Jessica Talley

Bullitt County
Mt. Washington Middle School

I am the granddaughter of an immigrant from the Philippines. My grandfather came here almost 100 years ago speaking no English, but several other languages. He taught himself to speak English from the King James version of the Bible and spent 20 years establishing himself as a farm worker in California before he started his own family. He faced a lot of racism and opposition, so much so, that he refused to teach his children his native language for fear that they would also face the same discrimination. I have a passion for working with EL students because I want them to know that their cultural identity is important and should be embraced and shared instead of hidden away like my grandfather felt he needed to do.

I also had an older brother who was somewhat of a troublemaker in school. He often said that he felt like teachers gave up on him before they even got to know him. He was smart, but never applied himself the way I know he could have. I became a teacher because I want to be there for students like him: the ones everyone else has given up on. I also want to help my students have a broader view of the world. I teach them to advocate for themselves and for those the world has given up on. Of course, I use reading and writing to accomplish that goal!