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March 20,
2004
Latinos and
Educational Reform in the United States
(Part 2)
By Manuel
Hernández/HispanicVista.com
A student must be much more than a
student and become a disciple. The
denotative meanings are similar, but the
connotations of one and the other are far
apart. A student is bond to a classroom,
one school and several teachers. The
disciple receives an intensive
impartation from one or few teachers in a
real-life classroom. As students,
children learn and work in an atmosphere
filled with new, fulfilling challenges
and are surrounded by classmates with
different interests and abilities as
well. As disciples, children learn and
work in an environment filled with new,
fulfilling experiences and opportunities
of growth to help mold character and take
them into greater heights and walks of
life. The gap between one challenge and
one experience is minimum, yet a
discipleship goes beyond the classroom
atmosphere.
Discipleship is
intertwining the personal, social,
cultural, academic and even spiritual
backgrounds of the student to transform
him/her into a supernatural leader. It is
stating and designing clear, concise and
specific objectives to lead the disciple
into his/her own leadership. The academy
award nominated movie “Stand and
Deliver” presents a real-life story
of an Eastern Los Angeles math teacher
who transformed his student’s
mentality, attitudes and way of life
forever. Jaime A. Escalante was a mentor,
father and big brother for his students.
He fed, fathered and provoked them to
surpass other people’s expectations.
When the educational system unjustly
marked these students, the teacher’s
clear, concise and specific objectives
transitioned them into disciples who
eventually changed the mentality of their
own generations to come. Twenty years
later, Escalante’s students are all
influential and supernatural leaders of
our society. Because disciples are given
tools to make a difference in society,
they will be better equipped to succeed
and positively impact other people’s
lives.
What is a
discipleship? What ingredients are needed
to successfully make the transition from
a student to a disciple? According to the
Webster’s New World Dictionary,
“a disciple follows one who leads.”
An educational reform must begin “aqui”.
America’s leaders need to reform
their character, attitudes and ways of
thinking. The greatest Teacher of all
time taught us all the greatest lesson of
all time; a teacher must be willing to
put his/her life on the line for his/her
students. As part of His schooling, the
disciples received three years of
hands-on intensive training. This may
seem like the extreme, but His extreme
has revolutionized every institution in
America today, including Hollywood. It is
to set an example, always. Martin Luther
King taught his disciples by example not
by word of mouth, and today all of us are
proud of his legacy and impartation. Even
when death do us part, we supernatural
leaders will be not only remembered, but
loved, emulated and followed.
But how can one give
what one has not received? Even the
academic institutions that train teachers
in America must change their curriculum.
The body cannot function well without a
cell; education can never reform itself
if the institutions that prepare teachers
are not willing to ingrain the human
aspect of education. Teaching is
ministering love, hope and faith. In
Sandra Maria Esteves’ “Puerto
Rico Discovery # 10 Surprise Package”
poem, the speaker reiterates the
importance of being able to give what one
has received from one generation to
another:
…
When you start out in life
You are handed down a package
Who knows?
Maybe someday
Your package will be passed on
Given to someone else
As if it were theirs
When they start out in life…
(Undelivered Love Poems p.33)
Latinos have the highest high school
dropout rate in America, so we Latinos
have the greatest responsibility in the
process. We are the ones able, capable
and willing to become reformers in our
children’s education. The stakes are
high but attainable. Let us revive what
has been stagnant and obsolete. Education
is too noble and sacred to be taken for
granted. The passion of He who saved
humanity must be part of our reality. It
is not promoting His religion but
understanding the Vision. If it took the
passion of one man to disciple the
universe, imagine what a body of Latino
leaders can do for their children. There
are so many of us but so few willing to
work as one for a common goal: the
education of our children.
____________________________________________________
Manuel Hernandez, a
contributing columnist to
HispanicVista.com (www.hispanicvista.com),
lives in Puerto Rico where he teaches
school. He has a B.A. and MA Teaching
English. He is a candidate for a PhD. He
has just published a textbook titled,
Latino/a Literature in The
English Classroom (Editorial Plaza
Mayor, 2003). For more information,
e-mail him at mannyh32@puertoricans.com
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