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¡Adios, Señora Patiño!

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Eva Patiño knows the meaning of hard work, whether toiling in the fields, taking orders as a waitress, manning the snack bar at a movie theater or teaching English to immigrants in our community.
No matter the task, Patiño gave it her all — not that she always had a choice, though.
“I had to work,” said Patiño, now 62. “When my family decided to stay in Arvin, the months they didn’t work in the fields I had to work to pay for food.”
But of all those stints of employment, it was teaching that truly touched Patiño’s heart. She would eventually become a well-loved high school Spanish teacher, passing along her language, her cultura and her love of learning to students over the last 24 years.
Now, however, that beloved chapter in Patiño’s life has come to an end — she retired at the end of the 2008-09 school year. But not before her colleagues, family and even former students could bid her a fond farewell and tell her how much of an impact she made on so many lives.
A celebration for Patiño took place at Mauricio’s Grill & Cantina where there were plenty of amigos y buenos suerte — it was a special moment for Patiño.
“The most important people in my life were there. That made it all great,” she said.
Patiño was greeted to her fiesta by music from Mariachi El Tapatio, followed by numerous accolades from her colleagues as well as her children.
“It is wonderful, but weird, to see her retire,” said daughter Felisa Patiño-Guadarrama, who also became a teacher. “I have only known my parents as working, but I am happy for both of my parents. They have put in long days and it is their time to enjoy their grandchildren and to travel.”

In the beginning
After graduating from Arvin High School, Patiño attended Bakersfield College. She said she always knew education was the key to changing her circumstances.
“I think what inspired me to continue school was that every break we took from school, I went back to the fields,” Patiño said. “As I found myself in the fields pruning and tying vines, I thought ‘I am going to do something different,’” Patiño said.
And that something different would be teaching Spanish, but that was still some time away.
Patiño moved to Fresno to marry her now husband Joaquin Patiño, who was in his last year at Fresno State University.
Joaquin went on to a teaching position at Shafter High School, and soon after, the couple’s two children — Felisa and Octavio — were born.
As much as Patiño excelled in motherhood, she still kept the idea of earning a college degree in the back of her mind.
“Joaquin said that he would stay with the children if I wanted to go back to school,” Patiño said.
She took some classes here and there and wasn’t sure how close she was to completing her Spanish degree until her counselor told Patiño that if she became a full-time student during her final year, she could graduate.
“I was like, ‘What?’ I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go back. I was tired, but the kids pulled me out of bed and told me I could do it,” Patiño said.
It was during her last year of college that Patiño made it official: She wanted to teach.
“I got the family together and told them, ‘Look, my counselor said I can get this done. It’s not going to be easy for the family, but it is something I would like to do. Can we all do it together?’” Patiño said.
“They said, ‘Yes.’”
Patiño-Guadarrama remembers as a child constantly seeing her mom with books.
“It came to be the norm that we all did homework together. We encouraged each other,” she said.
Patiño completed her Spanish major, got her credential and did her student teaching at Shafter High School. After finishing her student teaching, she subbed throughout the district and was eventually hired at West High School in 1984.
She had truly found her calling.
“I loved it! I loved knowing that the students were able to use the language,” said Patiño, who would later transfer from West to open Centennial High School, and later finishing her last three years of teaching at Frontier High School.
She also took additional classes to become a master teacher and eventually began training new teachers.
Patiño said that she loved being able to integrate culture into the schools and the kids. She began instituting activities that allowed the Spanish speaking kids to share their culture during celebrations like Cinco de Mayo, incorporating fiesta traditions like piñatas and mariachi.

Giving back
Though some people might think that nearly a quarter century of teaching could bore a person, Patiño said sharing her culture through her Spanish teaching and the feedback she’d get from students kept her alive and energized.
In fact, one particular student gave Patiño the ultimate feedback.
Dionicio Altamirano was a student in Patiño’s advanced Spanish class at Centennial High School. He clearly remembers how much teaching meant to Patiño.
“I saw how much she loved her job and enjoyed her culture. She was my favorite and always will be,” Altamirano said.
And why not? Especially considering that same favorite teacher played an integral part in this young man’s future.
“She inspired me to become a Spanish teacher,” he said.
Altamirano just finished teaching at Liberty High School and will be transferring to South High School in the fall.
Patiño said she remembers telling Altamirano that he would make a great Spanish teacher.
“He looked at me and smiled. I just knew that he could do it,” she said. “And then one day, he walks into my classroom and says ‘Señora, ... I am a Spanish teacher.’ I wanted to cry.”
Patiño was also Altamirano’s MEChA adviser. Patiño served in this role at all three schools she worked at, which allowed her to give students experiences they might never have had.
Through the MEChA program, she was able to take students to colleges such as UCLA and CSU Northridge and to places like the Museum of Tolerance.
“Education has always been my goal. Another goal was community service,” Patiño said.
She pushed her students to help out in the community through sock drives for the homeless as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets for the needy and more.
Over her years of teaching, Patiño received the California Language Teachers Association Outstanding Teacher Award in 2002 and was nominated for the Jim Burke Ford Teacher Award in 2001.
“I knew that if I hired Eva, that if student took her class for four years, they would know Spanish,” said Bill Hatcher, former principal of Centennial High School.
Hatcher opened the school in 1993 and immediately thought of Patiño for the Spanish department.
“If there is one word to describe the Patiños, it is: passion. Everything they do, they are passionate about,” he said. “Let’s just say that the decision to bring her aboard worked out better than I planned.”
Hatcher said that not only did Patiño bring an excellent teaching style to Centennial, but she also brought much-needed cultural awareness to the campus.

Job well done
As Patiño’s teaching career ends, it becomes even more evident how much her encouraging words influenced others.
That encouragement naturally continued when Patiño-Guadarrama followed in her mother’s footsteps, also becoming a Spanish teacher — and even starting at West High just like mom!
She said her mother was always just a phone call away to answer all her questions and guide her through her first year as a Spanish teacher — an invaluable resource for a new educator.
Patiño’s former student teacher, Lenis Mora said she also owes a lot to her mentor.
“I can honestly tell you I wouldn’t be the teacher I am, if it weren’t for her help,” Mora said. “She has a special place in my heart and I wish her the best.”
Ana Cataño, a Spanish teacher at Shafter High School, also counts Patiño as a major positive force in her career.
“She is fun loving, caring and so sweet,” Cataño said. “I’m happy she is retiring, but sad we are losing such a great teacher.”
Now that Patiño will no longer be waking up early Monday through Friday to teach students how to conjugate verbs, she has plenty of free time on her hands and she’s already making plans.
Patiño said she will work on her family scrapbook and sew things that she can sell at her husband’s art shows, such as Dia de los Muertos bags, along with her unique creations of aprons for men and women with a Chicano twist to them.
She will also travel to Chicago and Texas to visit family.
“Then my husband and I are going to plan an exotic trip somewhere far away,” Patiño said. “I have a lot to do.”
Of course, there will be a sense of nostalgia when Patiño looks back at her 24 years of teaching.
“I will miss the students — they are the ones that kept me going with their discussions and their concerns,” she said.
For all those new teachers just starting their career in education, Patiño offered this advice:
“Keep going to workshops, keep learning and become more effective because there is so much out there. Remember that you are in the best profession in the world. It is very rewarding.”