On teaching

For 24 years, I taught A.P. Spanish Language, AP Spanish Literature and I.B. Spanish to native speakers.. Never have I worked so hard, and never so richly rewarded.

It does take a village to raise a child, and I was blessed to be part of that village.

The first teachers are the parents. My native speaking students started school  bien educados (or, as my son says, with good home training). Not all children and young people share those values of respect and compassion.

Among other things, I taught the difference between formal and informal language. As I explained that expressions such as nadien or dijistes were not appropriate in formal writing or job interviews, I also told them that they must never go home and correct their parents who had given them the gift of a beautiful language developed over the millennia that had, indeed, once included expressions such as nadien and dijistes. As we read and discussed some of the best writings in 600 years of Spanish literature, students could add cultural knowledge from their own family experiences. We compared 14^th century Romance poetry to contemporary corridos and several students wrote their own.

A second aspect of that school village were my wonderful colleagues at MHS, including Rosa Hallack and Ana Lacasta. We three comprised the Spanish component of the MHS IB program. Along with another amazing teacher, Elena Santana, Ana Lacasta and I created and taught the program for native speakers.

Also critically important are the programs for first generation students such as PIQE and AVID. PIQE offers parent training for first generation parents to give them the skills necessary to support their students in college level courses and college preparation. For years, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) has given first generation students the skills and wisdom they need to successfully chart their high school and college careers and beyond.

Most of all, credit must be given to these wonderful young people for their talent, determination and wise planning, leading to their successes in school, college and career. Their persistence is particularly laudable since many had to work full time to support themselves in college.

We parents and grandparents are thrilled when our children master skills we teach them, but we truly rejoice when they demonstrate skills we never even contemplated. My students are in the world, achieving goals I never thought possible for myself. They include:

·     Social workers

·     Many teachers, some who became my colleagues

·     A school counselor who is also a musician and teaches a college course on counseling

·     A former Peace Corps worker in Mozambique and another student who worked in medical projects in the jungles of Darién, Panama, now in medical school

·     A highway patrol officer

·     A personal growth coach and motivational speaker

·     Registered nurses

·     Lawyers

·     Real estate agents

·     Engineers

·     A manager of fast food restaurants who bought his first home at 23

·     A globe-trotting chef

·     A bank manager

·     A computer store owner

·     A congressional aide

·     A graduate in German and International studies, now serving in the US Army, who plans a career in the state department

·     A stand-up comedian

·     A florist who is now in Hollywood as florist to the stars

·     A newly elected trustee of the Modesto City Schools Board

And most of all, these young people are becoming wonderful parents. As parents, my former students are incorporating the rich cultural, linguistic and moral lessons learned from their parents with their own education and life experiences to raise children who will exceed even their own accomplishments.

Some of these young people were born here, others are immigrants, many, but not all, who have benefited from DACA eligibility. As their accomplishments demonstrate, quickly passing a real DREAM Act and smart immigration reform is not only just, compassionate, but also in the best interests of our country.