LEP or FEP

I found Norma Mendoza-Denton’s article very interesting and close to home. I grew up in the South Valley and attended schools similar to SJHS. I attended Rio Grande High School (RGHS) for a year and experienced living among gangs such as those discussed in the article. As a matter of fact, there were Sureña and Norteña gangs. The gangs present at RGHS were so many; it seemed only very few did not participate. There were rivalries which seemed to split the school in half. The article describes the differences in the members of the gangs as English vs. Spanish dominant. I remember it being obvious who belonged to what gang by simply speaking to them. Of course other factors were their attire and colors worn. Luckily my interest in education overcame interest in ever participating in gangs.
Not only were there such gangs similar to SJHS, RGHS also had LEP and FEP programs. I do not believe those programs compared to SJHS, in which disruptive students were placed in, it seemed to be mainly Spanish dominant speakers. Although I considered myself English dominant, I still had trouble in some classes. I remember telling my mom that I did not want to speak Spanish or be considered a Spanish speaker because then I would be put in “certain” classes. My mom would tell me to do whatever I had to, to get the best education. Even though she pushed English for a better education at school, she always made us speak to her in Spanish at home to preserve the language.
As we can see, it is a disadvantage to not get the best education. It is devastating for those students that have dreams of succeeding to be held back of their educational opportunities because they speak Spanish or are not English proficient. I know that this should not discourage people or should be viewed as a stepping stone, but when in high school and living among so much pressure can lead to dropping out. Learning and speaking English as a dominant language in these types of schools is practically seem as a survival method.