Editorial Note: I placed her pin in her place of birth rather than the 9 different cities she attended school.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11ACSIu9RnhLdW5TatFHtTSTKXchpj9yzXzDyI8R_Gl0/edit?usp=sharing

Going into the interview, I expected her to talk about growing up in a predominantly Mexican town like El Paso or her experience of being pregnant and married at 15 years old. Instead, she was very passionate about how teachers treated her differently because she was a woman. Most of her answers focused on how she was not challenged in school. As a student, she loved reading and science. She sounded so jealous of all the resources that exist in schools now, especially for pregnant teenagers, and she often mused how she wished her parents had pushed her to do well in school, rather than just pass. My Grandma is so intelligent and I was shocked to learn that she got C’s and B’s in school. Her answers revolved around gender, religion, and social life in school. 

She described her school environment as lecture-based with a lot of sitting and listening. Classes consisted of spelling bees, memorization, reading aloud, and testing (mostly end-of-unit tests and not standardized tests). She always describes that corporal punishment was normal and students would be sent to the principal to be flogged. Grandma Diane was very smug when she shared that she was never flogged in school. She shared that her parents did not encourage her to do super well in school and they just wanted her to pass. She never felt an incentive to do well in school by her teachers; she was bored. My grandma shared that she wished that her parents were more involved in her education and that she got more individual feedback; she would have benefited from differentiated instruction. 

El Paso is 80 % Hispanic. When she was in elementary school, my grandma was very specific about just being friends with the other white kids, but she never insinuated that she felt left out or too different. She even shared her teachers would call her Diana instead of Diane and that she liked the change. I had preconceived notions that she would have more to say about this part of her education especially because the 1970’s were when a lot of Latino students were involved in their education and fighting for equality. It is important to note that she dropped out at 15, so this could likely have become part of her education if she had been able to stay in school. My grandma maintains that she did not mind, or notice, growing up around Mexican people and it only made her specific about tamales and corn tortillas. She did share that she never really had a lot of friends and that she struggled to connect with people, especially in lecture-focused classrooms. My grandma not making good connections in school has more to do with neurodivergence than being a racial minority in school. While she is not formally diagnosed with Autism, she believes that he struggles with socializing because of that. So, moving schools a lot, being a racial minority, struggling with social connection, and a lack of peer interaction in the classroom caused my grandma not to make many friends while in school. I wonder if she would have had teacher and parent intervention maybe she would have gotten help to help her establish community.  

When asked if she felt safe/affirmed in school she said yes, but then went on to say that she experienced some normalized sexual harassment in school. Until her 8th grade year, girls had to wear dresses or dresses with tights if it was cold (in El Paso it’s never cold). My grandma shared that she got kicked out of a classroom because her dress was too short and her teacher told her that if she got raped on the way home it would be her fault. Which is an awful thing to tell a child and dresses are less convenient for young girls to wear in school. My grandma was sexualized and victim-blame by her teacher in an environment that was supposed to be focused on learning. The only time my grandma got sent to the principal's office was because she hit a boy after he called my grandma “tits” in the hallways. She slapped him once and her peers in the hallway cheered her own to keep hitting him. My grandma said the boy did not get in trouble for harassing her. Sexism still exists within schools, but usually, the person saying the sexist comments gets in trouble, not the victim. 

Grandma Diane got pregnant and married during her 9th-grade year. My Papa pursued her when she was 13 and he was 19 and they met because she is my Papa’s younger sister's best friend. My grandma was completely taken advantage of and forced to become a wife and mother so young. When she was pregnant, she never met with any counselors or therapists to guide her through the experience. Schools now have more resources to get young girls out of situations like my grandma had. She was told to drop out of high school by her school principal after she asked if she could go to school part-time. She was very upset that she was not offered any support by the schools. For example, she brought up schools that have daycare attached or online GED programs. She wanted to stay in school. My grandma got her GED four years later because she did not want her little sister to graduate high school before she did. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q5AqTBny5Tw2xY_iQDeYnh777bW2-z4sr8y9x4W_gCA/edit?usp=sharing

My grandfather, John Coventry, grew up in Chattanooga Tennessee attending Chattanooga High School, known for its student's success rates after High School. He had many stories of his experiences growing up in a city that was not super quick to begin the process of racial integration in its public schools. He discussed his experiences with segregation, his school environment, and the relationship schools used to have with religion, specifically Christianity. He also discussed his passion and love for school, making all A's and B's throughout his entire Junior High and High School career. My grandfather is a strong believer in the importance of equal public schooling for all students. He believes schooling is what will give everyone equal opportunities and proper preparation for the world after school.

The Evolutionary Journey of Education Through Linda’s Eyes

When compared to my own educational path, my interview with Linda Rimas shed light on how education can change society over time. From the 1950s, when opportunities were limited and gender norms were rigid, to the present, when diversity is valued and learning differences are welcomed, education has the power to effect change. Linda's experiences during a time when there were significant gender disparities in educational opportunities and career paths, along with a shift toward inclusivity , highlight how the educational landscape is changing. Her narrative, reflecting on societal standards, personal interactions that widened her viewpoint, and the integration of comprehensive pedagogies, connects with Bell Hooks' beliefs on engaged pedagogy, highlighting education as a vehicle for social change and personal growth. In comparison to Linda's academic success, my struggles with ADHD and dyslexia highlight how perspectives about education have changed over time, emphasizing the importance of extracurricular activities like karate and the recognition of varied learning experiences. Collectively, these stories represent the development of an educational system that values individuality, encourages empathy, and works to create a society that is more inclusive. This is consistent with continuous efforts to eliminate systemic injustices and create a safe learning environment for all students.

