Parents have to fight for their kids

[TexasStooge]

By Diane Smith , StarTelegram Staff Writer

Rogelio, an eighth-grader, averts his eyes shyly when asked what he wants to be when he grows up. But after seconds of silence, his face lights up.

"A wrestler," he says with a half-grin.

His mother, Manuela Ramirez, responds with a disapproving frown. Although she looks down on wrestling, the word luchador -- "fighter" in English -- is part of the family's vocabulary. Because Rogelio has cerebral palsy, Ramirez has become an outspoken advocate of his educational needs, despite speaking little English.

"I want him to be a fighter," said Ramirez, who's studying English to help her son's cause.