Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1234752
students are experiencing within the system. I see beautiful fam- ilies, made up of law-abiding citizens, being torn apart. I had a student who got into UC San Diego and then her parents were deported. Now she is the caretaker for her younger siblings." Gooch, whose classroom was used for Valladolid's community circle, is a staunch advocate for these students. "My goal as your teacher is to help you have access to everything you need and help you achieve your dreams." Newcomers arrive traumatized Newcomers are often traumatized from experiences in their homeland, so they have very real fears about what could happen to them or relatives if they are deported. "I've had students whose family members were kidnapped or killed in front of them," says McCarthy. "You can see the symp- toms of their anxiety. eir head is down. ey shut down. ey won't talk. ey're a puddle on the table. ey have short tem- pers. But I am inspired by them every day — they are so resilient and persistent." One of his male students says, "In Honduras, I had problems. Gangsters almost killed my brother. ey shot him two times. I hid under the bed. I felt my life was threatened. So I came here. And when I walk around here, I feel safe. At first, I was nervous at school because I didn't know English and it's hard to learn. But the teachers are helping me to get better." " You can't imagine some of the horror these students have experienced," says Patricia Segura, a teacher on special assign- ment at Fremont High in Oakland, who coordinated the school's newcomer program for years, mostly serving students from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. "Ask why they left and they say things like, 'So-and-so got killed and I knew I was next.'" Martin, 16, tells his story in Spanish through tears. Since th e a ge of 5 , h e w orke d to supp or t hi s m o th er a n d f o u r younger siblings in Guatemala instead of attending school. His father was a gang member and drug dealer ; gang mem- bers poisoned and killed him. Gangs were threatening to kill Martin unless he joined. To escape, Martin and his mother crossed into Mexico and then illegally entered the United States. They are seeking asylum and living with a relative. He works as a dishwasher. Adjusting to Fremont High School has been difficult. He is depressed about leaving his siblings and began cutting himself with sharp objects. "I took out the pain that was inside me with these wounds," he explains. "And I got very nervous and angry and wanted to be left alone. I didn't want to harm anyone." Eventually a sympathetic teacher helped him find better ways of coping, including sports. Recently classmates cried and hugged him when he shared his story with them. He tries to stay hopeful about the future, but worries he will be deported and end up like his father. When newcomers first enroll in Oakland, says Segura, staff try to meet their basic needs, connecting them to services like an immigration lawyer (asylum seekers must prove that it is unsafe for them to return to their own country), health care and mental health services. Unfortunately, it's not unusual for Above: DACA-enrolled United Teachers Los Angeles member Angélica Reyes advocates on behalf of immigrants, and herself. Right: Oakland Education Association member Patricia Segura speaks with a student at Fremont High School who fled Guatemala to escape gang violence and fear of being killed. 30 cta.org feature