Growing up in a working-class immigrant community in New Jersey, I felt proud of my heritage. I loved my Ecuadorian culture, the tostones that were a mealtime regular in my house, the bilingual banter I had with my sisters — but I was also self-conscious about parts of my background, like that my family didn’t have much money and that my parents didn’t speak English. I tried to keep these parts of my identity secret, and I saw college as an opportunity to shed them. But looking back, I wish it hadn’t taken me until college to feel proud of who I was. If you’ve felt similarly, you have an opportunity to break the cycle: you can teach.
When I got to the University, it was the Latino Student Alliance (LSA) that helped me realize how silly it was to be ashamed of parts of my background. With the LSA, I finally felt free to celebrate my whole culture as a strength rather than a weakness. But as I spent more time on grounds, I also realized for the first time what it meant to be a minority. At home in Jersey City, my best friends are from places like India and Pakistan, and all of our families are working-class. As I realized the discrepancies in our education system I knew that if I wanted to be part of a world that looked different, students like me who are graduating from our nation’s best colleges and universities must be part of that change.
I deeply believe our education system must do more than teach students equations, assign book reports or even inspire a love of learning. I decided to join Teach For America because I didn’t want kids to wait as long as I did to feel comfortable celebrating their whole selves. All of our nation’s students must know from childhood that they can and should be proud of their backgrounds, no matter what color their skin is or what income bracket their parents fall into. Our students must also know that even though the statistics may not be on their side, I am. I understand the barriers students face are not insignificant, because I faced the same ones, but I also overcame them, and I want my kids to think of that as proof that they can, too.
Although I urge many University students to consider teaching, my job is not easy, and every day with my sixth graders has been a learning experience. I’m never quite sure how receptive my students will be to my lessons. One recent Friday was particularly nerve-wracking: when we finished a unit early and had extra time, I used the beginning of National Hispanic American Heritage Month as a lesson on Latinos in the United States. I so badly wanted them to understand that leaders like Sonia Sotomayor were once Latino sixth graders just like them, and that they are filled with just as much hope and potential as she was.
At the end of the lesson on Friday afternoon, I wasn’t sure whether they got it. But when they turned in their homework on Monday morning, I was positive they did. I asked them to write down what being Latino meant to them, and their responses were beautiful: “To me [being] Latino means following dreams and being a leader.” “My culture is dreams + love + hard work.” “I’m Chicana/Guatemalteca — Pride, Success, and Love.” It was in that moment I knew my hunch was right — at its best, education can have an impact far beyond the classroom.
When I think about how I want to promote my deep belief in equality, empowering kids to express pride in their culture like this was exactly what I had in mind as a University student last year. I know that the change I want to see in my community and my country must start with me — just as the change you want to see starts with you. I teach one grade of social studies in a middle school in Houston, but as a Teach For America corps member, I know I am part of a growing network of Latino leaders fighting for social justice in the classroom. As you consider how you want to create change in your community, I hope you’ll join us.
Karla Castro is a 2014 graduate of the College and a Teach For America Corps member.
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