Barefoot Heart: Stories of a Migrant Child by Elva trevino Hart

Barefoot Heart is written by Elva Trevino Hart who tells the story of her childhood.  She tells how she was born in Mexico and traveled with her family each summer to Minnesota to find work.  She tells about how difficult it was leaving her friends in Mexico each summer.  She also tells about the struggles her family faces in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  She recalls not fitting in with the white people in the U.S.  Although Hart faced many challenges she was able to overcome them.  She worked hard in school and eventually graduated from Stanford University with a degree in computer science/engineering.  This is a moving story of a migrant girl who overcame all the struggles of moving from one place to another.  It made me aware of some of the challenges that migrants face.  Challenges that I never imagined that they were facing.          

Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario

       This book written by Sonia Nazario follows the life of Enrique, a young boy living in Honduras without his mother. When Enrique was only five years old, his mother left for the United States in search of a job that would pay her enough money to feed her children. She left her son behind in Honduras so that he could continue to receive an education but promised that one day she would return. However, his mother faces many difficulties in the United States as the years keep ticking by. Enrique calls her and begs her to come back because without her, he feels lost and lonely. Finally, after 11 years of not seeing his mother, he decides to go find her. With nothing but his mother's telephone number, Enrique sets off for the United States and illegally travels through Mexico by clinging to the sides of trains or riding on top of them. While making the journey through Mexico, Enrique and other migrant children encounter many obstacles. Gangsters are patrolling the tops of the trains, thieves steal and even kill some of them, and cops are patrolling the border, ready to deport any illegals. In order to escape from these cops, they must jump on and off El Tren de la Muerte (The Train of Death). Despite all these harships, Enrique eventually finds his mother. However, they realize they are strangers and get into arguments, but soon they learn to get along and both get jobs in the United States.

       I chose to read Enrique's Journey in order to learn more about what immigrants have to go through. Enrique is not alone; millions of children migrate illegally in search of their parents. All my life, I have grown up with a negative attitude towards these illegal immigrants; however, this book challenged that attitude and caused me to have more respect and understanding towards those who simply want a better life for their families.

History: Gaudalupe Hidalgo Treaty

                                                 

           The Treaty of Gaudalupe ended the Mexican American War in 1848.  In this treaty Mexico lost 45 percent of its land.  What once was Mexico is now California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.  In exchange for this land the U.S. gave Mexico $15 Million.  The U.S. also agreed to pay for the debts of U.S. citizens to the Mexican government.  This treaty also gave Mexican living within the now U.S. border civil and property rights.  The picture above shows the land the U.S. received in the Treaty of Gaudalupe.

History: Mexican Revolution

The Mexican Revolution began in 1910.  It started because the people were unsatisfied with the dictatorship of President Porfirio Diaz.  Government spots were held by only a few men and the people of Mexico were not happy with this so they started to revolt.  However, there were many Mexicans who opposed the fighting.  Most of these Mexican chose either to hide away in Mexico or flee their country to the U.S.  In fact, 890000 Mexicans immigrated to the U.S. between the years of 1910 and 1920.  The main reason they immigrated was to find peace.  In the late 1910’s the revolution ended but many of the immigrants who had immigrated to the U.S. never went back to Mexico.  They instead chose to continue building their family in the U.S.  

History: Cuban Independence

       In the 1820s, when the rest of the Spanish Empire in Latin America rebelled and formed independent states, Cuba remained loyal. Cuba depended on Spain for trade, protection from pirates, and control over slaves. Cuba feared the United State's rising power more than they disliked Spanish rule. However, in 1868 Carlos Manuel de Cespedes led the Cubans in a rebellion for independence from Spain. This rebellion resulted in what was called the Ten Years' War, but the U.S. refused to recognize the new Cuban government. Spain agreed to give Cuba a little more autonomy but remained in power.
       Then in 1895 a few Cubans tried again to achieve their independence. However, the Spaniards came over and suppressed the people. Many Cubans died of starvation and disease while in concentration camps. The United States, wanting to bring protection for its American people who had settled in Cuba, sent the U.S.S. Maine over with supplies. One night the Maine suspiciously blew up, and President McKinley declared war on Spain shortly after the incident.
     When the war was finally over, Spain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris, by which Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million. Spain also gave up its power over Cuba. Cuba gained formal independence in 1902 from the United States as the Republic of Cuba. Under Cuba's new constitution, the U.S. retained the right to intervene in any Cuban affairs and to supervise its finance and foreign relations.

