The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What does it mean to be a migrant worker, and in what industries do migrant workers often work? How might migrant labor be related to the economy?

Teaching Suggestion: Depending on the variety of backgrounds and experiences in your classroom, an independent response followed by guided discussion may be one approach. It may be beneficial to share information from these and other resources.

• This resource from the National Farm Worker Ministry presents insights into educational challenges faced by migrant farm workers in the US and features links to other similar resources that might prove useful in this activity.
• This resource from the UN provides data, definitions, examples, and illustrative videos about the lives, journeys, and struggles of migrants internationally.
• This article from UN Women features information on female migrant workers in the Asia-Pacific—the contributions they make and the issues they face.
• This article from the ACLU explores relationships between immigrants and the economy.
• Consider sharing selected information from these relatively teacher-facing resources on the lives, livelihoods, economic impacts, and struggles of migrant workers: “The Migrant/Seasonal Farmworker” and “Migrant Workers.”

Short Activity

The California Research Bureau estimates that, in 2013, most farmworkers in the state of California were between the ages 25 and 44 (55%), though nearly 18% were under the age of 25. The vast majority of farmworkers (92%) were Latino. In a small group or on your own, complete the following:

1. Come to 2-3 conclusions on what these California farmworker demographics suggest about the nature of the work.

2. Find and investigate scholarly resources to draw 2-3 conclusions about farmworkers and/or the current state of farm work in California.

3. Draw 2-3 conclusions about changes to these demographics in the years since 2013.

Teaching Suggestion: Much of Francisco Jiménez’s life is shaped around the challenging living and working conditions related to the agricultural economy in California. This discussion will help prepare students to better understand the theme of The Challenges of the Immigrant Experience, including the “outsider” status that is often attributed to migrant farmworkers. If time is limited, consider directing students to preselected resources—e.g., those below.

• “Farmworkers in California: A Brief Introduction” ­is a brief overview of the demographic characteristics and geographic distribution of California farmworkers.
• “Immigrant Laborer for a Day” is a 4-minute video from CNN offering one perspective on daily life.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Reflect upon your experience going to school for the first time (if you cannot remember your first day in detail, think back to your earliest impressions). What did you know about school beforehand, and how did this shape your expectations? How did you feel before and after your introduction to school? Do you still feel the same way?

Teaching Suggestion: Francisco does not start school until first grade, so he is likely to have entered at a slightly older age than most students; nevertheless, his sense of nervousness and anticipation is one that many young children share. However, while The Importance of Education is a significant theme in the book, it is one that students who have come to dislike school may have difficulty connecting to. To encourage engagement with this theme, consider prompting students to reflect on what they understood to be the purpose of school and where that understanding came from (e.g., their parents, older siblings, etc.). The resources below may also be useful in facilitating recollection and discussion.

• “What Is the First Day of Kindergarten Like” is a video from the Andover Public School system following kindergarteners throughout their first day and showing how their teacher engages their thoughts and feelings about going to school for the first time.
• This Pew Research Center data on what parents want their children to learn in school may prompt reflection on how students’ parents shaped their attitude toward school and on the function of education broadly.