"Schooling in Poverty"

Podcast: The Evolution of Education/Episode: Schooling in a Small Town

From Migrant Worker to Migrant Counselor

My maternal grandfather, Roberto V. Garcia, was born in 1951 in Edinburg, Texas. Edinburg is located in the Rio Grande Valley which is the southernmost region of Texas and is also the place which I call home. My grandfather spent many months of his early years away from home working as a migrant farm worker in the panhandle of Texas. During these times, he and his siblings would perform manual agricultural labor, providing the bulk of his family's financial support.  He was the eighteenth child of my great-grandmother, who raised a total of twenty-one children from one marriage over about three decades. Among his siblings, he was the sole child to obtain a high school degree along with multiple college degrees. After attaining his bachelor’s degree, he spent fourteen years teaching at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He held various administrative and counseling roles in the next thirty-six years of his career. Since the late 1990s until the present day, he has served as the migrant counselor at Edinburg High School. He has been recognized at the local, state, and national level in the field of migrant education for his years of relentless dedication to this often overlooked and underserved population.

It is clear that many of the forces discussed in this class have massively impacted my grandfather’s life, which in turn has affected mine. I firmly believe that my grandfather’s competitive nature led him to succeed in a system designed to keep him oppressed. There were a variety of factors working against his success which included but were not limited to language discrimination and targeted tracking. It is clear from our extensive conversation that there was a two-tier education system in place in the Rio Grande Valley during his education. This system aimed to track Hispanics towards lower skilled and lower paid vocational work while the higher echelons of education were reserved for the White members of the community along with those few who could overcome the barrier.

           My grandfather proved himself to be one of the few. His relentless pursuit of education in the face of overwhelming adversity paved the way for him to lift himself and his family out of a life of abject poverty. It is through his hard work that both of his daughters were born into an environment where they were expected to obtain the highest level of education rather than toil away in distant farmlands. I am where I am today in no small part due to his hard work and perseverance. My grandfather was able to realize his American Dream through education and through education, he has helped hundreds if not thousands of migrant students over the past three decades as a migrant counselor in pursuing theirs. 

“ “Si Se Puede” Because I am living proof of that.”

Valery Amaya/ Spring 2024

Perseverance Through Schooling

A Broken System: How Educational Environments Fail Their Students

Children who frequently relocate often face challenges transitioning between schools, leading to difficulties keeping up with the curriculum and hindering their overall success in the classroom. However, my mother, Olivia Gomez, didn't attribute her struggles in academia to changing curricula; instead, she would have to fight with the social factors that influenced her educational journey. Raised by her grandmother, she began her education at Elliott Elementary in Houston, Texas. However, at the age of twelve, she moved to Connecticut, attending fifth and sixth grades in a different state. Subsequently, she experienced yet another move, returning to Houston to live with her grandmother where she completed seventh and eighth grades. Her high school experience was no different. After four months at Jeff Davis High School, she had to switch schools again due to issues with bullying and fighting. Finally, she finished her high school education at Furr High School, where she graduated early after taking summer classes. My mother lacked a strong support system both at home and in school, leading her to describe her educational journey as lonely and independent, shaping her perspective on education and her upbringing. The social dynamics and environmental influences in her community significantly impacted her educational path, driving her to use these challenges as motivation to create a better future for her children.

My mother’s experiences in the classroom were similar to those of Bell Hooks on her educational journey. Hooks discusses in her book Teaching To Transgress how teachers often did not care to cultivate a community that would foster the needs of their students, but rather they would create a hostile environment that pushed students away from learning (Hooks 5). In order for students to fully begin learning they need a classroom that welcomes their presence. My mother was cheated out of her experience to engage in a classroom and instead was passed by default. Had she gone through her educational journey under teachers that were willing to acknowledge their students rather than just passing them, her experience with education may have turned out very differently. What my mother wanted from education was a child centered pedagogical approach. In her experience curriculum was never the problem, rather it was the structure of the classroom. John Dewey states that “...what we most need in education (is) to make the classroom into a very different kind of place” rather than new common curricula (Dewey 6). He emphasizes the importance of focusing on the individual child's needs rather than pleasing the class as a whole. Looking back my mother wishes her education was tailored to her in the sense that her instructors were safe spaces she could rely on away from home. 

Compared to my mom, my educational journey was extremely different because she emphasized the importance of higher education all the way from elementary school. From an early age I understood the importance of doing well in school, because I understood that without good grades my family would not be able to pay for a good education. I believe the main difference between me and my mother’s experience in school is the support system that she gave me because she never had one going through her own journey. I never had to be placed in disciplinary programs, I never had to attend summer school, and I never felt the need to rush my education. I grew up in a different environment than my mom because I was surrounded by love and success. The school I attended was a charter school and though they implemented an authoritative pedagogy, I was able to find support in the classroom from my teachers. My teachers created a community and I could tell they truly cared about my education. Many of my classes focused on engaged pedagogy, through this I was able to learn material rather than recite and repeat. My mom also worked her best to provide stability for my family. Despite a couple moves during my years in elementary school, she worked hard to buy a house within a neighborhood that had a middle and highschool that would properly support me to reach higher education.