History: Mexican-American War

       The Mexican-American War was an important battle and had quite the impact on the history of the United States as well as on the history of Mexico. Although the war has long since been over, the effects of it can still be seen and felt today.
       The cause of this war is mostly credited to the imperialistic attitude of the United States. After gaining Louisiana, Virginia, and Florida, America was greedy for more. They looked to the land of the Mexicans which was being sold at cheap rates to attract American settlers. Those Americans who had settled in Mexican-owned Texas wanted their independence, so they revolted in 1835. U.S. President Polk officially declared war on Mexico in May of 1846. He thought that Mexico would feel threatened and allow the U.S. to annex California and Texas. That, however, did not happen, and General Taylor ruthlessly crushed the Mexican resistance. Taylor continued to win battles, including the Battle of Buena Vista and the Battle of Cero Gordo. In 1847, the Mexican defeat is obvious, and President Polk arranges for peacemaking. However, Mexican leader Santa Anna refuses to give up, and the war continues for a few more months. Then in February of 1848, the U.S. wins the batttle and the Negotiation treaty is signed.
       In the end, the U.S. aquired Texas and the northern half of Mexico which included, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. However, relations between the U.S. and Mexico remained tense for decades and resulted in several military encounters along the border. Even today, bitter feelings still remain toward the U.S. in the hearts of some Mexican citizens.

The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez

The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez is a story based on the life of the author. Through The Circuit Jimenez shares his experiences as an immigrant child from Mexico. Jimenez writes about his experiences from the child-like perspective of when he was a boy. As a young boy, Francisco Jimenez or “Panchito,” goes through a number of trials as he and his family struggle to stay out of poverty. The Circuit tells the compelling story of Jimenez’s family and their struggle to survive in America as immigrants from Mexico.
The story begins when the Jimenez family, living in El Rancho Blanco, Mexico, decides to cross the boarder into the United States. Francisco's Papa hopes to find work in California so that he can provide for his family. One night, the family sneaks across the boarder and they become illegal citizens residing in the US.
In the families first few months in America they experienced extreme poverty, exhausting working conditions, and a constant worry of not making enough money to meet their needs. The Circuit describes all of the hardships the family faces. Francisco experiences his first year in school. He does not know any English and struggles to keep up with what is going on in the classroom.
Despite the hardships the family goes through, they continue to stay positive and work hard. Francisco always has his family to encourage him and get him through the hard times. Through out the first few years in America, Francisco learns that family is far more important than any material object. He learns the English language and is thankful for his opportunity to go to school. He learns how to work hard and also how to stick up for what is right.
Just as the Jimenez family seems to be settled (Francisco's older brother finds a permanent job) Francisco is called out of class by the immigration officers who have discovered that the Jimenez family are illegal immigrants. The Circuit leaves the readers wondering what will happen to the family.
Overall, The Circuit gives readers a new perspective into the life of an immigrant. It colorfully plays out many of the trials the family faces. The readers of The Circuit fall in love with the Jimenez family and find themselves hoping for the family's safety.  

Some Teaching Suggestions for Hispanic American Students

One of the hardest issues that many Hispanic-American students deal with in terms of education is the English language. Many Hispanic-American learners do not have the advantage of English being their first language as many of their classmates do. Because of this language barrier, many Hispanic American students struggle to learn new concepts because they are all taught in the English language rather than their home language. To help these students be successful in education, teachers can implement a variety of teaching strategies that will be beneficial to the Hispanic American ethnic group.

