theprofessorisadropout.docx
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theprofessorisadropout.docx
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theprofessorisadropout
TheProfessorIsaDropout
Preview
Afterbeingmistakenlylabeled“retarded”andhumiliatedintodroppingoutoffirstgrade,LupeQuintanillaknewshewantednothingmoretodowithformaleducation.Lifeasawifeandmotherwouldsatisfyher-anditdid,untilshesawherownchildrenbeingpushedasideas“slowlearners.”Driventohelpthemsucceed,Lupetookstepsthatdramaticallychangedherlife.
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radical(16):
extreme
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TheProfessorIsaDropout
BethJohnson
1
GuadalupeQuintanillaisanassistantprofessorattheUniversityofHouston.Sheispresidentofherowncommunicationscompany.Shetrainslawenforcementofficersalloverthecountry.Shewasnominatedtoserveasthe.AttorneyGeneral.She’sbeenarepresentativetotheUnitedNations.
That’saprettyimpressivestringofaccomplishments.It’sallthemoreimpressivewhenyouconsiderthis:
“Lupe”Quintanillaisafirst-gradedropout.Herschoolrecordsstatethatsheisretarded,thatherIQissolowshecan’tlearnmuchofanything.
HowdidLupeQuintanilla,“retarded”nonlearner,becomeDr.Quintanilla,respectededucatorHerremarkablejourneybeganinthetownofNogales,Mexico,justbelowtheArizonaborder.That’swhereLupefirstlivedwithhergrandparents.(Herparentshaddivorced.)Thenanunclewhohadjustfinishedmedicalschoolmadehergrandparentsagenerousoffer.Iftheywantedtolivewithhim,hewouldsupportthefamilyashebeganhismedicalpractice.
Lupe,hergrandparents,andheruncleallmovedhundredsofmilestoatowninsouthernMexicothatdidn’tevenhavepavedroads,letaloneanyschools.There,Lupegrewuphelpinghergrandfatherrunhislittlepharmacyandhergrandmotherkeephouse.Sheremembersthetimehappily.“Mygrandparentswerewonderful,”shesaid.“Oh,mygrandfatherwasstern,authoritarian,asMexicanculturedemanded,buttheywerealsoverykindtome.”Whenthechoresweredone,hergrandfathertaughtLupetoreadandwriteSpanishanddobasicarithmetic.
WhenLupewas12,hergrandfatherbecameblind.ThefamilyleftMexicoandwenttoBrownsville,Texas,withthehopethatdoctorstherecouldrestorehissight.OncetheyarrivedinBrownsville,Lupewasenrolledinschool.AlthoughsheunderstoodnoEnglish,shewasgivenanIQtestinthatlanguage.Notsurprisingly,shedidn’tdoverywell.Lupeevenremembersherscore.
“Iscoredasixty-four,whichclassifiedmeasseriouslyretarded,noteventeachable,”shesaid.“Iwasputintofirstgradewithaclassofsix-year-olds.Mydutiesweretotakethelittlekidstothebathroomandtocutoutpictures.”TheclassroomactivitieswereatotalmysterytoLupe—theywereallconductedinEnglish.Andshewashumiliatedbytheotherchildren,whoteasedherforbeing“somucholderandsomuchdumber”thantheywere.
Afterfourmonthsinfirstgrade,anincidentoccurredthatLupestilldoesnotfullyunderstand.Asshestoodinthedoorwayoftheclassroomwaitingtoescortalittlegirltothebathroom,amanapproachedher.Heaskedher,inSpanish,howtofindtheprincipal’soffice.Lupewasdelighted.“FinallysomeoneinthisschoolhadspokentomewithwordsIcouldunderstand,inthelanguageofmysoul,thelanguageofmygrandmother,”shesaid.Eagerly,sheansweredhisquestioninSpanish.Instantlyherteacherswoopeddownonher,grabbingherarmandscoldingher.ShepulledLupealongtotheprincipal’soffice.There,theteacherandtheprincipalbothshoutedather,obviouslyveryangry.Lupewas
frightenedandembarrassed,butalsobewildered.Shedidn’tunderstandawordtheyweresaying.
“WhyweretheysoangryIdon’tknow,”saidLupe.“WasitbecauseIspokeSpanishatschoolOrthatIspoketothemanatallIreallydon’tknow.AllIknowishowhumiliatedIwas.”
Whenshegothomethatday,shecriedmiserably,begginghergrandfathernottomakeherreturntoschool.Finallyheagreed.
Fromthattimeon,Lupestayedathome,servingasherblindgrandfather’s“eyes.”ShewasafluentreaderinSpanish,andtheoldermanlovedtohaveherreadnewspapers,poetry,andnovelsaloudtohimforhours.
Lupe’sownloveofreadingflourishedduringtheseyears.Hervocabularywasenrichedandherimaginationfiredbythenovelssheread—novelswhichshelearnedlaterwereclassicsofSpanishliterature.ShereadDonQuixote,thefamousstoryofthenoble,impracticalknightwhofoughtagainstwindmills.ShereadthrillingaccountsoftheMexicanrevolution.ShereadLaPrensa,thelocalSpanish-languagepaper,andSelecciones,theSpanish-languageversionofReader’sDigest.
