. >> my first job after college was as a teacher in cotulla, texas, in a small mexican-american schoolon left college and went to teach at a schoolhouse in cotulla, texas. that shows something about him as a human being, which i don't think anybody talks about very much. >> he had the personal experience of seeing and teaching the young suffering students of cotulla, texas. >> my students were poor and they often came to class without breakfast, hungry, and they knew even in their youth the pain of prejudice. >> he always would talk about how you would look in your eyes when he was teaching, what they were saying is why do people not like us because of the color of our skin? >> somehow you never forget what poverty and hatred could do when you see its scars on the hopeful face of a young child. >> for the first time he sees through their eyes the sting of poverty and bigotry, and racial hatred. >> cotulla, texas made lyndon johnson a different person. being exposed to somebody who was disregarded just because of their background made a big difference to him. >> it never even occurred t