Ashley Tapia and Guadalupe Hernandez discuss their old elementary teacher they had during first grade. They mention things that she would help them with and also mention unfair things and hardships she has caused them. They also discuss elementary teachers including Ms. Trujillo, Ms. Rodriguez, Ms. Perales, and Ms. Garcia as well as some of their elementary classmates as they share stories of their experiences with one another.
Transcript:
Guadalupe Hernandez: How did you feel about the teachers in our elementary school?
Ashley Tapia: They were umm, they were okay. My two favorite teachers were Ms. Garcia and Ms. Trujillo and Ms. Rodriguez.
GH: Oh my gosh I was just about to ask you about her. I was gonna ask if she umm she has done anything meaningful to you.
AT: Yeah when we had problems with Brianna. She umm she like had helped me through them. When I had my period cramps she would, she would umm let me put my head down and all that. She would help me with my work when I didn’t understand it and when you weren’t there!
GH: Oh my, my bad [inaudible] there were always times where she would throw us parties or something.
AT: I know.
GH: Like she would always get us stuff-
AT: It was so fun.
GH: She was so strict though.
AT: Oh yeah, but the way she started [inaudible] it wasn’t as strict as Ms. Trujillo.
GH: Oh yeah she was strict.
AT: She was very strict.
GH: Was there anything that she’s ever umm [inaudible]. What are your thoughts on her?
AT: Mmm she’s sweet, she’s sweet, she’s helpful and she’s what is it called she’s determined, sorry. She’s uhh she’s determined to basically like teach you. She’s determined to do that and she’s determined to provide you the knowledge that she learned for you can umm graduate and move onto middle school.
AT: Ah [Expletive] I sound, I sound smart.
GH: Oh my goodness. Um out of all of [inaudible] like what was like was there did she ever do something that you didn’t appreciate her to do?
AT: Yeah, when she moved Giselle [laughing] don’t you remember that she was across the whole classroom and we would just look at her and she was already staring at us.
GH: She would always get us in trouble for such tiny things.
AT: I actually hated another thing.
[This was accidentally cut off from the previous recording. The second half of the recording is below]
GH: Okay Okay go ahead. Go on.
AT: When she went to me and told me you need tutoring. I’m like excuse me!? I had my grades so up don’t you remember I that in her class I got honor roll.
GH: Oh yeah you did.
AT: That was the second no first time in fifth grade and fifth grade I got honor roll.
GH: Right on time when I when me when I just wrote, I used to write big remember?
AT: I know.
GH: Yknow like when I used to write really big like big bold letters and then there was this other kid who wrote in cursive I don’t remember exactly which one it was-
AT: No, it was Aiden. Aiden yeah. No Brianna and Aiden its between those two cause they know how to write in cursive so well. I remember when I tried to copy um use Aiden’s notes and I just threw them back at him cause do you expect me to read that. You expect me to read that.
GH: Cause like there was one kid and she would she would yell at us and tell us to write it correctly.
AT: Oh yeah.
GH: Like actual [inaudible].
AT: Oh no it was-
GH: [inaudible]
AT: Ivette.
GH: Oh probably.
AT: It was Ivette cause Ivette was right in back of you and she was right next to me. Yeah.
GH: That probably makes sense. She would She would like she would make me redo it.
AT: I know she would correct you-
GH: Yeah.
AT: And then you found a mistake on her you you would literally yell at her you said your wrong. [laughs]
GH: I know right like I mean like oh my gosh I remember Brianna the-
AT: Which one Brihanna?
GH: Not Brihanna, Brianna the one we had in first grade.
AT: Yeah.
GH: Like she like I don’t know I think she umm Ms. Garcia’s favorite student was her cause she would always pinpoint her like stuff. She like look at hers thats a good example.
AT: I know.
GH: [Inaudible]
AT: Bri-Brianna was so like not trying to be mean but she was a bi- she was a teacher’s pet at that point, but until like when we went to sixth grade. That, that’s when she did not hit.
GH: She did not hit. Oh my gosh.
AT: Oh no she was she was the favorite teacher of Ms. Paralysis.
GH: Ms. Perales.
AT: Paralysis, that’s where she, that’s where she hit.
