Day Two - August 25, 2011
Day One - August 24, 2011
I became a teacher twelve years ago in Los Angeles, California. It was on accident but it was also destiny. I was a graduate student at UCLA studying Latin American Studies. I was a young mom, a commuter whose mom was picking up the slack while I was in class and I was in need of financial stability. The sofas had been cleared of every nickel and dime my mom and I could shake out of them for gas money to get me to and from school from Ventura County. My friend and peer in the MA program and I were partaking in a conversation over coffee that led to a discussion about how San Fernando High School Social Studies Department Chair was looking for someone to teach who had a strong Chicana/o Studies background and would get the kids riled up and motivated to move.. He said I would be perfect for the job.
Day One - August 24, 2011
I became a teacher twelve years ago in Los Angeles, California. It was on accident but it was also destiny. I was a graduate student at UCLA studying Latin American Studies. I was a young mom, a commuter whose mom was picking up the slack while I was in class and I was in need of financial stability. The sofas had been cleared of every nickel and dime my mom and I could shake out of them for gas money to get me to and from school from Ventura County. My friend and peer in the MA program and I were partaking in a conversation over coffee that led to a discussion about how San Fernando High School Social Studies Department Chair was looking for someone to teach who had a strong Chicana/o Studies background and would get the kids riled up and motivated to move.. He said I would be perfect for the job.
Two weeks later I was in a seven person panel interview. Two months later I was teaching 10th Grade World History and 12th Grade Economics and Government. My first day of school I was handed my rosters, my keys, a map of the school and the responsibility to teach these students. I went in with the best of intentions and the belief that there would be a direct correlation between my teaching and the world becoming a better place. That lasted for a whole year… well, semester or so.
The very next year a significant historical event took place that proved to me that being a critical educator in America could mean battling it out with everyone, September 11th. I wanted students to examine evidence and determine for themselves the consequences of waging war and with whom war should be waged against if at all. I asked them to do this before making a blanket decision to participate in the overly patriotic hype that created a blinding fit of chaos in the nation. This didn’t set well with many colleagues.
To make the long story very short, this experience and a few others, has made me a very cautious teacher. I have worked hard to improve my role as an educator despite tendencies to go against my gut feeling on what curriculum is worthwhile. Sometimes I feel successful and other times not so much. But in the end I know I’m a teacher for the right reasons and I want to make an impact. Thus, I have gone through cycles of foolish optimism and complete dread and fear. Ultimately, I do believe that education should be a force for making the world a better place and I want my students to be part of that movement for change.
