At the start of my third-grade year, we moved into a six-bedroom house in Reunion, Colorado where at the school I attended, the students and teachers spoke strictly English.
I was an eight-year-old Latina in a predominantly white school and only spoke Spanish. During this time I would cry before school every day because I felt like an outcast.
In the 2008 recession my father lost his job, and we left the place we called home to move into a mobile home. My mom sold cosmetics and that’s what kept us afloat for a little bit. Times were so tough that the only food we had to eat was nearly spoiled when the fridge turned off due to my parents’ inability to pay the electricity bill.
At the end of the recession my mother found out she was pregnant, and my father was finally able to move us into a better home in Green Valley Ranch. Upon this transition my aunty was suffering with substance abuse. Social services took all six of her kids so they wouldn’t end up in foster care. My mom took all six of her kids.
Mind you, she was currently pregnant and had three daughters of her own to look out for. We had social services come to our home often to check up on my aunt’s kids to make sure they were being properly taken care of; it got to a point my mom was so burnt out she lost track of her own kids.
At this point I was starting sixth grade, and my life began to fall apart. My behavior changed. I would cheat on my assignments, skip class and stay in the school bathroom all day long. I wouldn’t follow the dress code, and I would cry a lot. I got suspended twice.
I shudder to think about where I would be today if my English teacher, Amy Waterhouse, hadn’t noticed my depressive state and reached out a hand.
I was quickly falling into despair, and without the tools to steady myself, I was grasping at air. My only lifeline came in the form of Ms. Waterhouse. When I came to school distressed, she would offer me the support I needed to get through the day even when all I needed was a hug or a kind smile.
Things at home did not improve for the rest of the year. As I carried this trauma to school, one day, Ms. Waterhouse pulled me aside and told me she had signed me up for track. She explained that a sport might help distract me from what was happening at home, and she was right that joining the track team was pivotal in my personal and academic success as a sixth-grader.
Paying forward what my teachers gave me
So today, having survived sixth grade and navigated my first several years into adulthood, I hope to open doors for those following in my footsteps to access the same opportunities I was afforded.
When I joined the Denver Families Issues Assembly in October 2024 and learned that the Denver community surfaced academics, mental health, and school safety as the most pressing challenges facing our students, I was reminded of Ms. Waterhouse.
These interconnected challenges underscore the complex and critical roles educators play. Just as Ms. Waterhouse went above and beyond her duties as an English teacher to become my lifeline — providing support that my parents couldn’t at the time – many educators are aware of the mental health challenges their students face and are proactively finding solutions to improve their well-being.
Despite being historically undercompensated, teachers are often the first to be asked to carry the burden of responsibilities that traditionally have not belonged to them. Alone, each of these issues carries massive weight. Together, they represent a charge that we cannot ask our educators to carry alone.
Without adequate resources, it becomes increasingly difficult for teachers to manage these priorities effectively. If we hope to address issues like mental health and school safety, we must start by valuing, compensating, and supporting our teachers for the critical role they play in the development of our students.
The passage of the $975 million Denver Public Schools bond in November 2024 was largely allocated for infrastructure improvements at schools across Denver. It was indicative of our community’s support for our education system, and it was only a step in the right direction (teacher salaries are supported by mill levies, which are tied to property taxes).
Just as our students can’t be expected to learn in buildings with insufficient facilities, our teachers cannot teach without adequate resources.
Even though I’m no longer directly impacted by the public education system, I understand that society benefits from a well-funded education system. The students of today will become the problem-solvers, job creators, and innovators of tomorrow. Conversely, a lack of education often correlates with higher rates of incarceration and reliance on public assistance programs like unemployment, food stamps, and Medicaid.
Wouldn’t we rather invest in education now than pay for these societal costs later?
We must find a way to pay teachers more
I would urge all of Denver to support a mill levy when it comes to the ballot to ensure that teachers are compensated. In the meantime, any attempt we make to address mental health and school safety must be carefully crafted to alleviate, rather than burden, the already heavy load our educators carry. Creative solutions might include:
- Student loan forgiveness
- Raising teachers’ minimum salaries
- Increasing charter schools and school choice
- Improving benefits
Beyond parents, teachers are often the most significant support system for students. Their efforts to nurture students’ mental health and overall well-being should never go unnoticed, they should be celebrated and compensated. Educators like Amy Waterhouse, Justice Martinez, Mr. Burke, Michelle Ford, Andrew Madson, and Nicholas Kukucka have made a lasting difference in my life.
Let’s ensure they have the resources and recognition they deserve to continue making a difference in the lives of others.