GH: Oh my goodness. Something else. Oh yeah also that one time where I tried helping you and then she literally called me out for that.
AT: I know, she was like let her do it on her own. I just looked at her I thought I needed help.
GH: Literally! And like I get it she’s like always strict, but like I could’ve sworn there were many people talking and she didn’t mark those people.
AT: I know she kept on looking at us and she kept on calling on us. That’s what I really hated about her.
GH: Yeah.
AT: She was she was like we were just talk for a second or just take classes and she thought we were talking to each other.
GH: I know right.
AT: And she would literally call us [inaudible] she would call us out in front of even when she was like on us thats what I really hated about her cause there was there could be like the whole other side of her whose talking but like she focuses only on us two even when theres like probably like the re-half of the classroom talking over there.
GH: I know I remember when I was gonna wave hi at someone and she literally wrote me up on the board like I was just like [laughing] and she’d look at me and she’s like [laughing] you hear the you hear the like marker going curr just like. [laughing]
AT: The first time you ever got caught.
GH: Bro I was like so mad and then later on like I think the day that I tried helping you when Brianna snitched on me she told me that she was going to call my dad. I hated that.
AT: I know when she called my dad like three times about me doing supposedly something i was like Ms Girl i thought I was the favorite student.
GH: And then she would always like like i don’t know she comes up with something.
AT: I know.
GH: But I’m so glad my dad didn’t understand English.
AT: I know I’m blessed to that’s what my dad actually did not know anything about English he only knew the bad words. [giggling]
GH: So when she told my dad my dad just kinda looked at me like-[background noise] [laughing]. He just blinked and then-
AT: Don’t you remember I always get in trouble for cursing.
GH: Oh my goodness yeah-
AT: [Inaudible] when I said [expletive] she’d be like looking at me she’d be like I’ma tell your dad I’m like-
GH: Oh my gosh and then there’s like people on the other side like especially the guys over there.
AT: I know they said the n word and she didn’t say anything about that-
GH: Literally.
AT: And I swear if she heard me say the n word I’m cut I’m done for cause if she’s told [inaudible] the whole word my dad would’ve actually known what’s that and he’ll kill me.
GH: No cause like why and than she would always make us stay when only one person has like did something bad.
AT: Mhm we would always be late.
GH: Oh my gosh I hated that cause like this one kid wouldn’t shut up and she like one minute if anyone ever talks and like and we had to put our head down do you remember that?
AT: Yeah I used to, I used to remember that I used to peak out a little to see and then if anyones up and she would like she would look at me and I would go like this so like don’t look don’t look. [laughing]
GH: Oh my goodness I hated that. I hated it because they wouldn’t stop doing it.
AT: I remember Gerard, Jered, and who else who else would be sent to, always the oh and Diego-
GH: Oh I remember.
AT: They always made a trip to Ms. Saravia bro for every small thing.
GH: Somehow they didn’t get expelled like like what?
AT: Like I swear if a women goes downstairs she’ll make a whole deal out of it and we would be suspended on the point.
GH: Like its always like us good kids like-
AT: And she says that the boys are such sweet angels when you hear her yelling them across the whole [expletive] school couldn’t even hear her when your at the courtyard.
GH: Oh my goodness so true but oh my gosh she she she was strict was all but I say she was a pretty good teacher, I mean she did teach us well.
AT: Yeah she did, she made me memorize all the continents.
GH: Oh that was so true she’d always put on that one song on or something.
AT: Yeah.
GH: It’s still stuck to my head-
AT: Me too and-
GH: And I still do.
AT: And how do you say it and made me memorized everything and I memorized everything. She said I told her the whole thing. I feel so proud of myself but when I met Ms. Perales she shut me down.
GH: Oh my goodness.
AT: Like literally I was saying and she was like “you messed up” like.
GH: Like let me continue.
AT:I know like let me continue and she made a whole big deal out of my earrings.
GH: What earrings were you wearing?
AT: Don’t, don’t you remember how I had three.
GH: You had three?
AT: Yeah three piercings. She made me take out the third the these two just had one and Im lucky that this one didn’t close but this one did cause it was just brand new.
GH: Aw oh my goodness okay [inaudible] they always be forcing things on you.
AT: I know pretty annoying.
GH: Yeah.
