Mentoring Matters: Many Voices, Many Choices: Women Who Mentored and Inspired Dana

Rodriguez
Author(s): Thomas M. McCann and Mary G. Powell
Source: The English Journal, Vol. 100, No. 6 (July 2011), pp. 86-89
Published by: National Council of Teachers of English
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23047886
Accessed: 16-03-2016 04:46 UTC

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In the story that follows, Mary G.
Powell traces the progress of one
English teacher from her days as
a middle school student, to her
university work, to her emer
gence as a teacher. The journey
reveals that many mentors along
the way contributed to the new
teacher's sense of purpose, effi
cacy, and confidence. It is easy to
limit our thinking about the con
cept of mentor as the cooperating
teacher during student teaching
or the assigned mentor teacher
during the first year of teaching.
In contrast, Dana's journey traces
the influences of many mentors,
from grandmother to cooperat
ing teacher. The story celebrates
the contributions of many and
suggests the vulnerability of pro
spective teachers, who might be
discouraged rather than encour
aged, who could be distracted
rather than inspired.
Many Voices, Many
Choices: Women Who
Mentored and Inspired
Dana Rodriguez
Mary G. Powell
North High School
Phoenix, Arizona
marygpowell@cox.net
Many experiences mold people
into who they become. As much
as we would like to trace who is
English Journal 100.6 (2011): 86-89
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Thomas M. McCann, Editor
Mentoring Matters
responsible for our successes and
our failures in life, the issue is
complicated. Who can measure
how much goodness a person con
tributes to another individual?
For that matter, how can we assess
how much we have contributed
to another's successes? Mentoring
is an intricate web of experiences
that is woven and broken continu
ally. Teachers are part of this web
as they frequently come into con
tact with people who may or may
not influence their instruction for
the better. A supportive teacher
education program, thoughtful
principal, and kind teacher-peer
can all make a difference in a nov
ice teacher's life. Additionally,
teachers' identities are molded by
those people they associated with
before they entered the teaching
profession. Marian Webb studied
how preservice secondary educa
tion instructors' identities were
formed, and she discovered that
new teachers negotiate their iden
tities based on their teacher edu
cation programs and the context
of their schools. Webb's most
interesting finding, however,
reveals that teachers' personal
domains of "resilience, boundar
ies and ongoing formation of val
ues" affects them just as much as
their professional spaces. Thus,
teachers are an amalgam of their
personal experiences from their
past and present (Beauchamp and
Thomas; Day et al.; Lynn; Nevin
et al.). The stories that teachers
live by, including key "characters"
within that story, such as family
members, friends, and commu
nity members also play a crucial
role in shaping who they become
(Connelly and Clandinin; Huber
and Whelan). The story of one of
my students, who was to become
my student teacher, is no excep
tion. Four women in Dana's life
inspired her desire, passion, and
drive for teaching English. This
article details the story of that
process. I would like to thank
Dana for granting me permission
to share her story. To respect her
confidentiality, and that of her
family's, I have used pseudonyms
throughout this article. I hope
that by sharing her narrative with
you, you may remember those
people who have shaped who you
are and may learn more about how
you have inspired others.
Dana's Successes
Dana is a Latina who grew up
and lives in an urban, impov
erished neighborhood in South
Phoenix. I first met her when
she was in my ninth-grade read
ing class, the summer before her
ninth-grade year. By the time she
was in my class, she was already

a hard worker. She earned A's in
my English classes and was on
our Academic Decathlon Team,
often taking first place in compe
titions. Later, she attended a local
university with full scholarships,
determined to become an English
teacher. But Dana had not always
been successful. She was a rarity in
her family and in her community.
Dana was the first of 20 cous
ins to attend college. She also was
one of the few women in her fam
ily who had not become pregnant
in high school or involved with
gangs. I asked Dana why she had
been successful in school when the
majority of her family members
had not. She credited two women
in her life who were responsible for
her achievements and two other
mentors, including myself, who
made her education a possibility.
These women built a multilayered
protective "shield" around Dana
that supported her throughout her
childhood and teenaged years.
Dana's Grandmother:
The First Source of Light
"Nana was so determined. She
would always say, 'You're not
going to give up on yourself.
You're going to college!"'
Dana's grandmother had plans
to attend college when she was a
teenager. She met her future hus
band in high school and became
pregnant shortly after gradu
ation, so she never made that
dream a reality. When her high
school sweetheart and husband
cheated on her, she divorced him.
To support her three children, she
worked a factory job at Motorola.
She was determined that her two
daughters and her son, Dana's
father, would receive a formal
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education. Later, Dana's mother
became pregnant at the age of 14.
When Dana's grandfather found
out, he threw Dana's mother,
Angelica, out of the house. So
Dana's grandmother, or "Nana,"
took Angelica in and supported
her. She took care of Dana while
Angelica attended high school
and while Angelica earned an
associate's degree in nursing.
When I asked Dana to describe
"Nana," she explained, "Her hands
were so beautiful and strong.
For their strength, they were
very feminine at the same time.
She was just a strong woman,
in everything." Interestingly
enough, Dana's grandmother did
not want her to become a teacher.
Dana reported, "She was a strong
woman but she could hold a
grudge. If she had an opinion on
something she would tell you; it
didn't matter what it was. When
I was growing up, she did not
like the fact that I was becoming
a teacher. She's like 'they don't
make enough money. You'll be a
doctor or a lawyer.' And she was
determined that that's what I
was going to be." Dana explained
that her grandmother taught her
that she did not need a man to be
successful and that women must
obtain their educations if they are
going to be successful. Unfortu
nately, Dana and her father have
not kept in touch.
Dana's Mother, Angelica:
An Additional Illumination
Dana's mother was successful
because of the emotional and
financial support that Dana's
grandmother had provided her.
So often, those who are mentored
"pay forward" what they learn
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Mentoring Matters
from others. Dana's mother did
this for Dana. Although they lived
in poverty, Dana's mother made
certain that Dana and her brother
Michael lived fulfilling lives and
enjoyed the same privileges as
those children whose parents had
more money.
Dana explained, "When she
was working, she would look for
all these places for us to go that
were free and fun, like October
Fish. Every October, they had a
fishing party at any of the parks
with lakes. You didn't even need
a fishing license to fish. They had
raffles and face paintings. And she
got me into River Rampage [in]
which I [rafted down] the Colo
rado River for a week with a bunch
So often, those who are
mentored "pay forward" what
they learn from others. Dana's
mother did this for Dana.
of kids who are 'at risk.' I've been
camping and my brother's been
camping to these nice, expensive
places that she found scholarships
for us to get in and go to." Dana
appreciated the sacrifices that her
mother had made for her so that
she could have these valuable
experiences.
Today, Dana's mother is her
greatest support. Dana lives at
home with her mother and is pur
suing a master's degree in counsel
ing with the goal of becoming a
high school guidance counselor.
Dana explained that just as her
mother worked to get her scholar
ships, she too will do the same for
her 15-year-old brother. She also
talks to her younger cousins about
the importance of attending col
lege and receiving an education.
English Journal
 Many Voices, Many Choices: Women Who Mentored and Inspired Dana Rodriguez
For Dana, it is important that she
pass on the lessons she learned
from her Nana and her mother to
future generations.
Reading into a Bright
Future
Dana's Nana and her mother,
Angelica, were great sources of
support to her, but she often felt
uncared for by her teachers until
she met Mrs. Sanders, her fifth
through eighth-grade librarian.
It was winter and the bus would
come extremely early, or my mom
would drop me off early . . . and it
was cold and the cafeteria wasn't
open. ... So I decided to look for a
place that would shelter me from
this cold. And the only place that
was open was the school library. . . .
I went in there [the library] and
just sat down and waited for the
cafeteria to open, and she was there.
It took a while before she even
started talking to me. She noticed I
kept coming in and she was like
"why don't you read a book?" She
gave me a book . . . titled The Last
Book in the Universe [Rodman Phil
brick, Blue Sky, 2002], And then I
started looking at other types of
books that I might have to read
'cause I enjoyed that one.
With the assistance of Mrs.
Sanders, Dana developed an interest
in reading. She discovered that she
enjoyed fantasy and poetry books
that provided a means of escape
for her while she contended with
her mother's growing battle with
multiple sclerosis and the poverty
within her community. School was
difficult for Dana during this time
because she bore the responsibility
of helping her mother cope with
this debilitating disease.
During her eighth-grade year,
Mrs. Sanders surprised Dana with
88 July 2011
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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
a letter. It contained Mrs. Sand
ers's contact information. She
told Dana to give the letter to her
mother to hold for safe-keeping,
and that once she had graduated
from high school, she would pay
for her college books. "She [Mrs.
Sanders] was the first person out
side [of} my family who believed
that I could make something of
myself."
Dana Shines Her Light
on Me
I did not know that I too had
played a role in Dana's successes.
Once Dana began student teaching
with me, we conversed about her
hardships and successes. Through
our conversations, she revealed
some powerful ideas about my
role in her life as a teacher and a
mentor. Dana explained that I was
different from her other teach
ers because I was the first teacher
When I had taught Dana as a
ninth grader, seven years prior,
I had no idea if what I was
teaching her made an impact
on her, let alone inspired her to
want to be a teacher.
who both cared about her as an
individual and challenged her
academically. Our relationship
inspired Dana to choose teaching
English as her profession: "I want
to be like you, I do, someone who
challenges their students but is
willing to see them as more than
just a body in a chair." When I
had taught Dana as a ninth grader,
seven years prior, I had no idea if
what I was teaching her made an
impact on her, let alone inspired
her to want to be a teacher. As
teachers, we never know how we
may touch our students' lives.
During the spring 2010 semes
ter, Dana co-taught three of my
twelfth-grade classes during her
student teaching internship. We
planned lessons and created cur
riculum together, but our rela
tionship was so much more than
that. Dana and I were friends; we
cared about each other. I helped
Dana learn the ropes of being a
novice language arts teacher, and
she allowed me to see that I made a
difference in students' lives. Dana
cheered me on as I attended grad
uate classes at night, pursuing my
PhD in English education so that
some day, I could teach teachers in
undergraduate teacher education
programs. During that semester,
I passed my comprehensive exams
and am now working on my dis
sertation proposal. Today, Dana
and I both acknowledge that we
cannot "assess" what makes a
great mentor, nor can we say for
certain what allowed for her to
succeed while many of her family
members and friends fell through
the cracks of the educational sys
tem. But we have a feeling about
what helped. All people, whether
students, parents, teachers, or
librarians, need to feel valued,
appreciated, and supported. Once
they feel that way, inevitably, they
pass that kindness on to others
and serve, formally or informally,
consciously or subconsciously, as
mentors to others. ^
Works Cited
Beauchamp, Catherine, and Lynn
Thomas. "Understanding Teacher
Identity: An Overview of Issues in
the Literature and Implications for
Teacher Education." Cambridge Jour
nal of Education 39-2 (2009): 175
89. Print.
 Mentoring Matters

