NE Philly principal leads childhood school she attended as immigrant; hopes to inspire students

OXFORD CIRCLE - A local principal in Philadelphia immigrated from Peru as a child. She is leading the very same school she attended as a child and credits her teachers for helping her learn English and wants to share that same passion with her students.

Patricia Garnica’s story of how she rose to principal of Gilbert Spruance Elementary School is truly full circle. "It’s surreal, it’s absolutely surreal."

Garnica immigrated to the U.S. from Peru with her mother, father and sister back in January 1980.

"My family came over when I was 4-years-old," Garnica said. "We came over, we didn’t have much. My mom found out there was this place called Northeast Philadelphia and she came with the mindset that we are here to give our kids a better life."

Her family settled in the Northeast, on Eastwood Street, just off Roosevelt Boulevard and a block away from Spruance Elementary, the school that would become her launching pad for a career in education.

She came to Spruance not knowing any English, but a particular teacher stood out to her.

"Miss Lane, who I speak highly of," Garnica stated. "When I walked in in the 80s, there was no ESL [English as Second Language] program at Spruance and Miss Lane had this little girl who knew no English and Miss Lane decided to go above and beyond and one of the things she would do is flashcards."

"She would cut pictures out of a magazine, do them on one side of the flash card and the other side she would write the word," Garnica explained. "Homework for me was going over the index cards. So, I learned English through index cards."

It was the teachers at Spruance that not only helped her learn the English language, but set her up for success, inspiring her to become an educator, eventually growing through her formative years, graduating from Temple University, then from Gratz College and Cabrini University, then heading back as principal of Spruance Elementary.

"For me to be able to look at my children and say I was in your chair, I was in your shoes, so the perspective I have is so different," Garnica continued.

Including being able to speak Spanish to her students that are still learning English, "Being able to connect at that level, that cultural level is so essential. I talk a lot of English and Spanish simultaneously. It’s something that’s organic for me."

"When I’m walking into a classroom and reading to children and sharing information, I’m conscious of sharing in both languages because I didn’t have that," Garnica added.

For Principal Garnica, she remembers Spruance being a safe space for her as a child, especially one just beginning her educational journey in the United States. She says now, as principal, she hopes to be that same safe space for her students. "The reason I felt so safe is because the adults really cared about me and wanted me to succeed."

Years later, in this full circle season, her message to her students is simple, "I hope they feel safe. I hope they feel heard. I hope my story inspires them to keep moving forward, to keep working hard, because if a little immigrant girl from Peru can sit here, so can they. So can they. They can do this and much, much more."