Autobiography

I was born in Hood River, which at the time was a small town in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge. Hood River is known for its fruit industry so it is important to know that when I say I grew up in Hood River, I should really say I grew up in Hood River County which consists of about three small towns: Hood River, Odell, and Parkdale. Each of these towns are between 10 and 15 miles apart from each other and over the years the differences between the people and who lived there have changed dramatically and has been a major influence on the person I have become.

When I was born the town of Hood River was primarily white. When I began school, the majority of my classmates were white and came from middle class families such as myself. Depending on how well your family did in the fruit industry, you might have more money than the kid sitting next to you, but that wasn’t usually the case. As I progressed in elementary school the grades became more diverse. More and more Hispanic families were moving to Hood River to help in the orchards, but in a class of thirty there would probably only be one or two students who were not white.

The diversity in ethnicity of my classrooms were never something I really thought about when I was younger, but what I did notice was the difference of economic status. As I've said the majority of Hood River is and was middle class so when you met a fellow student who obviously had more or less money than your family, it was something that stuck in your mind.

It’s important to understand that in Hood River County each of outlying towns have their own elementary schools. It isn’t until you reach middle school that the schools start to blend. Everyone in Parkdale goes to Odell for middle school and everyone in Hood River goes to the Hood River middle school. The valley continues to filter down once you reach high school. Every student in Hood River County attends the same high school and it is there that you will see how diverse Hood River becomes.

By the time I began high school there was a huge influx between white and Hispanic students. Odell and Parkdale had become heavily populated by Hispanic families working in the orchards, but Hood River stayed primarily white. This effected the clique order in the school. For the most part there were the same cliques as always, the popular, the jocks, the theater group, and the outsiders. These groups were primarily white with a few minorities mixed in, but for the most part the Hispanic culture kept to themselves. I personally was in the "doesn't have a clique" clique. I had friends from almost every clique and would just go back and forth between them. My parents call me the collector of misfits because none of my friends have anything in common. I think this has made me more understanding of other people and who they are. It's never really mattered to me where someone grew up or who they know. If I like them...I like them. Hood River may have been small when I was younger, but once I reached high school it had grown and with it the diversity of it's people.

I talk a lot about Hood River because I feel it has had the most impact on who I’ve become as a person. I’m seen Hood River go through many different changes especially when it comes to the people and their ethnic backgrounds, as well as their financial and political status. My parents have also been an example of those changes. When I was born my mom worked in the school district as a speech pathologist and my dad ran our family farm. We, like most of the valley, owned a small apple, pear and peach orchard, but my the time I was three the fruit industry had become a hard business to stay in. Only large orchards were making any money and it was apparent to my parents that their orchard wasn’t going to sustain them for the rest of their lives. My dad quit the orchard business and has been working in construction every since. He personally has seen the economic changes of Hood River. Hood River began as a middle class town, but in the last few years has become the place for “the yuppies” as I call them. These are the people who have enough money to commute from Hood River and Portland everyday and who have driven up the house prices making it impossible for the people who actually care about Hood River to live there.

I think the way my parents brought me up has really contributed to the person I am today. My family was lucky enough to have two parents with fairly well paying jobs and who were able to be home every night with their kids. My family and I ate dinner together every night and it wasn’t until I started school that I found that wasn’t always the normal situation in a family. My parents have kept me grounded. They’ve introduced me to new people and cultures and taught me to respect each person I come into contact with. I’ve learned a lot by just observing the way they have interacted with other people and even today find myself emulating them.

When I decided to go to college I had a lot to think about. I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and that I wanted to go to a school that was small. I’ve found over the years that I like the idea of small classes to one teacher rather than a lecture hall to one teacher or teacher’s aid. When I found Western Oregon University, I found everything I was looking for. It’s a small liberal arts school with great teachers and a more diverse population than I thought at first. College was the first time that not only was I going to school with Hispanic students, but African-American and Asian students as well. I met kids with similar backgrounds to myself, but also others who were completely different.

As I continued with college, I began to think about my future as a teacher. I've always thought that when I had my teaching license I would go back to Hood River. After really thinking about it, I realized the only way I was going to get a job there was if I learned Spanish. Since leaving Hood River, the Hispanic population has exploded. In my elementary school where Hispanics use to be the minority, they have now become the majority and this population will filter into the middle and high schools. I have no problem learning Spanish, I've always been interested in the language and can't wait to go to a Latin American country and immerse myself in the culture and language.

Even though I personally feel I have had very little experience with diversity I think even a little knowledge can go a long way. I'm open to new ideas, cultures, and opinions and believe that my students will be teaching me a lot more than they realize.