Gloria Da Cruz found her life's work teaching in Newark's public schools—but first she had to leave the city.
In 1933, Da Cruz and her family went to Portugal to escape the hardships of the Great Depression. It was "the biggest mistake my family made," says 74-year-old Da Cruz. They returned 18 years later to a Newark that "was much noisier with a lot more opportunities." One of those opportunities was for Portuguese speakers who could teach English.
As Portuguese immigrants moved into Newark's Ironbound section looking for work in factories and shipyards, the city's school system faced a crisis in language instruction. It called on bilingual residents to teach English to adults and children. Da Cruz, then a high school graduate who had worked as a secretary for RCA and General Electric, answered. It was the beginning of a new career.
"It started with a few of us, and we formed the Portuguese Club," she said. "We began teaching the people English at Central High School in a way they could learn—we used Portuguese It worked and the club still exists today." Excited and eager to help Newark's growing Portuguese community, Da Cruz decided to pursue a career in education and went back to school. She began classes at Kean University in Union, N.J., and earned certification as an English teacher.
She accepted a position at Lafayette School in the Ironbound but found the "fussy" attitudes of some of the Portuguese kids difficult to manage. According to Da Cruz, some of the students refused to learn English. So she transferred from Lafayette back to Central High School and began working as a computer administrator. It was at Central that Da Cruz concluded that teaching was her true calling.
Da Cruz was already a familiar face at Central, and some of the staff knew her from the Portuguese Club. When teachers found a student difficult to manage—let alone teach—they knew Da Cruz was not too far away to lend a hand.
A veteran of introducing students to new subjects from her days with the Portuguese Club, she began working with those who needed remedial help. She also helped out in the lunchroom. Although less than five feet tall, she set high standards in both the classroom and the cafeteria. She expected the best from her students.
"I laid down the rules and said: 'Look, we're going to learn this. If you give me problems I have a phone here, and we can take care of it another way,'" she recalled. "Soon, enough of the kids came around. They opened up to me and I to them. Those kids gave me so many good memories. We learned a lot from each other," she said.
For 11 years Da Cruz taught English and some math at Central. She says she never encountered a problem with those students that the other teachers felt they couldn't handle. Her students learned their lessons. Sometimes Da Cruz meets them near her home on Van Buren Street. While she may not remember all their names, she says that they remember her and thank her for the lessons learned.
Now six years into retirement, Da Cruz still spends her days helping those in need. She is a Meals on Wheels volunteer, delivering hot meals, housekeeping and company to seniors in Newark. She is also a member of the Legion of Mary, a local church group that discusses issues facing seniors and the community. She works to make Newark a city of opportunity.
"Let's face it, there's no time to rest. Newark has a lot of different people and gives the people a lot of opportunity. It's not the city's fault for the bad things. It's up to the people to make it right," she says with a smile.
Ian O'Blenis is a journalism and media studies major at Rutgers-Newark.
