#IWishMyTeacherKnew - An Immigrant Student's Perspective

I love this picture! I know is not the best picture you've seen but is the moment captured in the image what I love the most. 
This is me in this picture. It was a January day in 1994. I was 15 years old. My two younger sisters and I ​were on one of many buses in our journey from Guatemala to Mexico.
Three undocumented and unaccompanied minors with so much fear that words cannot describe; but also with so much faith for a better future. 

​I can tell you exactly what I was thinking at that moment...

• I am leaving my old life behind.
• I am going to the United States of America.
• I am joining my mother.
• I am going to have a new and better life.
• I am going to be successful.

These were the exact thoughts I had during my journey. Our family life in Guatemala was something I needed to forget and leave behind...we needed a fresh start! Our journey to the U.S. was hard but we made it and I was finally reunited with my mother and siblings. 

The school enrollment process was very quick and in no time I was attending school. I was enrolled at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village, NY.  I wish I had a picture of my first day of school because I'm pretty sure I had the biggest smile you can imagine. I was fascinated with the building and with all the goodies I was offered upon enrollment. I was beyond excited to begin attending school. Finally an opportunity to be a kid and begin learning to one day reach the success I had always dreamed of.  

Unfortunately, 3 years later, I walked out of the school in shame, disappointment, and heartbroken. I became part of the Latino High school dropout. I was told I couldn't graduate or obtain my high school diploma because of an end-of-grade test I had been unable to pass. I couldn't continue attending school because I had already completed all the required credits. 

However,  today, I realize that it was more than just a test what hindered my education.

You see, a test score doesn't determine success. A grade doesn't say students' dreams.  A pop-quiz doesn't demonstrate potential, much less my passion.

​This is why I wish my teachers knew...

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My Story

• My story: I wish my teachers would have taken the time to learn my story. I was only 15 years old but I had experienced so much. I wish they knew that growing up, I didn't have bedtime stories. In fact, in many occasions, my mother was not home to tug me in. I wish they knew that I was the oldest of 5 and it was my job to take care of them in Guatemala for two years while my mom came to make a way for us here in the U.S. I wish they knew that for many nights I cried myself to sleep because I missed my mother's advice on the issues I didn't understand while growing up. I wish they knew how many nights I fell asleep fearing for my life while crossing Guatemala and Mexico to get to the U.S. I wish they knew all the dreams and wishes I had to be the best I could be for me and for my family. I wish they knew I had to work as soon as I turned 16 to help my family with the bills. All I needed was an opportunity to show, to tell, to make my story known. I waited 3 years...and I that opportunity never came. 

My Potential

• My Potential: Even though I had only completed the 6th grade in Guatemala, I knew how to read and write in my native language. I also knew how to hold an academic conversation with peers. I wish my teachers knew that native language is an asset, not a deficit. I wish my teachers knew the nights I spent translating my notes and assignments to be able to maintain grade-level tasks. I wish my teachers knew I loved education so much that I even enrolled at the local community college to learn more English to be able to keep up with peers. I am sure they didn't even know what my English proficiency level was! I had the potential for learning...but obviously, my efforts were not enough.

My Identity

• My identity: It didn't take long for me to realize that there was no room at my school for my language and my culture. Based on all the ESL courses I was enrolled in, it was obvious that learning English was a priority for the school. I never used Spanish in the classrooms. I remember once trying to ask a friend a question and was quickly told to "try to say it in English". I never saw anything around the building that I could identify with...not a flag, not a souvenir...NOTHING! Not even the curriculum or the text we read in class was ever culturally relevant for me to make connections. You see, language and culture are intertwined. So, if I wasn't using my language, then my culture and the rooted values I had were slowly fading away.  I felt invisible. I felt worthless. I didn't matter. I wish my teachers knew that newcomers come with so many assets that are relevant and valuable to the entire class. I wish my teachers knew that students' native language and culture matters. I wish teachers would've taken the time to validate my identity. Unfortunately, they didn't. 

I share this because the need for educators to know how our newcomers and ESL students are feeling in the classroom is critical. I can't tell you how many times my students express the sense of failure they have because they are language learners. The need for culturally responsive teaching is greater today that it has ever been. 

If you have a newcomer or an English language learner, I beg you, take the time to get to know your student. STOP your focus on data, testing, and curriculum alone! Gain their hearts. Learn their story. Help them reach their potential. Let them feel that they MATTER!  I promise the language and academic development will follow these priorities. 
It is never too late to change your focus. Reach out for support and provide opportunities for our students to grow to be successful citizens. 

​Here is a post I wrote about ways to support newcomers in your classroom. 
and here is a great post by Tan Huynh about essential collaboration to support English Learners.

Thank you for reading!