When I first started teaching middle school, I worked with 7th grade students learning English as a second language. I was given a set of textbooks, spelling workbooks, and transparencies. While trying to use the resources I was given to help students progress in their reading abilities, I quickly saw that they did not connect with the materials. Not only did they not relate to any of the short stories in the text, but they began to disconnect from reading altogether. I knew that I needed to find a piece of literature that they would connect with. I remembered reading The Circuit (Cajas de Cartón in Spanish) by Francisco Jimenez in a bilingual education class at Sonoma State.
This novel is the true story of Francisco Jimenez and his family. They illegally crossed the border in 1947, seeking better opportunities in California. The book describes the struggles that Francisco and his family faced along the way. The short chapters follow Francisco’s family as they picked cotton, and strawberries seasonally, from one labor camp to another.
Francisco enters school at a time when few people are able to help him learn English. Bilingual education was nonexistent, and teachers often yelled at him for speaking his native Spanish language. Nonetheless, he enjoyed learning, and appreciated every moment of his education. Jimenez is now a professor at Santa Clara University after overcoming adversity and poverty.
My students immediately connected to the stories that Jimenez told. I was thrilled when they would beg to continue reading his story, as they just had to know what happened next. Students of all backgrounds have embraced this novel with open arms. It is a book that inspires readers to chase dreams, while working diligently.
-Katie Vanko September 14th, 2015
Fall EDRL 524 Sonoma State University
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