Jose Gonzalez ‘promotes’ diversity in driver education
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This is part of a weekly series that introduces readers to individuals who are passionate about the Mid Valley community.
Jose Gonzalez can point to an incident that changed his life.
He worked as a court interpreter in the District Court in Salem. He was arrested for driving without a license, so it was the “sweet old lady” who stood before the judge.
Judge Jane Aiken didn’t want to fine her. Instead, Aiken told the woman to get her license.
However, the woman kept failing the test. She still failed to pass after Aiken gave her another chance. For almost a year she tried to get her license but failed.
Aiken turned to Gonzales.
“Jose, is there anything I can do for her?” Gonzalez remembers her asking him. “Do you know of an organization or someone who can help those in distress?”
he didn’t. But he thought, he could be that person.
One year ago this month, Gonzalez opened the door to Driving Diversity Multilingual Driving School, or Escuela de Manejo (Spanish for Driving School), along with his wife, Dina. They teach classes in both English and Spanish.
“A lot of these people didn’t have the same opportunities when it came to education,” Gonzalez said. “Our goal is to help them reach their goal of getting a driver’s license.”
a definite need
On a recent Tuesday night, a small office building on State Street slowly filled with students. Some traveled from Portland, Gresham, and Beaverton. Some tuned in via Zoom from another pocket across the state.
One couple got lost and ended up in Vancouver, Washington. Dina said she wasn’t sure how that would happen, but she sent a Zoom link so she could join.
Gonzalez wasted no time.He started class at 6:02 pm
What do you do when you reach a traffic light with the lights on while the police are directing traffic at the intersection? Do you follow the light or the officer?
The police and the student filed a complaint.
They were right and it’s a question that might appear on the licensing exam.
Gonzalez is quick, but his instructions are clear. He repeats himself frequently, offering his style of call-and-response questions about lessons. All the lessons, he said, are what they might see on the test.
Students continued to submit files through Office and Zoom until around 7pm. At 6:40, Dina received a call from a woman in Portland asking if she could attend the class.
The next session is Sept. 19, Dina told the woman, but if she pays now, she can join the class on Zoom, watch the recording, and see what she missed. increase.
After 20 minutes, the caller has tuned in. She couldn’t wait for her one month.
Dina said she’s getting calls from all over the country, not just the state. She’s been getting calls from Texas, New York, California, and New Mexico.
According to Gonzalez, the class was packed as soon as it started. The need soon became apparent.
The school has already outgrown its offices on State Street. Next month, Gonzales will begin teaching in a large office on Lancaster Drive.
“This is an area where my community is underserved,” Gonzalez said.
navigate obstacles
Gonzales is qualified to teach only in Oregon. He and Dina are unable to help out-of-state callers. But he wants to help as many Oregonians as possible for as long as possible.
Every time a student comes to the office to show off their new license, it pays off, he said.
Some of his clients are farm workers who need to be able to drive to various work sites (Gonzalez is working on a qualification that will allow him to set up satellite classrooms in work camps across the state). increase). Others have taken the test dozens of times and failed. There are also his teens with parents who want cheaper insurance to keep their kids safe.
Getting a driver’s license wasn’t an option for some of Gonzalez’s clients until last year. voted to be
The law will come into force in January 2021. Gonzalez opened the school eight months after him. It was just the right time, he said.
“I’ve seen many families working hard for their money end up paying hefty fines. [for driving without a license]said Gonzalez. “It hurt me because they had no choice. When the law changed, I was like, ‘Okay, this is it.’ This is an opportunity for me to do something and give back to my community. ”
Paying the fee ($175) gives students access to the school and its resources (including practice exams) for as long as they need it.
According to Gonzalez, his clients face all sorts of barriers to getting licensed. Of course, language is a big thing.
Gonzalez is one of two schools in the area offering Spanish driving courses. Another is in Woodburn.
Gonzalez says the test questions may differ from what is in the study guide.
“People can memorize, but then when they take the exam, the questions are not the same,” he said. “I want you to understand the concept”
Technology is another barrier. Dina said clients who travel long distances for classes do so because they don’t know how to use Zoom. Some people are intimidated by having to take a computer-based test when they arrive at the DMV.
“Technology brings so much anxiety and stress to them,” Gonzalez said.
In such cases, Gonzalez said the school encourages students to write a formal letter to the DMV and take the test on paper.
Normalization of driver education
Gonzalez is also trying to normalize education in his community, especially for teen drivers, he said.
“When you’re 15 or 16, parents start thinking about driver education,” he said. “It doesn’t happen to us. I’m trying to change that.”
Formal guidance, as opposed to learning from family members, for example, can lower the chance of a serious accident, Gonzalez said. found no significant correlation between ed and crashes (other studies found the opposite, especially among teenagers).
“We have all these hopes and dreams for our children,” Gonzalez said. “They will be he 15, 16, 17. We send them out into the world to pursue their dreams, but often because they lack a very important part of education. , they won’t come back. Drive.”
It’s a cultural war. Gonzalez said he was fighting “one family at a time.”
family business
Gonzalez and Dina were born in Mexicali, just across the Mexican border in Baja, California. Gonzales was a “border boy”, but he grew up primarily in Calexico America (as opposed to Mexicali America).
Dina moved to America when she was young. They met when she was 21 and married in 1997.
Gonzalez has had several lives: preacher (he still wears a hat), realtor, loan officer, school district employee, and more.
He and Dina moved to Salem in 2000. They tried other homes: Phoenix, Texas, Washington. Oregon was their favorite.
“People have treated us really well here,” said Gonzalez. “Salem hugged us.”
They raised two daughters in Salem, both now in their teens. Their dad taught them to drive. They were part of his first class.
“Treat me like a student,” 17-year-old Karmesi recalled telling his father.
To her students, Gonzalez meant to be patient and professional at the wheel. With her, he was protective and perhaps a little short.
According to Gonzalez, her daughters were a big motivator for starting school in the first place. Well, it’s a “family business”.
The driving school is one of the businesses of Gonzalez’s parent company, Escritrio Publico (Public Desk). Escritorio Publico (Public Desk) is named after the people who set up desks and typewriters in public spaces in Mexico and sell writing services. Gonzalez is also a notary public, a letter writer, and a court interpreter. He is also still a minister.
Dina’s eyes widened when her husband asked if she had time.
No, said Gonzales. But he loves being busy.
“At the end of the day, I’m very, very tired,” Gonzalez said. “But I can sleep well [with] It’s the satisfaction you feel knowing that you’ve changed your life for the better. ”
You can contact Escuela de Manejo online, by email, or by phone at 503-877-8345. Classes are offered twice a month, two hours each for three nights.
If you have ideas about who to profile for this series, please email Alia Beard Rau, Senior News Editor at Statesman Journal at arau@gannett.com.
Shannon Solitt is a member of Report for America covering farm workers in the Mid Willamette Valley. The program aims to support local journalism and democracy by covering underrepresented issues and communities. Her contact is her ssollitt@statesmanjournal.com.
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