Bootstrapping in Public Education
By Natalie Ureno
Bootstrapping is defined as being able to get in or out of a situation using existing resources. The term is typically used in the context of startups and small businesses, but today, I use it to reference educators within California’s public education system. Because of the lack of funding for public schools, educators across California schools have had to pull themselves up by their bootstraps just to help students succeed. We do not thank our educators enough, or understand the struggle they endure through their sacrifice and overextension of themselves.
In third grade, I had a teacher named Mrs.Lee. She was always kind and welcoming, and always showed up and did more than what was asked. She had a lasting reputation of being the best teacher at East Avenue Elementary. Her students loved her, other students wished they were in her class, and others hoped to have her once they reached the third grade. Despite remembering her fondly, I also remember how she would stay after school an extra 2-3 hours tutoring students, myself included, on math concepts we did not understand. I remember how she would work tirelessly to provide resources to students and families, and how she would speak to us with respect. Mrs.Lee is a stellar example of what a good teacher looks like, and how to care for students and meet them where they’re at.
In seventh grade, I had a history teacher named Mr.Tebbs. Mr.Tebbs was known as the “karaoke guy” because he would teach most of his history lessons through song. He would make his lessons into a theatrical performance, a spectacle with costumes based on the time period we were learning about, and sing his heart out. He always knew how to keep a classroom engaged, and mostly everyone would pass his class because of his unorthodox way of teaching. Not only that, but he would make time for students after school and was someone I would confide in. I would sit there with him for hours, asking him about how life works and telling him my thoughts on everything you could possibly imagine. He was someone I trusted, and I still keep in touch with him to this day. In a recent conversation I had with him, I learned that he would sit with me and let me speak during his grading time. When I asked him why he didn’t just turn me away so he could focus on his work, he responded by saying “This is part of my work, making sure my students are ok. They deserve to know they’re cared for.” He has truly made a lasting impact on me, and provided a safe space where I feel I belonged. Mr.Tebbs is an example of what it looks like to prioritize the youth, what it means to teach creatively, and how to implement play and imagination that simultaneously adheres to curriculum within the classroom.
My transition to high school was fairly difficult, but at Hayward High, I was part of the Puente Program, where I met Mr.Ochoa, my English teacher. Puente’s mission is to raise college acceptance rates through supporting disadvantaged students, which was very prevalent within the bay area. He was the teacher who introduced us to Chicanx literature, who organized NorCal/SoCal university field trips with our school counselor, who provided a safe space for students of color, and who believed in equity and opportunity. Juggling multiple responsibilities while teaching is not easy, and required additional time and effort that I know he was not compensated for. Nonetheless, his effort was necessary and important.
To become great, you have to be inspired by a teacher first. Our educators shape our futures and can impact our lives in many ways. In the context of public education as it is currently, when things are good, it is because educators overextend themselves physically and emotionally to provide additional resources. Without these important educators who helped me navigate education as a first generation student, I would have never succeeded, and teachers should be compensated now. Big corporations and billionaires rob public schools of $17 billion dollars every year because they do not pay their fare share in property taxes. Imagine what teachers can do when they are compensated for their work, when they are not burnt out from working tirelessly on and off the clock, and when they are able to navigate their personal and professional lives with proper support and accommodation. This can happen with the reform of Prop. 13, because when love, care and rightful compensation is poured into our teachers, they will be able to give that back to their students.