I am currently working on my Master's degree in Education as an Instructional/Curriculum
Specialist at the University of Texas
at El Paso. I have already
obtained a Master of Arts degree in English Literature and Theory at New
Mexico State University,
and have been teaching for over 5 years now. Some of the places
I have been an instructor include: New
Mexico State
University,
El Paso Community College, and currently for the Ysleta Independent School
District (Y.I.S.D.) in El Paso
Here's a picture of me with my lovely daughter Georgia Jean:
It is because of my current employment with Y.I.S.D. that I decided
to pursue this second Master's. I teach the General
Equivalency Degree (GED) and English as a Second Language to displaced
factory workers at Robert F. Kennedy School.
These students share a common bond: they are the consequence
of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
After years and years of working in the textile industry, they were
laid off as their factories left for Mexico and the cheap labor
surplus found there. The program I work for is the attempt to educate(many
are without formal education, have limited
education in Mexico, or peaked at 3rd grade in the United States) up
to the G.E.D., and then provide re-training into a new
workforce field. It is a challenging job; however, not because
of the students. Most are committed, responsible, and dedicated to
their education. Unfortunately, it was El Paso, the social programs, and
even my school who were unprepared. Lack of
funding, materials, and curriculum made the initial start very difficult.
What it did provide; though, was the opportunity for me to develop curriculum,
write teacher's manuals and student workbooks, and establish a teacher-student
relationship that went
beyond "traditional." Consequently, I am a student again; trying
to obtain new knowledge, and learn new ways to impart this knowledge.
While things may seem hectic in my life, two people remain constant
in love and support: my wife DeAnna and my daughter
Georgia Jean. They are the epitome of what true love means:
