Growing vegetables is a task that humans throughout the ages have undertaken — some for livelihood, others for sport. Anyone who has ever attempted to grow fruit from fallow soil knows that the gist of gardening is more than sowing seeds. If a garden is to yield a bountiful harvest, careful planning and devoted labor must be invested. In comparison, a teacher’s garden is his classroom. His plants are his pupils and his goal is to enable them to bear abundant fruit.

Before all else, the cultivator must study his soil carefully to decide what plants would thrive in it. If he chooses to plant any foreign vegetation, he must prepare his soil well so that it is nourishing and hospitable. He must carefully consider the right time to sow and where to place plants so that they don’t hinder but complement each other. A teacher, too, must learn about the special needs of his different students and then carefully provide them in a fertile and hospitable environment.

Once the planting phase is complete, he must tend to it carefully and diligently. He must water and fertilize his garden regularly and adequately, clear hostile weeds that may deprive his garden of valuable resources, and ward off harmful pests that might seek to enjoy the fruits of his labor before he can harvest them. In the same way, a teacher must fervently tend to his crop of students. When an obstacle that may hinder student growth arises, he must learn and carry out the best way to mitigate damage.

If the farmer does all this without fail, then there is a good chance that his garden will produce plentiful fruits to reward his efforts. If a teacher does this for his students, his efforts will yield a variety of gifts to reach far beyond the gardener and the garden.

January 31, 2009

A is for Aztec
            Where my roots are anchored.

B is for Breaking tradition
            Daring to walk outside the marked line.

C is for Cumbia and Country
            I get lost in the sounds of those two.

D is for Double the culture
            Double the fun.

E is for Education first
            For me and those around me.

F is for Freedom
            My most prized possession.

G is for My Girls
            My reason. My courage.

H is for Homily
            I listen every Sunday.

I is for Immigration Reform Act (1986)
            My license to dream.

J is for Juanito or Johnny
            My pillar. My husband.

K is for Kiko
            The man I called father,
            While my real one incessantly tended
            the rich California fields.

L is for Large family
            Six brothers. One sister.

M is for Mexico
            The land that would give me my birth.

N is for Never surrender
            A lesson I learned from my mother.

O is for Old Glory
            Because I choke up every time she waves at me.

P is for Pedro
            Infante and Jimmy Stewart have made me laugh and cry.

Q is for Que Dios te cuide, te illumine y te favorezca
            Words Grandma uttered daily,
            To the North upon rising; knowing they would find me.

R is for Responsibility
            Only I can shape my future.
            I won’t blame anyone else for it.

S is for Soco
            The woman I called mother,
            While my real one worked tirelessly alongside my father.

T is for Tacos y tortas, claro que sí
            But let’s not leave out the burgers and corn dogs!

U is for USA
            The land that would give me my life.

V is for Vatican Palace
            My spiritual White House.

W is for Working poor
            I was labeled as a child. Thankfully, no more.

X is for eXile
            Cultural. But I keep moving on.

Y is for Young family
            Though my friends aren’t there yet,
            I rejoice in every moment.

Z is for Zenith
            Every new day is a challenge to climb even higher.

February 28, 2009

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