When Lotus Hoey started teaching English as a second language a few years ago, she felt right at home. Her own parents immigrated from China, so she had to learn English at school, too.

“Initially, when I first started school, I did not speak any English at all. I only spoke Cantonese Chinese and as I was growing up, it was difficult for me to continually translate for my parents who spoke no English,” Hoey says.

When her students come to Pershing Middle School in Houston from places like Central America, the Philippines and Sudan, Hoey can relate to them pretty easily.

Or at least, she could, until she met Emiliano Campos.

This episode was produced in partnership with Teacher Project, Texas Standard and public radio stations across Texas.