Once he entered the English classroom, his became English. But the language barrier was only one of the many barriers that stood between him and his parents. Once a student, Rodriguez began to live two different lives in two very different worlds. This difference is shown mainly through the different mentalities, those of his teachers and those of his parents. This discrepancy widened the gap between the two generations. Every child's role models are his parents. Once he stepped into that classroom, Rodriguez's role models became his teachers. He came to idolize them. He began by imitating their accents, using their diction trusting everything they said. This enthusiasm continued at home, in front of his parents. He corrected their every mistake by saying what his teacher told him: "My teacher told us- He told his mother that he wanted to become a teacher. In fact, as Rodriguez himself admits, it was not teaching that attracted him. He did not want to be a teacher; he wanted to be just like his teachers. He took this desire to the extreme by even wanting to assume a teacher's persona. Should someone ask them if his parents were proud of their boy, they would surely answer positively. But if someone were to ask Rodriguez if he was proud of his parents he would admit: "I was not proud of my mother and father." In his time and where he lived, the fact that he denies his parents is a serious offence. This denial of his parents came out of their not resemblance to his teachers. They just were not like his teachers. He spent more time with them than he spent with his parents. He spoke to his classmates more than he spoke to his family.
As a student, Rodriguez lived two different lives in two distinct worlds. At home he is taught to trust his instinct. Then, in the classroom, teachers emphasize the role of "first think than act". At school he can receive answers to questions that could not even be asked at home.
