In 2024, marking my ninth year as a family liaison with the San Francisco Unified School District, I was assigned to serve at James Lick Middle School.
The family liaison role exists to connect school and home. We are the bridge between parents, students, and educators. We make sure families understand their rights and options. We interpret documents, make phone calls, organize workshops, and bring stakeholders together to build support for the school. For many families, the Family Liaison is the first person at a school site to speak with them, understand their daily pressures, and meet them with respect.
James Lick Middle School sits in San Francisco’s Noe Valley neighborhood. It is a richly diverse school with students from across the city. Many come from working-class families. Many are Black, Latino, Asian, or recent immigrants. And like all middle schools, it is a place full of transitions. Sixth graders arrive still holding pieces of childhood, and eighth graders begin to stretch toward high school and beyond.
As I do every day, I make myself available during transitions and lunch breaks to greet students and help build school–home connections. Through these moments, I got to know a few students who like to take breaks near my office, as well as their families, who often rely on me to help communicate their children’s needs at school.
One afternoon, as usual, I was chatting with one of my young charges. I asked him what his mom’s favorite word was. He paused to think about it — then smiled.
He told me it was a word from the movie Mary Poppins. A very long word that his mother loved. He laughed a little when he said it, as if he was not sure he could get it right.
So we tried together. We said it slowly. We broke it into parts. I wrote it down and helped him read each segment until the full word came together.
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
When he finally said it all the way through, his face beamed. He was proud.
I handed him the school phone with his mom on the other end. He read the word aloud to her, carefully but confidently. They both laughed.
I stood there quietly and watched. In the middle of an ordinary school day, something small and meaningful had happened. A student felt capable. A parent felt joy. And I was reminded why presence matters in this work.
As a parent leader in the Asian American community, my work in SFUSD has never been about career advancement. It has always been about purpose. My year at James Lick, especially the time I spent with Black and Brown students and parents, reminded me what that purpose looks like when it is honored daily through real relationships.
When I accepted the placement, I had not been seeking a new assignment. But I was grateful for the opportunity. In addition to my liaison responsibilities, I served as site lead for several school programs. I advocated for families and made sure they had what they needed to support their children. I also had the chance to watch students grow over the year, not only academically but in confidence and self-expression. That work deepened my understanding of how children learn and what families truly need from schools.
I also spent time with students who often struggle in traditional classrooms. Some had bold personalities or needed different kinds of engagement. Over time, they opened up. I saw creativity, energy, and leadership that needed a different structure. These are the students who are often at risk of falling through the cracks. I hope SFUSD continues investing in early interventions, flexible environments, and alternative learning models that keep these students engaged and supported.
My relationships with parents were just as meaningful. Many worked double shifts or long days that stretched late into the evening. I learned that the best time to reach them was often after eight o’clock, once dinner was made and children were cared for. I always began our calls with something specific and positive. A worksheet completed. A respectful moment I witnessed. Something true that showed their child was growing. Families deserve to hear the good first, not just the problems. They are partners, not bystanders.
Many of the parents I spoke to shared a clear belief. They send their children to school with the hope that educators will guide, teach, and care for them. I share that belief. Every child can succeed when the adults around them work together to provide structure, consistency, and love.
The highlight of my year at James Lick Middle School was serving as a chaperone for the NAACP African American Honor Roll Celebration at St. Ignatius Church. I met students and families from our school in the churchyard and helped direct families to their seats inside. I then held the school sign and led our students in procession into the church, waiting with them for their turn to step onto the stage and receive their medals.
Buzzing with pride, students walked across the stage one by one to applause and cheers from their parents and peers. I was proud as well — nearly 40 percent of James Lick Middle School’s African American students had earned a place on this citywide honor roll. It wasn’t just a celebration; it was a declaration. These students were being recognized for their excellence.
That afternoon, I also reconnected with families from schools I had worked at before. Parents I had not seen in years came up to say thank you. Some remembered a phone call I made during a hard week. Others mentioned a workshop that helped them find their way. One mother told me, “You helped me a lot! I remember that.” Hearing those comments brought everything into focus. Ten years ago, I left a career as a software consultant. The work was stable, but it never felt like this. I earn less now, but the work is deeper. Helping families feel grounded, capable, and supported is the most meaningful work I have ever done.
As I began the new school year in a different family liaison assignment, I carried James Lick with me. I carry the students who trusted me and the families who welcomed me into their lives. I carry the lessons they shared and the responsibility that comes with this role. I am especially grateful to the Black and Brown families who pushed me to grow through their honesty, strength, and care for their children. They made me a better advocate, a better educator, and a better person.
I learned from them. I still do.
Josephine Zhao is a longtime parent leader in the Asian American community and has served the San Francisco Unified School District for more than a decade as a family liaison and substitute teacher. Her reflections on the 2024–25 school year at James Lick Middle School highlight the transformative power of relationship-based support, early-intervention work, and cross-cultural partnership in uplifting Black and Brown students and families.
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