Latino Students: What the Education System Doesn't See

Eddie Bautista-Garcia, Undergraduate, Education

A multitude of research concerning Latino students often categorizes them as underachieving. According to scholar P. Gándara. Rather than expedite inclusive and understanding learning atmospheres, this research promotes the belief that Latino students are both apathetic and poor in their academics. What some educators fail to note is that Latino students oftentimes grow in challenging environments like Spanish-speaking and less-than affluent households, or with families traumatized by immigration. Latino students in households with undocumented caretakers experience lower levels of education and higher levels of destitution, which undoubtedly inhibits their scholastic achievements. Latino students experience greater difficulties than other students, inhibited by an unfounded perception that precedes their presence in the academic realm. Latino students’ stories are presented as one-dimensional. We’re supposed to wake at the crack of dawn and work ourselves to the bone. We’re supposed to take the jobs nobody else wants. We’re supposed to be ignorant and simple-minded. What purpose can advanced courses serve us if our destiny resides in a factory, not a higher education institution? That’s what we have been confined to. Yet, we know our people have overcome and surpassed a breathtaking mountain of obstacles. Our parents have survived treks to provide us a better life, entrusting us with numerous opportunities that they could never have.

Still, if we are consistently tossed into a category, labeled as “underachieving,” who do we look toward for encouragement? We look toward our families, but some of us don’t have those to galvanize us into taking education seriously. Who else can we look toward for the confidence to act on our potential?

This is a question some children of the Latino community have. Some need Latino role models in order to trust in themselves. All it takes is someone to reach out to these students and speak with them about the opportunities at their disposal.

With this in mind, I’m adamant that the relevancy for Latino educators is more integral than ever. According to the Ohio Department of Education, as of the 2019- 2020 school year, 94% of Ohio’s educators were white. Unfortunately, this lack of diversity is widely reflected throughout Ohio seeing that a mere 6% of Ohio educators are people of color. My hometown school district did not have any Latino educators on staff at any of its 5 schools. Considering the issues most Latino children face, it’s imperative that more Latinos enter education as teachers for Latino students to have someone who can empathize with them. These students need someone who understands what it means to be Latino and help them feel recognized. In a way, they have an example to look toward – someone who is proof that it’s possible for us to make it.

Headshot Eddie Bautista-Garcia