Background And School Context
Hearne High School is located in Hearne, Texas, a small rural town known as the Crossroads of Texas because it sits between Houston, Dallas, Austin, and Waco. For me, though, Hearne is more than a dot on the map. It is home. I grew up here, attended school here, and now have the privilege of teaching in the same community that helped shape me. That perspective shapes how I see my students. They are not just names on a roster. They are young people whose families, neighborhoods, and experiences are deeply connected to my own.
Our student body reflects the diversity of our community. About half of our students are Hispanic, and a little more than forty percent are African American. Many are Emergent Bilinguals who move between languages and cultures every day. Before they are old enough to drive, many translate for parents, help younger siblings with homework, or take on responsibilities well beyond what most people expect from teenagers. Those experiences build resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving, even if schools do not always recognize them as strengths.
Like many rural communities, Hearne also faces economic challenges. More than ninety percent of our students are identified as economically disadvantaged. Some work after school, while others help care for younger brothers and sisters until their parents get home. Those realities shape their lives, but they do not define their potential. Every day I see determination, creativity, humor, compassion, and perseverance that no data report can fully capture.
As an ESL teacher and dyslexia interventionist, I work with students whose educational journeys have often been difficult. Some are learning English while mastering grade-level content. Others have spent years believing they are poor readers or writers because school has been a struggle. Too often, students measure their worth by test scores instead of recognizing the strengths they already possess. I want my classroom to be a place where they begin to see themselves differently.
Rod’s seminar reminded me that schools do far more than teach academic content. They shape how young people understand themselves and their place in the world. Schools can encourage students to fit into existing systems simply, or they can challenge them to ask questions, think critically, and imagine new possibilities. As we studied Freedom Schools, Black Studies, youth organizing, and student activism, one message kept recurring. Education can change lives when students see themselves as participants, not spectators.
That lesson feels especially important in Hearne. When I ask students to name leaders, they usually think of famous people. They rarely recognize the leadership they demonstrate every day. I see it when they help classmates, translate for family members, encourage friends, or keep showing up despite circumstances that would discourage many adults. Leadership is already present. Sometimes students simply need someone to help them recognize it.
Teaching in the community where I grew up has also deepened my appreciation for representation. During the seminar, several participants shared that they did not have a Black teacher until middle school, college, or never. I had my first Black teacher in first grade, and I now realize what a gift that was. Students deserve to see themselves reflected in the people who teach them and in the stories they study. They also deserve opportunities to learn from voices different from their own.
For many of my Emergent Bilingual students, the themes of this unit are personal. Questions of identity, belonging, language, and acceptance are part of their everyday lives. Through literature, history, music, documentaries, primary sources, and writing, they will explore those experiences while recognizing that being multilingual and multicultural is an asset, not a limitation.
More than anything, I want my students to leave this unit with a stronger sense of who they are. History matters, but so does seeing yourself in it. If they leave believing they belong, knowing their voice has value, and recognizing that they already have something meaningful to contribute to their families, their school, and their community, then this unit will have accomplished exactly what I hoped.
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