One of the teaching strategies that teachers can implement whenever possible is to make sure minority students are included and accepted in every activity the class participates in. This includes having a classroom environment that celebrates students from a variety of cultures. It includes having a variety of perspectives when discussing various topics. It is developing an atmosphere where students work together and differences are explored and celebrated.

Another more technical teaching strategy that teachers can use is applying as much visual and hands on activities when possible. When a concept is accompanied by a visual, Hispanic American learners have an easier time understanding because the language or writing by itself may be too challenging to grasp all at once being that English is their second language. Hands on activities are also a good teaching strategy because it keeps students engaged and again, gives Hispanic American students another way to reach understanding other than only a verbal explanation. Hispanic American students can begin to understand through an explanation, but then they can confirm understanding through hands on learning.

Another way to make sure Hispanic American students are understanding is for teachers, when they are teaching a lesson and come across new vocabulary or vocabulary that they feel may be hard for a English language learner to understand, to clarify those words with either a visual or an explanation that makes the meaning of the word clear.   

Most importantly, teachers should get to know all of their students on a personal level. For Hispanic American learners, it is vitally important for them to have a teacher that genuinely cares and is willing to help them succeed academically if it means after school tutoring or simply re-clarifying concepts in class that seem to confuse.   

Description of Learners from the Hispanic American Culture

When one refers to a Hispanic-American learner, they are referring to a large, diverse group. Hispanic students differ from one another in where they were born, their primarily language, prior education experience, how much English they may know, and many other factors. Hispanic students may be from Mexico, Central America, South America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and many other locations. Thus each learner from the Hispanic-American culture is different from the other and each person is a unique creation of God with the ability to learn.  

Of all the different cultural groups, the Hispanic culture has been the fastest growing population in the US education system. Their enrollment numbers have increased over 100% in the past decade. Although this is a very positive event, statistics show that the Hispanic-American learner is falling behind in comparison to other cultural groups. For example, Hispanic-American scores on the NAEP were significantly lower than white students, drop out rates are higher in the Hispanic-American culture, and the percentage of Hispanic-American learners who graduate from college is far less than the white students.

Educators have been trying to get to the root of these negative statistics concerning the Hispanic-American culture. They have found that the percentage of poverty in Hispanic Americans is quite high in comparison to the white populations. Poverty in Hispanic families restricts educational opportunities because of cost. Hispanic students often reside in neighborhoods of poverty where the education system of that area tends to be underfunded, poorly maintained, have a large number of uncertified teachers, and not have access to the technology that is needed to meet the students learning needs. These factors alone have a huge impact on students’ success and achievement. In addition to these factors, many Hispanic-American students have to deal with learning the English language on top of their education and many teachers are not adequately equipped to help these students learn English.    

A common misconception concerning Hispanic-American students is that they are not as smart as their white peers and their chances at success are lower because of this. This view is extremely wrong and false. Each student learns in a different way and studies have shown that education is geared towards meeting the needs of the typical white student rather than the Hispanic-American learner who has English as their second language. If teachers were able to better meet the needs of Hispanic-American students, and if the educational experiences of each student were up to par and not affected by poverty, then the gap between Hispanic-American learners and other cultural groups would diminish.

I obtained much of this information from: http://www.cal.org/crede/pdfs/epr8.pdf

Documentary from the Hispanic American Culture

CHICANO! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement.
NLCC Educational Media, 1996.

Music from the Hispanic-American culture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv5zKd1rqcM

This is a YouTube video that plays the song "Macarena" by Los del Rio. The lyrics in Spanish are also shown in the video.

