Jean Teodoro of Daly City is the author of “Free” one of the five most compelling stories submitted to the Right To Learn Campaign.
When Jean Teodoro first arrived in the United States from the Philippines in 2004, he didn’t exactly receive a warm welcome.
Living in a hotel with his older brother, Jean describes Paramount as “the ‘hood… where I first learned about American culture [and its] ignorance…[where] I got discriminated against because people didn’t know about my people.”
In high school, Jean wasn’t getting the support that he needed and the expectations on his education were low. The only future people envisioned for him was as a basketball player. Without more encouragement to consider other options, Jean says, “I felt like I was wasting my time.”
After one year in Paramount, Jean made a strategic move to join his recently immigrated mother in San Francisco. He started attending San Francisco’s Balboa High School as a sophomore. While he had an opportunity to go to another school, Jean connected with some of the teachers and found the right support that he needed and decided to stay there.
Now the leader of the Filipino club at his school, the move to Balboa was definitely a step in the right direction. But that doesn’t mean Jean doesn’t still find fault at his new school. He finds it frustrating learning about things that do not always apply to him and feels that the curriculum is very Westernized.
Now, as a high school senior, he has to learn about European Literature. “I feel like my culture is not as important to be in the curriculum.” He adds, “School doesn’t reward me for learning about myself.”
Jean’s dream school is a school where students go to school to learn – but not for the grades. “Teachings are nothing if the students are just there for the grades. The same way speeches are nothing if actions don’t follow.”
He wants to see students think instead having them work without really thinking. He feels that there is too much emphasis on grades instead of the progress and effort that students make. “I want a school where folks are respected and supportive…really understand other folks more and where they’re coming from.”
Education is very important to Jean, which is why he avidly reads outside of school. “I read things that apply to my life.” He continues to play basketball, though his involvement in community work keeps him very busy. He is a member of the Active Leadership to Advance the Youth (ALAY), a community organization committed to educating young people on Filipino history, politics, and society. He is also on the youth advisory board of Youth Speaks, a literary arts organization in the Bay Area.
Committed to helping out his community and positively impacting the lives of young people, Jean hopes to go to college to become a writer or teacher. Eventually, he wants to go back to the Philippines and share what he has learned in the U.S. with people from his homeland.
Tags: community, culture competency, discrimination, low expectations, Philipppines
