Spanish V Students Analyze 'Cajas de cartón' in Immigration Unit

Students in Erin and Fabiola's Spanish V classes finished reading Francisco Jiménez’s Cajas de cartón (The Circuit), a central component of their unit on immigration, providing students with a firsthand look at the Mexican-American migrant experience.

The text follows the journey of a young boy named Francisco (Panchito) and his family. After migrating from Mexico to California, the family survives by working as migrant farm laborers, moving frequently to follow the harvest. Through Francisco's perspective, students explored the daily realities of:

• Economic Hardship: Living in tents or small cabins with limited resources.

• Educational Barriers: The struggle to learn English and maintain a consistent education while moving between school districts.

• Labor Demands: The physical toll of field work on families and children.

Students discussed how Francisco’s family maintained a sense of hope and perseverance despite these challenges. Students engaged in discussions in Spanish about the family’s resilience and the systemic obstacles that define the "circuit" of migrant life.

The unit wrapped up with a look at the family’s ongoing uncertainty, specifically the looming threat of deportation that appears just as they began to settle down.