Diana Savas: The Impact of a Good Teacher

    One aspect of The Distance Between Us that really struck me was the relationship that grows between Reyna and her professor, Diana Savas. Throughout Reyna's story, she is abandoned, shamed, and even beaten by the adults who are supposed to be holding her up and nurturing her. In Diana Savas, Reyna finds one of the first adults to actually warmly encourage her progress. This connection comes after a particularly difficult time in Reyna's life. After her cherished older sister suddenly moves out of the apartment they share with their father and step-mother, her father denies Reyna permission to apply to college. She is left heartbroken and hopeless. Her father is violent and aggressive and Reyna shrinks under the weight of her desperation. She attempts to get a job as a model, but ends up in an office with some sleazy men who ask her to remove her dress. Realizing that she is not in a safe situation, Reyna gathers the strength to run. When she is safely away from the men, she wakes up and makes a fresh commitment to pursue her education. The next day, with furious conviction, she declares to her father that the following day she would be enrolling in college. 

    She would encounter Dr. Savas in her first English class. Reyna describes Dr. Savas, 

        "She had short black hair and brown eyes framed by glasses. She was not too tall nor too short, and full-figured-- "llenita,' as we say in Spanish. It turned out that she was a Greek-American who, to my surprise, spoke excellent Spanish. The thought that a non-Latina took the time to learn my native tongue pleased me and impressed me." (Grande 299)

As their relationship progresses, their connection deepens. Reyna finds comfort in Dr. Savas' honest smile. They discuss writing and books, Dr. Savas introduces Reyna to the world of Latino literature and, for the first time since Reyna has become and avid reader, she sees herself reflected in the characters and scenery. Reyna does not open up to Dr. Savas about the tumult at home until her father is jailed for beating his wife and Reyna has nowhere to go. Dr. Savas, or Diana, opens her home to Reyna. They cook and eat together, they discuss literature and film. Diana is always seeing the good in Reyna and warmly encouraging her to pursue her dreams. Their friendship will last into Reyna's adult years, as her career as a writer blossoms and unfolds. 

As an educator, I am particularly drawn to this relationship because I feel like it is such a great illustration of how much of an impact a good teacher can have on a students life. In a study 570,000 students in North Carolina, researchers found that 'ninth-grade teachers who improved their students' non-cognitive skills- which include motivation and the ability to adapt to new situations, as well as self-regulation-had important impacts on those students: The were more likely to have higher attendance and grades and to graduate than their peers. They were also less likely to be suspended and to be held back a grade. These benefits persisted through high school." (Terada 2019)

When Reyna enters Dr. Savas' classroom, she is 'pleased and impressed' by Dr. Savas' fluent Spanish. Just the idea that a non-Latina would take the time to learn Reyna's native tongue, fills her with appreciation for her teacher.Teachers have an important job that goes beyond the realm of grades and academcs. Teachers have an opportunity to create bonds with diverse groups of learners and build social structures that encourage students to invest and succeed. I think this is one way in which Multicultural Education is so important. Being aware of the diverse cultures in your classroom and finding ways to genuinely connect with your students through these avenues fosters a sense of trust and belonging that makes the classrooms a safe place, ready for learning. 

Grande, Reyna. (2013) 

The Distance Between Us. New York. Washington Square Press.

Terada, Youki. "Understanding a Teacher's Long-Term Impact." Edutopia. February 4, 2019   https://www.edutopia.org/article/understanding-teachers-long-term-impact. June 29, 2020

The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande

When I finished reading Reyna Grande's memoir, The Distance Between Us, I had to just sit and digest everything I had just read. Grande's story is awe inspiring and deeply moving. A story of a child coming up against great odds and finding the strength inside to keep working toward a brighter future. 

The story begins in 1980 in Iguala de la Independencia in Guerrero, Mexico. Reyna is 4 years old and has been living with her mother, older sister, and brother in a small rented house. Reyna's father, Natalio, left two years prior to try to make money in the United States. 

When we first encounter Reyna, she and her siblings are gathering their belongings to go live with their Abuela Evila, their paternal grandmother. Reyna's father has called his wife to join him in the states, leaving the three children without parents. In a short time we learn that Abuela Evila is a cold, harsh woman and the children are treated like unloved orphans.  The children mourn the loss of their parents to El Otro Lado, the other side. They fantasize about what it must be like in the United States, especially after their aunt returns to Mexico for her daughters quinceanera, telling the children that money grows on trees there. 

Over the course of their time in Mexico, the children encounter difficulty, disappointment, malnutrition, and abandonment. Luckily, their maternal grandmother, Abuelita Chinta is a kind and gracious woman who raises her grandchildren to the best of her ability. In 1985, Natalio returns to Mexico with his new wife, Mila. Upon witnessing the state of his children's lack of cleanliness and nutrition, Natalio decides to bring the children with him across the Mexico/California border. Reyna isn't quite 8 and the journey is arduous and terrifying. After two failed attemps and a threat by Natalio to take them back to their checked out mother, they successfully cross the border. 

Life in Los Angeles is completely different from life in Mexico. Their new home, their town, their school. It's not the beautiful place with money growing on trees they had heard about their whole life. Reyna misses the warmth of her Abuelita Chinta and the freedom they had in Mexico. She feels a deep need to make her Papi proud, to prove to him that bringing her to El Otro Lado was the correct choice. One day her teacher announces that here will be a school wide writing competition. With the help of her ESL tutor, Reyna writes about the story of her birth in the little shack in Iguala. When her book is not selected and she is overcome with disappointment, her teacher ensures her that one day she will learn English and have as much success as any other kid in the class. That day, Reyna promises herself that one day, she'll write a book that will make her father proud. 

As the years progress, Reyna learns English and has a passion for reading. Her home life is tumultuous, at best, and her father's alcoholism and bitterness bleed into the rest of the house. Finally, after battling disappointment after disappointment, Reyna enrolls in college. In her requisite English class, her teacher, Diana Savas, notices Reyna's talent as a writer. Diana works with Reyna to improve her writing and becomes a close confidant. When Reyna's home life becomes intolerable and she has nowhere to go, Diana opens her home to Reyna and for the first time, Reyna is living in a happy and supportive home. Diana shares her love of literature, food and film with Reyna, opening up new worlds to her. She encourages Reyna to keep working on her writing and to keep improving.

 Diana is the first person in Reyna's life to see how remarkable she is and embolden her to follow her dreams. With Diana's love and support, Reyna enrolls in a writing program as UC Santa Cruz and begins her writing career. In one of my favorite passages, Diana is encouraging Reyna by remarking, "If Alvarez, Cisneros, and Viramontes can publish their stories, so can you Reynita." Reyna follows that saying, "Neither Diana nor I could have known that seventeen years later, I would find myself sitting in Sandra Cisnero's dining room drinking champagne and eating carrot cake. That I would share a car ride with Julia Alvarez. That I would share the stage with Helena Maria Viramontes at a book reading."

I enjoyed every line of this memoir. Reyna's writing is beautiful and lyrical. Her ability to build up the scenes of her youth and experiences make them vivid and alive. Throughout the book, my heart simultaneously ached and soared for Reyna. I had not connected with the story of a DREAMer so intimately and immediately started thinking of my students. What events will they have come through before sitting in my classroom? How many of my students will be away from their families of origin and yearning for connection to them? How many of my students will be doing everything within their power just to survive? 

I feel proud of Reyna and deeply inspired by her. I feel grateful for Diana Savas and her compassion toward a kid that deeply needed comfort and connection. And I feel motivated to make sure my students feel seen, heard, and loved when they walk through the threshold into my classroom.