Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful ... This Great Teacher Abides By The Scout Law
MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
Only six percent of Boy Scouts reach the Eagle Scout rank. That feat is even harder for young men who come from inner-city poverty. Today we're going to a neighborhood in South Los Angeles that's produced more than a dozen Eagle Scouts. That's thanks to a teacher who also holds the title scoutmaster. For our series 50 Great Teachers, NPR's Shereen Marisol Meraji makes this introduction.
SHEREEN MARISOL MERAJI, BYLINE: Scoutmaster Romy Vasquez totally reminds me of Jaime Escalante, the math teacher played by Edward James Olmos in one of my favorite great teacher movies, "Stand And Deliver."
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "STAND AND DELIVER")
EDWARD JAMES OLMOS: (As Jaime Escalante) I can't hear you.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (As students) A negative times a negative equals a positive.
OLMOS: (As Jaime Escalante) Louder.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (As students) A negative times a negative equals a positive.
MERAJI: But instead of calculus, its canoeing. And on this day, the kids aren't practicing for an AP test but an Eagle Scout ceremony, in uniform - green pants, khaki shirts tucked-in, some with sashes full of merit badges.
ROMY VASQUEZ: I can't hear you.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: All rise.
VASQUEZ: A little bit louder.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY: All rise.
VASQUEZ: I know you can speak louder.
MERAJI: Describe Romy.
JOAQUIN MORALES: Blunt - that's the main one that'll describe him. Loud, pushy sometimes. (Laughter).
MERAJI: Blunt, loud and pushy - adjectives from 19-year-old Joaquin Morales, one of Vasquez's Eagle Scouts. But Morales says that's why he loves him.
MORALES: I don't know, I guess I see him as another parent, if that makes sense.
MERAJI: Many of Vasquez's scouts come from single-parent homes. Some of the parents are undocumented and some of the boys are undocumented. These kids have a lot of added stress in their lives. So erase that image of the Boy Scouts who hold meetings in the backyard of a two-story on a leafy, suburban cul-de-sac. We're in South Central LA, where, as cliche as it sounds, Vasquez says it's easier to join a gang than the Boy Scouts of America, and scouting is not particularly cool so he modifies his pitch.
VASQUEZ: BSA - that's the biggest gang in the world. It's global. We got some in Japan, China, Israel, all over, like - are you serious? Well, guess what? You belong to BSA.
MERAJI: (Laughter).
VASQUEZ: They're like, OK.
MERAJI: Troop 780 meets in the auditorium of the South Park Elementary School on the corner of Manchester and Avalon in South Central, which is near three different housing projects. Vasquez has been holding meetings here for years and it all started because his son wanted to be a Cub Scout.
VASQUEZ: I moved up the ranks as a den leader, parent volunteer. My son moved over, crossed over, says, goodbye Cub Scouts. And I just stayed.
MERAJI: For 27 years, which means he's no stranger to the Boy Scouts' controversial ban on gay volunteers. But he told me the work is important and necessary and refuses to say more. So necessary, he drives from his home in Victorville, which is 90 miles away, to meet with his scouts three times a month. That, on top of working, taking care of his disabled mom and going to school to finish his bachelor's. He says no matter what, great teachers show up and make themselves available.
VASQUEZ: I'm on-call 24 hours for my boys. And I've always told my boys, if I have to pick you up because you got into trouble or you in the wrong place and you need help, pick up the phone and call me. Tell me, Romy, come and get me. Fine. I'm on my way to pick you up.
GABRIEL HEREDIA: Some teachers won't go as far as Romy does.
MERAJI: Nineteen-year-old Gabriel Heredia is another one of Vasquez's Eagle Scouts. He's been with the troop for six years and gone hiking, fishing and most recently, backpacking for a week in Yosemite.
HEREDIA: I carried 50 pounds on me. I had my bear canister, had my clothes, my sleeping bag, my tent, everything. And some of us wanted to quit too, like, we were like, we're tired. But Romy was like, no, you guys can't quit - if I made it, you can make it.
MERAJI: And the temptation to quit is everywhere. Nearly 40 percent of kids in this ZIP code don't finish high school. But Heredia not only graduated, he's taking classes at a community college and plans to transfer to Humboldt State. He wants to be a park ranger and says Vasquez pushing him to make his Eagle Scout rank was the first step.
VASQUEZ: I expect one of my young men are going to be a CEO of a company. I expect that. They can succeed no matter where they go.
MERAJI: Vasquez is talking about his Eagle Scouts. He believes if his kids, with all the additional stress they're under, can make Eagle, they can do anything. And over the years, Vasquez has had 16 with three more on the way, which means more days like this of grueling rehearsals for upcoming Eagle Scout ceremonies.
VASQUEZ: One more time.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY #2: A scout is trustworthy, loyal, friendly, helpful, kind...
MERAJI: Shereen Marisol Meraji, NPR News.
UNIDENTIFIED BOY #2: ...Cheerful, obedient, courteous.
VASQUEZ: Practice, practice, gentlemen. Do not embarrass me or your parents.
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