Text 3A2-II
It was Maria’s first day at school, her first week in the
United States. Her middle school in San Francisco was the
biggest building she’d ever seen. It was bigger than the entire
Best Buy store she’d walked through in awe on her first day in
the city.
Eventually, Maria found her way to class, a special setting
for Spanish-speaking newcomers. There she would practice
English words for colors and numbers, learn how to introduce
herself and how to say thank you. By eighth grade she was
moved into mainstream classes, where she struggled. It didn’t
help that her math teacher started each class by saying, “Okay,
my little dummies.” He spoke really fast. Maria never raised her
hand in his class.
One day Maria stopped by the administrative office,
looking for someone to help her with multiplication. She took her
spot in line behind a middle-aged woman who chatted with her in
Spanish as they waited. Maria said school was really hard for
her. The woman told her not to worry. “Latinas usually don’t
finish high school,” she said. “They go to work or raise kids.”
The woman was right, statistically speaking, and Maria’s
middle-school experience all but ensured she’d join the 52
percent of foreign-born Latinos who drop out of high school. She
graduated from eighth grade without learning to speak English.
She had a hard time writing in Spanish and didn’t know how to
multiply.
Everything you’ve heard about failing schools is wrong.
Internet: <www.motherjones.com> (adapted).