Lakewood Ranch's classy “Maestra"

Laraine Batista is quick to remind people she’s not a teacher, and her room is not a classroom.

Her space is not remarkable and she has no prestigious degree hanging from her wall, no student-made posters, banners or photos.

Taking up the space are papers, files, and application forms, the ammunition she uses to change the course of some students’ lives.

Her job is to ensure the students of migrant families — those who move periodically throughout the year because their families work in the agricultural industry — not only keep up with their schoolwork but also are motivated to stay on course for graduation and education beyond high school.

Migrant students face obstacles that a typical student never would, such as missing the first few weeks of school in Bradenton because the harvest in Michigan is running late this year, or not understanding their schoolwork because their first language isn’t English.

She has earned so much respect, the families she serves call her “Maestra,” or teacher in Spanish.

After 23 years as a migrant education home school liaison for Manatee County School District, “Maestra” is retiring.

“When I meet a student, my first question is ‘If you could close your eyes and be anything, what would it be?’” Batista said.

She said while the question is difficult for most children to answer, it can be even more difficult for those of farm workers to imagine any kind of life outside of what they know.

Currently, Batista has more than 100 students under her watch, 52 at Lakewood Ranch High School, 48 at Dan Nolan Middle School, eight between Southeast and Bayshore High Schools, and one at Braden River.

She knows each one of them, their stories and their families. Whether she’s helping students with their assignments, or filling out college applications or just talking, they often open up to her about problems in their lives.

“I try to find out what the bottom line is, what the problem is,” she said. “Maybe they don’t understand something the teacher said and are too embarrassed to ask. Maybe they can’t see the board and don’t know they need glasses.

“There are so many issues that most people take for granted.”

As a home school liaison, her job also includes communicating with the parents and families to make sure they are involved.

“Without liaisons, the families wouldn’t have a way to communicate with the schools,” she said. The district’s liaisons are bilingual.

During the 30th annual Migrant Education Awards ceremony May 17, Kate Bloomquist, district migrant coordinator spoke of Batista’s role.

“There is no way to count the number of students whose lives were changed forever by Laraine’s compassion and love,” said Bloomquist. “They are all the better for the time spent under her guidance, and me too.”

Many of Batista’s former students attended the ceremony to listen to her speak, and to comfort her afterward.

Cindy Ibarra graduated from Lakewood Ranch High in 2011. Not only was she a migrant student, but she also became pregnant with her daughter, Linette, in high school.

Batista had been her liaison since middle school and helped her apply for the Take Stock in Children scholarship. She was there for her during her pregnancy, too, helping her keep up with schoolwork and encouraging her to finish.

Ibarra graduated from high school with honors. In 2015, she earned her bachelor’s degree of science in early childhood education from the University of South Florida and now teaches kindergarten in Plant City.

“She was always there for me,” Ibarra said. “I still come and see her and catch up.”

Roy Garza, a 2003 Lakewood Ranch graduate, is another success story. He was under Batista’s wing in high school, and she was the reason he went to State College of Florida (formerly Manatee Community College) after graduating.

“In high school, sometimes in this lifestyle, it’s hard to adapt,” he said of being a former migrant student. “She was making sure we had our classes, we were attending them, encouraging us to continue working hard.”

If any of her students started getting into trouble, she knew about it, he said. She would find out and then monitor her students to make sure they got back on track.