Gulfton

I realized that I haven't really given any information about where exactly I am teaching this summer, so here is my ode to Gulfton!

I currently reside in the safe bubble that is Rice University. The houses surrounding the college are large & beautiful - this area seems fairly safe & wealthy. Six miles down the road lies an area called Gulfton, home of Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary School, where I teach summer school.

Gulfton, also known as the "Gulfton Ghetto," used to be home to successful, middle-class professionals until the 1980s, when the region hit an economic decline. From then on, the area became populated with immigrants, most particularly from Mexico & Central America. The population is 97% Hispanic. Home to various gangs & acts of crime, Gulfton contrasts starkly to the Rice University area.

It blows my mind that such differing living conditions exist not even 10 miles from each other.

I am collaborating with three other TFA Corps Members to teach a class of 8 boys (together, we are called a "collab"). Last week, my collab talked to our class about how they might encounter obstacles while trying to reach their goals. A TFA teacher asked the class, "what are some obstacles someone might face when trying to reach their goal?" This was a student's response:

"Well, people need to cross the river from Mexico to get to the United States - so the river is an obstacle."

WOW. How do you respond to that? This finally makes the discussion of immigration real to me.

Despite the obstacles my students face living in Gulfton, or dealing with immigration laws, these boys don't show any of this while learning in the classroom. The majority of these boys are in summer school to get ahead so that they can be fully prepared to go to 5th grade. They want to learn.

A FEW DAYS IN PHOTOS:

How I feel, generally every day.

Rosa, a member of my collab...so tired, she misspelled excellence. She gave our group a good laugh :)

Shout out to my grandma, who turned 89 this week!

I felt like this picture captures my long days at institute - a blur.

Thanks CMA for suggesting Baby Barnaby's for lunch, it was yum!

 The Dallas-Fort Worth staff visited us in Houston and brought the region duck hats...DUCKS FLY TOGETHER!!!

DFW region wearing their duck hats.

QUACK.

Motivation

My dad once told me he and his brothers had to work in the Texas fields picking cotton while growing up. He said the summers were hot & the work was hard. The grueling job for minimal pay made him realize something: he needed to get out of that small town, make something of himself, & create the life he wanted.

One degree in Mechanical Engineering & an MBA later, I think my dad can safely say he succeeded. We reside in the wonderful city of Southlake, Texas, where college is not only an option, but also expected. So, although I am a proud college graduate, I expected to receive a degree from a university four years after high school.

Photo taken by Daniel Silverman

A combination of hard work, motivation & luck propelled my dad towards his life today. His brothers and sister, on the other hand, continue to reside in that small town. My dad sought out education, and became an exception to an unfair "rule" - a rule alluding to the difficulties of achieving success in a low-income Latino neighborhood.

My education from Carroll ISD was phenomenal. My teachers prepared me for college, & my knowledge gained from high school led to many merit-based scholarship offers.

My cousins, on the other hand, have not been exposed to such great public education. Both lack of necessary school funds and distractions from gangs, drugs & teenage pregnancy have impacted their abilites in the classroom. Therefore, high school graduation is a feat in itself...& college graduation? BIG DEAL.

I am the first of my cousins from my dad's side to graduate from college. Although it might have been expected for me, it is still an achievement.

I hope this degree inspires my younger cousins that were able to watch me graduate. Although the odds are against them, they are smart & capable. Maybe seeing me graduate will show them that one day they can, too.