Whenshewasjust16,LupemarriedayoungMexican-Americandentaltechnician.Withinfiveyears,shehadgivenbirthtoherthreechildren,Victor,Mario,andMartha.Lupe’sgrand-parentslivedwiththeyoungfamily.Lupewasquitehappywithherlife.“Icooked,sewed,cleaned,andcaredforeverybody,”shesaid.“Ilistenedtomygrandmotherwhenshetoldmewhatmadeagoodwife.InthemorningIwouldactuallyputonmyhusband’sshoesandtiethelaces—anythingtomakehislifeeasier.Livingwithmygrandparentsforsolong,Iwasonegenerationbehindinmyideasofwhatawomancoulddoandbe.”
Lupe’scontentmentendedwhenherchildrenstartedschool.Whentheybroughthometheirreportcards,shestruggledtounderstandthem.ShecouldreadenoughEnglishtoknowthatwhattheysaidwasnotgood.Herchildrenhadbeenputintoagroupcalled“YellowBirds.”Itwasagroupforslowlearners.
Atnightinbed,Lupecriedandblamedherself.Itwasobviousnotonlywassheretarded,butherchildrenhadtakenafterher.Nowthey,too,wouldneverbeabletolearnlikeotherchildren.
Butintime,athoughtbegantobreakthroughLupe’sdespair:
Herchildrendidn’tseemlikeslowlearnerstoher.Athome,theylearnedeverythingshetaughtthem,quicklyandeasily.Shereadtothemconstantly,fromthebooksthatsheherselfhadlovedasachild.Aesop’sFablesandstoriesfrom1,001ArabianNightswerefamilyfavorites.Thechildrenfilledthehousewiththesoundsofthesongs,prayers,games,andrhymestheyhadlearnedfromtheirparentsandgrandparents.Theyweresmartchildren,eagertolearn.Theylearnedquickly—inSpanish.
AradicalideabegantoforminLupe’smind.Maybetheschoolwaswrongaboutherchildren.Andiftheschoolsystemcouldbewrongaboutherchildrenmaybeithadbeenwrongabouther,too.
Lupevisitedherchildren’sschool,adaringactionforher.“ManyHispanicparentswouldnotdreamofgoingtotheclassroom,”shesaid.“InHispanicculture,theteacherisregardedasathirdparent,asanultimateauthority.Toquestionherwouldseemmostdisrespectful,asthoughyouweresayingthatshedidn’tknowherjob.”ThatwasonereasonLupe’sgrandparentshadnotinterferedwhenLupewasclassifiedasretarded.“AngloteachersoftenmisunderstandHispanicparents,believingthattheyaren’tconcernedabouttheirchildren’seducationbecausetheydon’tcomevisittheschools,”Lupesaid.”It’snotalackofconcernatall.It’samarkofrespectfortheteacher’sauthority.”
Atherchildren’sschool,Lupespoketothreedifferentteachers.Twoofthemtoldherthesamething:
“Yourchildrenarejustslow.Sorry,buttheycan’tlearn.”Athirdofferedaglimmerofhope.Hesaid,“Theydon’tknowhowtofunctioninEnglish.It’spossiblethatifyouspoke
Englishathome,theywouldbeabletodobetter.”
Lupepouncedonthatidea.“WherecanIlearnEnglish”sheasked.Theteachershrugged.AtthattimetherewerenolocalEnglishlanguageprogramsforadults.FinallyhesuggestedthatLupevisitthelocalhighschool.MaybeshewouldbepermittedtositinthebackofaclassroomandpickupsomeEnglishthatway.
Lupemadeanappointmentwithacounseloratthehighschool.Butwhenthetwowomenmet,thecounselorshookherhead.“Yourtestscoresshowthatyouareretarded,”shetoldLupe.“You’djustbetakingspaceintheclassroomawayfromsomeonewhocouldlearn.”
Lupe’snextstopwasthehospitalwhereshehadservedforyearsasavolunteer.CouldshesitinonsomeofthenursingclassesheldthereNo,shewastold,notwithoutadiploma.Stillundeterred,shewentontoTexasSouthmostCollegeinBrownsville.CouldshesitinonaclassNo;nohigh-schooldiploma.Finallyshewenttothetelephonecompany,wheresheknewoperatorswerebeingtrained.CouldshelisteninontheclassesNo,onlyhigh-schoolgraduateswerepermitted.
Thatday,leavingthetelephonecompany,Lupefeltshehadhitbottom.ShehadbeenterrifiedinthefirstplacetotrytofindanEnglishclass.Meetingwithrejectionafterrejectionnearlydestroyedwhatlittleself-confidenceshehad.Shewalkedhomeintherain,crying.“Ifeltlikeabigbarrierhadfallenacrossmypath,”shesaid.“Icouldn’tgooverit;Icouldn’tgounderit;Icouldn’tgoaroundit.”
ButthenextdayLupewokewithfreshdetermination.“Iwasmotivatedbyloveofmykids,”shesaid.“Iwasnotgoingtoquit.”Shegotup;madebreakfastforherkids,husband,andgrandparents;sawherchildrenandhusbandofffortheday;andstartedoutagain.“Iremember
walkingtothebusstop,pastadogthatalwaysscaredmetodeath,andheadingbacktothecollege.TheladyIspoketosaid,‘Itoldyou,wecan’tdoanythingforyouwithoutahigh-schooldegree.’ButasIleftthebuilding,IwentuptothefirstSpanish-speakingstudentIsaw.HisnamewasGabito.Isaid,‘Whoreallymakesthedecisionsaroundhere’Hesaid,‘Theregistrar.’”Sinceshehadn’thadanyluckintheofficebuilding,Lupedecidedtotakeamoredirectapproach.
SheaskedGabitotopointoutth
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