Connelly, Michael F., and D. Jean Clan
dinin. Shaping a Professional Identity.
Stories of Educational Practice. New
York: Teachers College, 1999- Print.
Day, Christopher, Alison Kington,
Gordon Stobart, and Pam Sammons.
"The Personal and Professional
Selves of Teachers: Stable and Unsta
ble Identities." British Educational
Research Journal 32.4 (2006): 601
16. Print.
Huber, Janice, and Karen Whelan. "A
Marginal Story as a Place of Possi
bility: Negotiating Self on the Pro
fessional Knowledge Landscape."
Teaching and Teacher Education 15.4
(1999): 381-96. Print.
Lynn, Susan K. "The Winding Path:
Understanding the Career Cycle of
Teachers." The Clearing House 15.4
(2002): 179-82. Print.
Nevin, Ann, Lori Bradshaw, Maria
Cardelle-Elawar, and Rosario Diaz
Greenburg. "Becoming a Teacher:
A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Moti
vation and Teacher Identity Forma
tion." The American Educational
Research Association. San Diego, CA:
n.p., 2009. Print.
Webb, Marian. "Becoming a Second
ary-School Teacher: The Challenges
of Making Teacher Identity Forma
tion a Conscious, Informed Process."
Issues in Educational Research 15.2
(2005): 206-24. 20 Feb. 2006.
Web. 5 Apr. 2010. <http://www.iier
.org.au/iierl 5 .webb.html>.

Mary Powell has taught high school English in Phoenix, Arizona, for ten years and is a PhD student in the English department
at Arizona State University. She thanks all her students and mentors past, present, and future for the love and knowledge they
have given her.

Advice, Unsolicited

Dear girl, the letter you gave me to mail your best friends hate each other
appeared improperly sealed, insufficiently and they want you to take sides,
licked and in my judgment and that you did not come
looked about to pop. to me with this dilemma. Or
It would have been a shame to let perhaps you did and I didn't
the letter or whatever was inside think much of it because I am

wiggle out and settle into your father, until I saw it

no place piled high with dry in writing. What should you
and brown and brittle things like do. In my judgment
wind-blown leaves, regrets.
you shouldn't take sides. Or go
So I decided to remoisten it. by me. I don't have such problems.
In order to do so, I had of course I go to work, they go away,
to open it, and because in my judgment they don't. It doesn't matter
it could not be personalevidently unless it's family.
correspondence to the excellent
Family's the worst.
children's magazine Highlights You turn to the very
for ChildrenI did further
persons who are driving you
decide or perhaps without thinking mad and have to
because I am your father, did remove,
stop yourself crying
unfold and read your very What should you do.
interesting, concise and neatly written
Fred Jacobs
note, and sent it off 2011 Fred Jacobs
of course but I am sorry I
did that and that

Fred Jacobs is an English teacher at East River Academy, the public high school for incarcerated students on Rikers Island in
New York City. Email him at fjpulse@gmail.com.

English Journal

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