When I first heard to the question, “Why is Spanish your major?” my response was that I enjoy speaking and learning the language, and would like to eventually be a Spanish teacher. I’m not really sure what my motives were for being a Spanish teacher, other than the fact that my mom is a Spanish teacher, so I’ve been exposed to the career my whole life. I envisioned my self teaching in a normal, middle-class, nearby town. Both my parents work in wealthy towns, which comes with its fair share of downsides, but after a few eye opening experiences, I realized that I am more drawn to working with a different kind of population. When I look back at my first news forum post about my major choice, it seems vague and unsure to me, but I think I have a little more direction now after some of my experiences this semester.

Holyoke Bound left a strong impression on me – mostly regarding how much help the city really needs. After listening to the Asst. Superintendent speak, rattling off shocking facts about the low literacy rates and comparing the academic performance of the latino population to the white population, I was surprised at how classism (and racism) seemed to be having an effect in the public school system. Growing up in a small, mostly white, mostly upper-middle class town, this is not something that affected my schooling. I realized that it’s not just Holyoke either, but most school systems with any discrepancy between the “rich” and “poor” have equally large discrepancies in academic success. I had previously been ignorant to a lot of things regarding Holyoke, but especially the crisis in the school systems. The experience allowed me to realize that I am more drawn to working in a setting like this, where my ability to speak Spanish would go beyond teaching native English speakers a second language.

The second realization I had came with reading, “The Myth of the ‘Culture of Poverty’” by Paul Gorski. The author presented that idea that teachers project their low expectations onto students (particularly of lower socioeconomic classes) causing them to underperform. Whether they realize it or not, teachers set the bar lower for these poor students because they believe in the culture of poverty; poor students are less motivated, and linguistically deficient. Before reading the article, I’m sure that I would’ve made these assumptions without even knowing it. A quote that stood out to me the most and allowed me to look at my major and career choice in a new way was, “Perhaps the greatest myth of all is that one dubs education ‘the great equalizer.’” I found this quote really unsettling, because public education should be an equal opportunity for all students, but classism in schools is making this impossible. The article allowed me to see how I could have a positive impact being a teacher in schools with these types of issues. 

In summary, my two exposures to how poor/latino populations are fairing in the public school system motivated me to redirect my career path. I now see myself working with the kind of population we were exposed to at Holyoke Bound. It’s clear that a combination of classism and racism are some of the underlying issues plaguing these public schools, and I now envision myself teaching in a setting like this where I could have more of an impact. My ability to speak Spanish will be a huge asset, whether it be teaching ESL or Spanish. I’m sure my plans will change again in the future, but as for now my experiences throughout the Integrative Experience class have given me a new direction to head in with teaching.