I Spoke The First Spanglish

Well, I'm back in the saddle again. We returned to school yesterday to meet new principals, teachers, and get ready for the school year. I was a little concerned about being down about this summer's events with the fertility issue, but I have to admit it was sooooo nice having something else to think about for a few hours.

One of the activities we had to begin with was bonding with each other in small group. We were put in groups by colors we had on us and were told to share why we are in education. There I stood, knowing why, but to put it into words to share with a group of my own peers is a whole other challenge...so I thought long and hard about this before I stepped up to speak, and then I remembered where and when it all began...

               (Insert time travel music)

Can you picture it? A little girl playing pretend school with crayons, chalk, and any loose paper in the house and of course the plastic high heel shoes from TG&Y?  That was me- Except I made up my own Spanish language. You see I grew up in The Heights the first 8 years, which is near downtown Houston, and in the early 1970’s it was pretty mixed with Italians and Latinos/Mexicans, so I heard a lot of Spanish at the grocery store, park, and on the streets playing. So when I would play pretend school in my bedroom I spoke Spanish or what I thought was Spanish. Now known to everybody as Spanglish. I taught in Spanglish. I disciplined in Spanglish. I even had parent and teacher conferences in Spanglish (I played both roles). And of course I had my handy dandy Drowsy Doll as the teacher's pet. She ran all the errands for me in our little two bedroom apartment.

Drowsy Doll...the best friend and teacher's pet a girl could have. A gift at my 1st birthday by the way.

That was my early childhood. Playing 'pretend school' as much as possible. Being sweet and loving and patient to all of my students. The ironic part was, while I was escaping into my make believe classroom, my father was in the next room tormenting my mother. And so it began, my escape into a world where small groups of people listened to me (of course they were stuffed and couldn't speak); a world where small groups of people needed and liked me (of course I owned them); and a world where my father didn't hit or call any of us names.

So there I stood in front of my coworkers, new principal, and lets face it people I still didn't trust after working together for 4 years...and they wanted me to say in 60 seconds or less how and why I am in education. 

So I told them about my old Spanglish Days...and because of those days I can see in my students' who has to escape from reality too and this is why I belong in the classroom.

Sidenote: I know real Spanish words now. Thank you Cheech and Chong movies!