KCKPS: A Journey Rooted in Hispanic Heritage

For Hispanic Heritage Month, Mr. Garcia shares his journey as a Spanish teacher and member of our KCKPS community. His story is a reminder that we all come from different walks of life, and it’s those journeys that make our district who we are.

Déjame comenzar diciendo que vine hace muchos años persiguiendo un sueño, no era el sueño Americano, era el sueño Mexicano. de un padre joven y un esposo devoto a su familia. Comenzo un dia en Durango México donde muy temprano me preparaba para ir a trabajar y mi esposa me dijo que iba a ir con su padre a pedirle prestado un poco de dinero porque mi quincena se había acabado y todavía faltaba una semana par que me pagaran, ya no alcanzaba para nada mi quincena porque acabamos de comprar nuestra primera casa. Mi suegro me había comentado que el trabajando en la pizca de cebolla y elote hacía más dinero que yo en un mes trabajando en los Estados Unidos. Yo tenía un hermano en Kansas y decidí venir a buscarlo para trabajar en los Estados Unidos.

No fue fácil el comienzo pero creo que gracias a mi educación en México me ayudó a salir adelante más rápido que incluso mi hermano que ya tenía tiempo en USA . Entre a trabajar en el ferrocarril y gracias a mis conocimientos de matemáticas me hicieron supervisor de una cuadrilla y me dediqué a estudiar de nuevo mi carrera de maestro de español en las tardes/noches. Me revalidaron el español y solo hice dos años de mi licenciatura. Cuando termine mi licenciatura, entre en una escuela pública de Kansas City Kansas en el 2001 y pronto me identifico mi director, Mr. Thompson que lo recuerdo con mucho respeto y cariño. Me dijo; "nunca había trabajado con ningún Mexicano y estaba muy contento de haberme contratado". El fue quien me propuso que me metiera al programa Fellows porque no quería que me fuera a otra escuela a trabajar quería que me quedara trabajando y enseñando bajo su supervisión.

En el 2006 se jubiló Mr. Thompson y entró Ms. Stewart como directora. Cansado de mi rutina me fui unos años a enseñar a otras escuelas en los Estados Unidos y terminé yéndome a mi país natal en el 2016, me regresé a los Estados Unidos en el 2020 porque necesitaba renovar mi pasaporte. Renové mi pasaporte y supe que estaba una posición abierta de maestro de español, todavía estaba Ms. Stewart como directora y me contrató de inmediato. Hasta la fecha sigo en la misma escuela enseñando herencia para nuestros hispanohablantes.

Let me start by saying that I came to the United States many years ago chasing a dream. It was not the American Dream, but the Mexican Dream. I was a young father and a devoted husband to my family. It all started one day in Durango, Mexico. It was early in the morning, and I was preparing to go to work when my wife told me that she was on her way to ask her father for a loan because my biweekly paycheck had run out, and there was still a week left until my next paycheck. We had no money left because we had recently bought our first house.My father-in-law had told me in the past that harvesting onions and corn made more money than I did working a month in the United States. I had a brother in Kansas at the time, so I decided to come here and look for work.

It was not an easy start, but I believe that my education in Mexico helped me get ahead faster, even more so than my brother, who had already spent some time here in the United States. I started working on the railroads, and thanks to my knowledge of mathematics, I became a crew supervisor. At the same time, I dedicated my evenings to studying to become a Spanish teacher. My Spanish was validated, and I only had to complete two years of the degree program. When I graduated with my diploma, I began working at a school in KCKPS in 2001. My principal, Mr. Thompson, whom I remember with great respect and affection, soon took notice of me. He told me that “he had never worked with a (national born) Mexican before and he was very happy to have hired me.” Mr. Thompson was the one who recommended me for the KCK Fellows program (which is how I obtained my master's) because he did not want me to leave for another school. He wanted me to stay and teach under his supervision. 

In 2006, Mr. Thompson retired, and Ms. Stewart became principal. Tired of my routine, I left to work at other schools in the United States, and I eventually returned to Mexico in 2016. I returned to the United States in 2020 because I had to renew my passport. After renewing my passport, I learned that there was an opening for a Spanish teacher at the same KCKPS school. Ms. Stewart was still the principal at the time, and she hired me immediately. To this day, I remain at the same school, teaching a heritage language course for our Spanish-speaking students.