Windy with heavy thunderstorms during the morning. Occasional showers this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High around 80F. Winds S at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 90%..
Tonight
Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
It’s hard to believe that 1982 is 40 years ago, but that’s how long Denton ISD has been providing English as a second language education in our elementary schools.
That year, Isabella Piña-Hinojosa was hired as an ESL teacher. She did not have her doctorate then but worked hard and got several degrees along the way. Piña-Hinojosa recalls that the state of Texas had just been ordered by the federal government to provide ESL at any school that had 20 or more students with limited English language skills in the same grade.
Isabella Piña-Hinojosa
Some school districts resisted providing ESL for several years. Now the feds were serious. Schools had to provide more services and find more room with already strained budgets. The problem worked its way to the elementary school principals. They did not like it.
And into the big middle of this comes the smiling face of Isabella Piña, from Laredo, a recent college graduate. Through her friendly ways, her kind heart and her professionalism, she was able to win over all the principals. Except one.
He told her his school did not need ESL. She showed him where the school district had instructed his school to provide space and time. He was not amused.
When she returned the next day, she was instructed to report to the principal’s office. I imagine that’s never good news to anyone — teachers or students. He had the custodian show her the way to her “classroom.” She was escorted to the boys’ restroom, where one student’s chair faced two others over by the urinals.
She walked out of the boys’ restroom and headed to her assignment and welcomed her students big as life. In her pleasant, quiet and professional manner, she managed to make the first year ever for ESL in Denton a complete success.
And the program she pioneered continues to this day. Her curriculum has served as the foundation for all ESL education programs in Denton ISD.
But education was not always her goal. Her first inspiration was music. She came to North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas, to learn more about music. In her case, it was mariachi.
You know, those Hispanic Texans who wear black with white trim and those gigantic hats. She did not give up her dream — she considers it her calling. Mariachis sing and play at celebrations of passage: weddings, funerals, grand openings, golden anniversaries and so on.
Although Piña-Hinojosa has retired from public education, she teaches ESL as an adjunct professor. And she has not retired from music — or the spirit of the mariachi that glowed in her young heart so many years ago. Remember mariachi sing at celebrations? Well, she sings at what Catholics call the Celebration of Holy Mass.
She not only contributed to our children’s education, she also sang her way into the hearts of the community. She and her husband, Daniel, sing at the Spanish Mass at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church while their grandson Julian plays the accordion. Folks say they sound like a choir of angels. Don’t believe me? Come and see!
A recent retiree, “Chavela,” as most Hispanics know her, has several hobbies. These include modern photography, historical research, gardening and listening to books on tape. And she has decided it is high time she learns how to ride a bicycle!
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RAMIRO VALDEZ has been a frequent guest columnist in the Denton Record-Chronicle and is a retired area counselor. He welcomes feedback and suggestions via letters to the editor or emailed to rambam.valdez@gmail.com.
