 2007 • 11 years in Delaware

Del-Tech reconoce la labor del profesor Joe McCarron

Arts & Humanities Award given by Delaware Technical & Community College to Joe McCarron

(L-R): Joe McCarron with the president of Familias Unidas and her 3 sons, Jesus, Edward, and Emmanuel

(English version)

The 2007 Arts & Humanities Award was given by Delaware Technical & Community College to Joe McCarron at the Donor Appreciation Reception on Thursday, November 15, 2007, for his success in empowering Spanish-speaking youth to succeed through education and encouragement.

A resident of Bridgeville, Delaware, McCarron has spent his life teaching. For 27 years, he taught French, German, and Spanish at Sussex Central High School in Georgetown. After his retirement, Mr. McCarron was actively recruited by Sister Margaret Giblin to start the La Casita Homework Program because of his extensive teaching experience and strong connection to the Hispanic community. He agreed to coordinate the program, and in October of 2001, La Casita opened.

Helping Hispanic children with their homework was nothing new to Mr. McCarron. When asked to teach Spanish classes, he took such a class at Delaware Tech, and then volunteered at a local clinic to improve his skills and learn more about the culture. Through his volunteer work he met three-year-old Daisy and her family and they became dear friends. Mr. McCarron and his wife then become godparents to Daisy and her brother. Now 15, Daisy has benefited greatly from his presence and credits him for making a difference in her life. In return, she is one of the many volunteers that make La Casita so successful.

La Casita, a program under First State Community Action Agency, provides vital homework assistance to Hispanic children attending Georgetown and North Georgetown elementary schools. Thanks to Mr. McCarron’s pre-established relationships, most of the program’s materials are provided by teachers at those schools.

To help the children continue to learn when school is not in session, La Casita has a five-week bilingual summer program. During the English part of the program, students take short field trips and do related learning activities. Two days a week are devoted to learning more about the Hispanic culture and are taught in Spanish. These summer sessions have encouraged students to do well during the school year so that they can be in the La Casita program instead of summer school.

Under Mr. McCarron’s leadership, La Casita has grown tremendously. In its first year, the program helped 18 children per day. Now, an average of nearly 100 students daily seek homework helped. The program’s current record was reached this fall with 108 students in one day. Children who participate in this program tend to score very high on their state tests.

In addition to serving as director of La Casita Homework Program, Mr. McCarron currently teaches an intermediate grammar course in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at Delaware Tech. Allison Burris Castellanos, an ESL instructor at the college who works closely with him on La Casita’s summer program, said, “Joe McCarron is empowering the children to set goals and achieve those goals, thus establishing a pattern of success for the future.” By all accounts, a humble man, Joe McCarron has made an indelible mark on the lives of so many individuals, all of whom hold him in high esteem.

(Spanish version)

El profesor Joe McCarron recibió el Premio de Artes y Humanidades 2007 del Colegio Comunitario y Tecnológico de Delaware en ceremonía celebrada el 15 de noviembre, 2007, por su trabajo con jóvenes hispanos.

McCarron, residente en Bridgeville, Delaware, ha estado enseñando toda su vida. Durante más de 27 años, ha enseñado francés, alemán y español en la escuela Sussex Central en Georgetown. Después de retirarse, empezó a trabajar con la hermana Margaret Giblin en un programa para ayudar a los jóvenes a hacer los deberes de la escuela en el centro comunitario La Casita.

Empezó a trabajar con niños hispanos años atrás. En un momento de su vida, le pidieron que enseñara clases de español. Tomó una clase en Del-Tech y estuvo como voluntario de una clínica para aprender el idioma y conocer más sobre la cultura. En esta clínica conoció a Daisy y a su familia. Se hicieron amigos y tanto él como su esposa han sido los padrinos de Daisy y su hermano. Ahora, Daisy tiene 15 años, está muy agradecida de todo lo que ha recibido y está ayudando como voluntaria en La Casita.

La Casita es parte de la Agencia Comunitaria First State y proporciona ayuda a los niño hispanos con los deberes de la escuelas elementales Georgetown y North Georgetown.

Durante la temporada estival, La Casita ofrece un programa bilingüe de verano durante cinco semanas. Los estudiantes tienen excursiones y realizan multitud de actividades. Una parte de las clases son en español, para que los pequeños aprendan más sobre la cultura hispana.

Bajo el liderazgo del profesor McCarron, La Casita ha crecido bastante. Durante el primer año, ayudaban a unos 18 niños cada día. Ahora, ayudan a una media de 100 estudiantes diariamente. El record de asistencia se llevó a cabo este año, con 108 niños en un solo día. Los niños que han participado en este programa, han conseguido una puntuación mejor en los exámenes estatales.

Además de ser el director de este programa, McCarron enseña gramática a nivel intermedio en el programa de Inglés como Segunda Lengua (ESL) de Del-Tech. “Joe McCarron ayuda a los niños conseguir sus metas”, dijo Allison Burris Castellanos.

Por donde quiera que se vea, Joe McCarron ha dejado una huella profunda en la vida de multitud de personas.

Escrito por Allison Burris-Castellanos