This book was based on a study by Guadalupe Valdes, where she focused on the lives of 10 families. She spent three years observing the struggles and hardships that come along with trying to succeed in an unfamiliar society. The study took place in a town called Las Fuentes, along the US-Mexico borderlands, focusing particularly on the poorest area of the town known as “el barrio”. This side of the city emitted a feeling of transience rather than permanence. There was no sense of ‘community’ and most families were left on their own, or with their family ‘collective unit’, to navigate through unfamiliar territory, including the educational system. Valdes hoped to show that Mexican parents do know how to parent, but their parenting styles are a product of their class, culture, and experiences. They are very unlike the ‘standard’ American family (p. 39). What seemed to stand out was the fact that the women were the ones who kept things together. They did not seek individual fulfillment, instead focused on their families. As Valdes says, “They were focused on living out their roles in life as they understood them.” Indeed, the interpretation of what is considered ‘making it’ varies a great deal in the United States compared to Mexican ideals. Money, prosperity and materialism is not the primary goal for these families. They simply want to survive.
Ms. Doyle and I thought that a great way to implement what we learned in this book is to invite our ESL students' parents to our school once a quarter. In this meetings we will talk to them about ways they can be involved in our school, and ways they can help their children with school work. Our intentions are not to change these families' life style, but perhaps educate them about our school system and the expectations we have for all students. This meetings will take place in spanish so our parents should feel comfortable and have a sense of welcoming.
