Dallas Independent School District sixth-grade teacher Martha Mouret is encouraging her students to think about their future.
Mouret urges her sixth-grade students at Jose “Joe” May Elementary School in Northwest Dallas to start looking ahead and planning for their future.
In an interview with NBC 5 News, Mouret said she is passionate about preparing her students for the future because many of them think they cannot be successful.
“You can go to any university, any college,” Mouret said in a message to Hispanic students. “The only thing that you have to have is your mindset to do that.”
Mouret told NBC 5 News that she was kidnapped in Mexico, adding that her parents wanted her to leave there. Mouret said that she viewed the chance to move as “a big opportunity to go to another country.”
According to Mouret, she could not speak or understand English when she first moved to Lubbock, Texas, about 20 years ago from Mexico City. She attended and graduated from Texas Tech. Now, Mouret tells her students that if she can do it, they can do it.
During the interview, Mouret said she started holding “College Fridays” with her sixth-grade students to encourage them. In those classes, she shows them virtual tours of campuses and reveals the many opportunities available to them.
Some of Mouret’s teachings delve into the home to help parents navigate the education system.
In the interview, she said she thinks it is important parents have the tools necessary to encourage and help their students.
“Because it’s not an easy way. I know for a fact!” she said.