This is such an inspiring story. It is about an important policy intervention in Illinois called "Grow Your Own Illinois." Hats off to Dean Maureen Gillette for her leadership and also to NEIU trustee Marvin Garcia who leads his fellow trustees in supporting this. This effort involves resources from the Illinois State Legislature that have been cut over time, unfortunately. I am very moved by not only the passion and determination of this one student, but also the characterization of other students like her that similarly struggle but are determined.The Latino community is indeed very undereducated. An unfortunate stereotype exists out there that this community does not value education. This story offers a different perspective that is linked not to dysfunctional values, but rather to systemic, structural, and policy-relevant issues that fail to prioritize students' access to both financial aid and guidance and counseling that also cost money. None of us are automatically born knowing how to decode are complex system. Most of us do not have these "navigational tools" by fate of birth. This so-called "know-how" is an artifact of one's income, class position, relative racial/ethnic isolation in schools and neighborhoods, school funding equity (or lack there of)—and in the best of worlds, also related to legislative and policy priorities like Grow Your Own Illinois that make a difference in so many young people's lives with multiplicative impacts on the economy and thusly, the future of our nation. What is wonderful about GYO teachers is that not only are they very well prepared in places like NEIU and other universities—like Cal State University Sacramento, for example, that has been doing this for decades and very successfully—they also get prepared to offer instruction with the skills, knowledge, and dispositions that prepare them well to offer instruction to an increasingly diverse student body and world. Such programs have very strong connections and attachments to their communities and local environments that allow them to pretty much guarantee a teaching position to every person that graduates from the program. Their quality is undisputed, and neither is there "value added" given that these teachers have a different kind of investment from regular teachers that do not come from these communities from which GYO teachers emanate, and toward which they are prepared. Additionally, the investment pays off with respect to the proverbial "retention issue" that all but disappears with GYO teachers.Research shows that teachers like Idalia Vazquez featured in the story below last longer in the teaching profession than their counterparts that view teaching more as a pass-through then as a destination. The "pass-through teachers" (my term) are actually doing enormous harm to education because teaching is not quite their calling. Or if it seemed to be their "calling" for awhile, they get overwhelmed with the demands of the profession toward which so many are inadequately prepared (thinking here especially of TFA teachers). GYO is the way to go and I have only begun to articulate the reasons why. This story offers additional insight.-Angela
February 4, 2015
By Idalia Vasquez
Teacher Idalia Vasquez
Grow
Your Own Teachers helps low-income people of color who have the desire
to become teachers earn a bachelor’s degree in education—a goal that
would otherwise be almost impossible for them to achieve. Yet a recent
news report fell short by viewing the program as a conveyor belt, and
failing to capture what I and many other graduates felt by becoming the
first person in our family to graduate from a university and get a job
as a CPS teacher.
It also fails to capture how important it is for children in my
classroom to have a teacher who looks like them and who shares their
life experience. (
“Illinois falls short in $20 million effort to develop 1,000 teachers,”
Chicago Tribune.)
I am a Hispanic female, born to Mexican immigrant, working parents. I
was born and raised in Chicago, one of five siblings. I attended four
different CPS elementary schools and, given the bad timing of my
parents’ divorce, graduated with a very low GPA from a low-performing,
low-income high school on the Northwest Side. I can count on one hand
how many of my fellow high school graduates went on to complete a
bachelor’s degree. With a lot of struggle, I earned an associate’s
degree from a community college, and at the age of 19, seven months
before receiving that degree, I gave birth to my first child.
While growing up, my parents constantly reminded me of the hardships
and poverty they endured in their small village in Guerrero, Mexico. My
mom is the oldest of eight siblings and completed school through 6th
grade. My father had to help my grandfather work the land and attended
school only up to 3rd grade. My parents would always tell me and my
siblings how important it was for us to take advantage of the
opportunities of this great country. Unfortunately, I was missing two of
the most important factors that impact college attendance: financial
support and, most importantly, informed guidance. I knew I was going to
graduate from a university one day but I had no idea how to make that a
reality.
Crucial support to overcome hurdles
That’s where
Grow Your Own Teachers
comes into play. By the age of 31, I had gone back to school at
Northeastern Illinois University. I was a part-time student and a
stay-at-home mother of two, studying for a degree in elementary
education. But it was a constant struggle, especially when it came to
math. Pre-algebra, for instance, was one of three math courses that I
had to pass before I was eligible to take college math--but it would not
earn me any credits toward graduation. I also struggled to pay for
books since my loan did not cover them and my husband’s income was
barely enough to cover the family expenses.
That same year, I was a parent volunteer at my son’s CPS preschool.
An assistant preschool teacher there told me about a program called Grow
Your Own Teachers that could help me. The program was for parent
volunteers and school paraprofessionals who wanted to get a degree in
elementary education at Northeastern Illinois, where I was already
enrolled. I applied and got in.
I became a full-time student, attending year-round. During the
summer, I took four classes—the maximum number of classes allowed. That
was difficult because my husband worked and my children were out of
school. On some occasions, my children would wait for me outside of my
classroom in the study area. The professor knew I was a mom and did not
object to my frequent breaks to check on my children. Other times, Grow
Your Own Teachers provided child care and I was able to focus in the
classroom.
Another hurdle was passing the Basic Skills Test. Now known as TAP or
the Test of Academic Proficiency, it is one of three state tests that
teachers have to pass before they can earn a teaching license. Grow Your
Own Teachers provided me with a math tutor and test workshops. I
finally passed the five-hour test on the second try.
Those were just a few of the many hurdles that Grow Your Own Teachers helped me to overcome.
After three and a half years, I graduated with honors from
Northeastern Illinois University. One of the best moments in my life was
having my mom watch me walk across the stage to receive my degree.
Understanding heritage, inspiring students
Today, I am proud to say that I am a kindergarten teacher at a
low-income CPS school. Every day I go to my classroom ready to inspire
my students. Most of them are amazed that my background is similar to
theirs. For example, no one in our families has a college degree, our
parents do not speak English and they were born in another country. The
children get a kick out of the fact that I also secretly ate hot Cheetos
for breakfast when I was young because my parents left early for work
and they didn’t have time to make breakfast.
During the 12 years that I attended CPS, I encountered very few
minority teachers and no teachers with a Mexican background like me. I
always wished for one. I felt that a teacher who shared my background
would understand my heritage and would inspire me. Now, I can be that
teacher who has a positive influence on the children I teach. Our common
background provides me with tools and references that facilitate making
connections. The other day, I read Gary Soto’s “Too Many Tamales” to my
students and they were excited to learn that my family also makes
tamales for Christmas.
The hurdles that I had to overcome to earn my degree were few
compared to my fellow Grow Your Own members. Some of them are working
full-time or part-time and have been in the program and attending
classes part-time for more than five years. One woman told me how she
had to leave school temporarily to take care of a sick, elderly parent.
Some have to cut back on their own studies so they can earn extra money
to pay tuition for children who are starting college. I admire their
resilience. Most participants stick with the program, working and
studying hard and knowing that they will achieve their goal one day. To
them I say, “Keep trying, because earning a college degree is worth it.”
So many people around me now see me as a role model—my children, my
family, my fellow Grow Your Own members, my students, my students’
parents, my para-professional colleagues. I am only one of the many
graduates who can inspire others like me.
It reminds me of a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Even though
we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.
It is a dream deeply rooted in the American Dream.”
Idalia Vasquez is a 2013 graduate of the Grow Your Own program and a CPS teacher.
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