Music from the Hispanic-American culture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_SS-TyXhhU
The above link goes to a YouTube video that plays the song "La Bamba" by Los Lobos

Art of the Hispanic American Culture

"Dead of Paradise"
by Sergio Gomez

Art of the Hispanic American Culture

"Ni Una Mas!" (Not One More!)

by Judithe Hernandez

Picture Book of the Hispanic American Culture

"Cinco de Mayo: Celebrating the Traditions of Mexico"
by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
Photography by Lawrence Migdale

Picture Book of the Hispanic American Culture

Poem from the Hispanic Culture

Two Worlds by Pat Mora

Bi-lingual, Bi-cultural

Able to slip from “How’s life”

to “M’estan volviendo loca,”

able to sit in a paneled office

drafting memos in smooth English,

able to order in fluent Spanish

at a Mexican restaurant,

American but hyphenated,

viewed by anglos as perhaps exotic,

perhaps inferior, definitely different,

viewed by Mexicans as alien

(their eyes say, “You may speak

 Spanish but you’re not like me”)

an American to Mexicans

a Mexican to Americans

a handy token

sliding back and forth

between the fringes of both worlds

by smiling

by masking the discomfort

of being pre-judged

Bi-laterally.

Poem from the Hispanic Culture

Poema 20 by Pablo Neruda

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.

Escribir, por ejemplo: "La noche está estrellada,
y tiritan, azules, los astros, a lo lejos."
El viento de la noche gira en el cielo y canta.

       Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Yo la quise, y a veces ella también me quiso.

       En las noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos.
La besé tantas veces bajo el cielo infinito.

       Ella me quiso, a veces yo también la quería.
¡Cómo no haber amado sus grandes ojos fijos!

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Pensar que no la tengo. Sentir que la he perdido.

       Oír la noche inmensa, más inmensa sin ella.
Y el verso cae al alma como al pasto el rocío.

¡Qué importa que mi amor no pudiera guardarla!
La noche está estrellada y ella no está conmigo.

Eso es todo. A lo lejos alguien canta. A lo lejos.
Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.

Como para acercarla mi mirada la busca.
Mi corazón la busca, y ella no está conmigo.

La misma noche que hace blanquear los mismos árboles.
Nosotros, los de entonces, ya no somos los mismos.

Yo no la quiero, es cierto, pero cuánto la quise..
Mi voz buscaba al viento para tocar su oído.

De otro. Será de otro. Como antes de mis besos.
Su voz, su cuerpo claro. Sus ojos infinitos.

          Ya no la quiero, es cierto, pero tal vez la quiero.
Es tan corto el amor, y es tan largo el olvido.

Porque en noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos,
mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.

Aunque éste sea el último dolor que ella me causa,
y éstos sean los últimos versos que yo le escribo.

English Translation

I can write the saddest lines tonight.

Write for example: ‘The night is fractured
and they shiver, blue, those stars, in the distance’

The night wind turns in the sky and sings.
I can write the saddest lines tonight.
I loved her, sometimes she loved me too.

On nights like these I held her in my arms.
I kissed her greatly under the infinite sky.

She loved me, sometimes I loved her too.
How could I not have loved her huge, still eyes.

I can write the saddest lines tonight.
To think I don’t have her, to feel I have lost her.

Hear the vast night, vaster without her.
Lines fall on the soul like dew on the grass.

What does it matter that I couldn’t keep her.
The night is fractured and she is not with me.

That is all. Someone sings far off. Far off,
my soul is not content to have lost her.

As though to reach her, my sight looks for her.
My heart looks for her: she is not with me


The same night whitens, in the same branches.
We, from that time, we are not the same.

I don’t love her, that’s certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the breeze to reach her.

Another’s kisses on her, like my kisses.
Her voice, her bright body, infinite eyes.

I don’t love her, that’s certain, but perhaps I love her.
Love is brief: forgetting lasts so long.

Since, on these nights, I held her in my arms,
my soul is not content to have lost her.

Though this is the last pain she will make me suffer,
and these are the last lines I will write for her.