First Thoughts

I was attracted to this book because when I read how long it took Victor Villansenor to finally ever get published I could relate. It has taken my entire adult life to finally graduate college and work on achieving my Master's. He had so many struggles to overcome but he never let them get in the way of doing what he wanted to do. In the beginning of the story he is at a conference for English teachers. The main speaker ends up not being able to show up in time. So the publicist needs to find a replacement in a hurry. So she comes into a room full of published authors and asks if anyone is willing to fill that spot. Now Villasenor is still a green author having only published one book at this time so he is just happy to be there. But as he looks around the room none of these people whom he so admires is willing to step up. For reasons he can't really identify he decides he can do it. The publicist is doubtful but her assistant convinces her that he can do it. So they take him out of the author filled room and try to get him ready in a hurry. The first thing they try to do is change his appearance. Victor was raised on a ranch and still lived on a ranch. He was dressed like a cowboy, hat and all. The publicist and her assistant immediately demand he take off his hat and change his shirt. They succeed at first but in the end he has his hat back and goes out to speak dressed as he came in. He was not ashamed of who he was and where he came from. He was not about to change for these "educated people" the publicist was so worried about. I have been told so much in my life that I need to change for this reason or that. I have been told that I was not good enough or just not enough to satisfy this person or that position or whatever a lot in my life. So I was cheering for him a he went forth as himself and not something other people said he should be. I also loved that he went before these people without a clue as to what he was going to say. Since I have undertaken this quest to get my education at a time when people often begin to think of retiring, I have had to make the decision to step forward into situations which I had no clue how I would handle. I have not even really read a blog much less posted one. But here I am writing this for all who are interested to read. Victor Villasenor overcame a lot more than I have to become a successful author. He came through school during a time of great prejudice against Mexicans. Even though his father was very successful and the family quite wealthy, he was still considered a dirty, lying, stupid Mexican boy all through school. Not only that he was extremely dyslexic before anyone even knew what that meant. So he thought he was just stupid and so did most of his teachers.When he stepped up to the podium in front of all those English teachers he was finally able to say to them what he wished he could have said all along. He spoke of being abused by teachers his whole life because he had trouble learning how to read and couldn't get things right. He said he could forgive bad parents because that could be an accident but not bad teachers because they went to school and trained to be educators. They should help students not hurt them.
I think that so much of the time we expect people to think like we do and be like we are that we cannot except when they are different. It is important as an educator to appreciate the variables that make up our students. It is important not to cast our desires or ideals on others. We need to allow people to be who they are and as educators try and teach them where they are and not where we wish they were.