Devyani Gonzalez

Philosophy

September 26, 2019

The Gadfly

Interviewee: Guadalupe Gonzalez (My mom)

Topic: Education / Why she thinks I should go to college?

Me: What are your thoughts on education?

Mom: Education is really important, it allows for new job opportunities that can

guarantee a better future for students and their families.

Me: Is that why you always want my sister and I to do well in school?

Mom: Yes, the better that you do in school, the more opportunities you have to apply and

get scholarships. We can’t afford to pay for your college education, so we encourage you to do

your best in school.

Me: Why do you push me to only have A’s?

Mom: Because I know that you are capable of it. You’ve always gotten A’s and I don’t

think that this is the time for you to stop. I know classes get harder, especially since you take

advanced courses, but I know you can do it.

Me: Do you know how much pressure that puts on me?

Mom: I do. I’ve seen how stressed you get when a deadline for an assignment is near and

you still have a lot to do. I’ve seen you sleep late because of homework and I’ve seen you wake

up early because of homework. I’ve seen you cry because you get a B for a quarter. But you

always pull through.

Me: Do you think that pushing me to get A’s is the right thing?
 Mom: Yes, because I know that it’ll be worth it in the end. You have to make sacrifices

now, but once you’re an attorney and you can give your children a better life that I was able to

give you, that’s when you’ll realize it was worth it.

Me: Why do you want us to be able to give our children a better life?

Mom: Because I grew up with nothing. In Mexico, conditions were always harsh. Your

grandma didn’t work and with what your grandpa earned we barely had enough to live by. I

remember having to take care of my school shoes because they were the only shoes I had, and

I’d wear them until the sole was coming off. I had one school uniform and everyday I would

have to go outside and wash it by hand. I remember that we all had to take a bath in this big,

round, metal tub looking thing. Your grandma would heat water on the stove and put it in the

tub, then we would all use that same water to bathe ourselves. I would always let your uncles go

first because I was the oldest, and I remember that the water would be cold by the time I got to

bathe. We’d eat beans and tortillas everyday and on the days when your grandpa had a little

money to spare we would get to eat eggs. I didn’t want that for you, I didn’t want that for your

grandparents. That’s why I came here because I wanted to help my parents and I knew that I

didn’t want my children to suffer the same way I did. And well, then your sister was born and I

knew I had to stay here and work hard. I was able to give you a better life than my parents gave

me, so I want you to be able to give your children an even better life after so many sacrifices. I

want to know that it wasn’t all for nothing. I sacrificed having to leave my family and having to

start with nothing in this country, so for you to do that would be like a gift.

Me: How do you think that living in those conditions during your childhood, impacted

your education?
 Mom: I’m not gonna lie, like I’ve told you many times, I was a bad child. I would always

be fighting in school, I would ditch, I wouldn’t do my homework… Your grandma would always

have to scold me because I got changed schools constantly. I feel like growing up the way I did,

made me want to go to school to forget or not think about things back home. I left my house at

your age, I was underage and I crossed the border and started a whole new life here. It really just

made me have to grow up faster than a child in a stable household would.

Me: Have I ever been that bad of a child?

Mom: No, but you did scare me so many times when you were little. Like that one time I

couldn’t find you or the time you almost left with a stranger at the laundromat…

Reflection/How we left it: I had never asked my mom why she was always so strict with us about

our education, and being able to learn about how my mom grew up really helped me understand

her more. This also helped me realize why my mom does certain things when it comes to raising

her children. I knew my mom had a harsh childhood but she never really talks about it with us,

so I got to hear a little more now. Being able to hear everything that she had to say, really helped

me solidify that I do want to go to college and that I want to become a prosecutor. And we left it

off with my mom talking about me as a little kid.