The Teacher with No Classroom and the Boy from the Fields” by Itzel Sanchez

“The Teacher with No Classroom and the Boy from the Fields” by Itzel Sanchez

Lately, in the news, immigrants have been presented as murderers, rapists, and thieves.

Although this may be true in some cases, I am here to explain how two immigrants have

inspired me to be who I am today and to work hard to one day accomplish my dream. These

two immigrants, who are now American citizens, are my parents. I have seen my parents go

through so many obstacles such as financial instability, class stratification, and work-related

injuries, and not only have they overcome these obstacles, but they have exceeded all of my

expectations and have given me more than what I deserve.

One of the reasons many immigrants come to America is to have the financial security

that they cannot have in their home country. This is the exact reason both of my parents came

to America. When my father arrived, he was only thirteen years old and was soon enrolled in a

local middle school. While attending middle school, my father would often go along with my

grandparents to the fields and help them pick leather leaves in order to help to help out with

costs. Life was hard in Florida for their family, and they decided to relocate to South Carolina,

although much did not change for his family as he went on to high school. As a sophomore in

high school, my father made the decision to drop out of school in order to work in a factory to

help provide for his family. Not being able to graduate high school caused my father to never

really have a well-paying job, but my father was blessed with people in his life who helped him

get jobs, and that way he was able to provide for our family. My father has now followed his

passion for cars and has opened his mechanic shop, but in the beginning, it was not easy. There

was more money going out of our home than coming in, he spent many late nights working

instead of being home, and many band concerts and soccer were games missed, but not once

did I ever see my father give up and neglect his responsibilities at home as head of household.

Because of all my parents’ hard work, my family has a comfortable life, and I will forever be

thankful for that.

My mother is the daughter of a house maid and a well-known politician; as a result of

this, she was able to experience two very different ways of life. During the first part of her life,

she was raised by her grandparents and lived life as lower class, but by the time my mother

turned six, she met her father. It was then that my mother experienced things of the higher

class. She started attending a private catholic school and was given the best resources to finish

out her career. When my grandfather died, my mother was only sixteen years old, and with her

being the youngest of sixteen children, my mother did not get her part of the inheritance. This

meant that she had no money to pursue her career of being a lawyer. When she applied for a

position in a school that helped lower income students, she was denied because of social

stratification; she was known to have money because of who her father was. My mother was

then allowed to continue her degree in teaching because her father had never missed a

payment when he was alive. When my mother completed her degree, she did not have money

to buy her own classroom as was necessary, so she chose to drop her life and everything she

ever knew to begin a new life in America working in a factory.

Not working has never been an option for my parents. Even with my mother being in

her pregnancy full term, she worked twelve hours in the same factory along with my father and

even continued after I was born. After many years of enduring factory work, my parents’

bodies have deteriorated and become weak. Even with this, they never stopped working; they

never missed a day of work. I watched my mother go to work with a torn meniscus for a week

straight until she could no longer physically walk. I have seen my father break his arm and go to

work the very next day. If it wasn’t for their work ethic, I wouldn’t have all of the nice things I

have today, but most importantly, I wouldn’t have the motivation to follow my dreams and

finish my career.

So today as I sit at my desk of my dorm room dreading going to class, I think of all of

the hard work my parents have done to get my two younger siblings and me where we are

today. Not only did my parents show me the value of work, but they showed me compassion

and always had a smile and a hug to offer when I was feeling unmotivated. It is because of

them that I believe in my crazy dream that one day I can become a plastic surgeon. But I know

that, with my parents by my side, anything I put my mind to is possible. With my parents by my

side, I know that the only leather leaves my hands will ever touch are those of a rose bouquet, I

know that I will get my operating room, my sister will get her spot she deserves in a courtroom,