Harvesting Hope through La Corrida *: The Experiences of Mobile Migrant High School Students

1. Julissa Mendoza Gonzalez, Ed.D. Expanding Horizons for P- 12 Students Northern California Educational Leadership Symposium San Francisco State University February 15, 2014 Harvesting Hope through La Corrida*: The Experiences of Mobile Migrant High School Students * “La Corrida” is a phrase used in Spanish when referring to “The Circuit” Migrant families complete as they follow their job from city to city, season after season.

2. Purpose and Research Question • The overall purpose of this research study was to investigate the experiences of mobile migrant students. • Research Question: • What are the factors that hinder and those which facilitate the success of highly mobile migrant high school students?

3. Methodology • Student Interviews • (5 males, 2 females) • Student Focus Group • (same 5 males) • Regular Academic Counselor Interview • Migrant Counselor Interview

4. Conceptual Framework

5. Student Findings • They live complex lives and interactions but they hold on to that which helps them: • Family, Camp Friends, Caring Teachers & Counselors • They don’t mind their lifestyle as long as they keep the family together. • Mobility is their search for a better life; their only choice. • Many people follow their jobs; but migrant families carry additional baggage because of their economic situation. • They find the ‘fun’ in it.

6. Student Findings • They have “I’ll prove them wrong” and “I can do it too” attitudes. • They have high aspirations • They are isolated physically, emotionally and educationally. • There is a disconnect between the perspectives of the kids and the schools.

7. Common Themes • Academic equity impacts of mobility • Estandotodosjuntos • Temporary home / Camp life • Building social relationships • Agricultural Work • Disenfranchisement • MEP Assistance • Credit-accrual programs • Role of Counselors • Cultural Capital

8. Academic Equity Impacts of Mobility • I was in advanced classes in middle school so at the end of my 8th grade year in Arizona, when registering for my freshman year classes, I picked honors level courses. When I came to California, the counselor did not allow me to take those honors level courses because I had not completed the summer assignments. It wasn’t fair because I did not know about those summer assignments. -Jose Luis • It always messes me up. Always, always, always messes me up! The stuff that we do here 1st semester is taught during 2nd semester over there, so I end up doing 2nd semester twice and missing out on half the material…it’s just a big mess. -Cynthia

9. EstandoTodosJuntos • You just can’t put a price on that and the social relationships and closeness with friends and family is really important to me. Some kids would love to stay home alone or with other family while their parents go away to work for a few months but most migrant kids don’t think that way. We want to follow our families. I wouldn’t want to stay in Arizona and have my dad migrate all by himself. I think its better the way my parents do it, that they keep us all together as a family. -Joaquin

10. Life at the Camp • It’s very frustrating to me because I don’t think it’s fair to live under those circumstances. To my knowledge, it can’t be healthy to be breathing all those chemicals that they put in the water. And that smell, mixed with the smell of the chemicals they put on the garlic to make it a roasted flavored powder, they just don’t go together. At night it smells horrible and we have to close all the windows and stay inside, and there are no air conditioning units in the apartments so we roast in there too in this summer heat. - Cynthia

11. Building Social Relationships • We get along well because we know each other really well and trust each other because we’ve grown up there together and have similar lives when it comes to moving back and forth. – Isabella • Before we knew about the camp, we rented a room in someone’s house. My entire family slept in one room and since the lady worked nights, we had to be quiet during the day while she slept. The worst part was that we were all alone there compared to living at the camp. Here [at the camp], it’s comfortable because we all know and help each other. We can relate to each other when we are at school with all the other students. – Jose Luis

12. Agricultural Work • You go and work hard all day and when you come home you are super tired and go straight to sleep because it’s really hard work; you stand the entire day and have to cut the fruit in half, remove the seed and place it on the tables. It is really hard work to do for a long period of time and it makes me think that I don’t want to do this in my future. - Joaquin • It’s an honest job for a hard working person but it is very tough. The only thing I liked about it was watching the sun come out in the early mornings. - RC

13. Migrant Education Program • It’s really cool. They’ve helped me a lot. They always ask me if I have any trouble and invite me to an after school program. They also have a scheduled check-in every two weeks to see how I’m doing with my grades and they call me into the migrant office to talk if I’m falling behind. They do more than a regular counselor does and it really helps me. -Isabella • I was so relieved to have had that program because I finally got it [the math concepts] and it was like a huge load off my back to understand something that I had to know and just hadn’t been able to. - Cynthia

14. Role of Counselors • He didn’t even give me a chance; he flat out said no and enrolled me in grade level classes. I feel like I missed an entire school year because those classes were so boring and I was not challenged at all so I goofed off. What makes me more upset is that the following year, I had a different counselor and she allowed me to enroll in the AP classes and waived the summer assignment requirement because I had not been here when it was assigned. She cared and made it happen for me. I did really well that year, continued my AP classes when I left to Arizona and ended the year with a 3.8 grade point average. – Jose Luis

15. Role of Counselors cont’d • I only met the new one [MEP counselor] this year and she gave me a little idea of what to do after high school. It was helpful because nobody in Tierra Temporal has ever talked to me about college stuff. Even so, I think the Migrant counselor in Estancia Del Sol, Arizona, helps us more because they know that’s where we want to graduate so they care more. They tell me about my options in programs and other things they offer. – Joaquin • The way I see it, they are liked borrowed students. They are not mine to keep. I just borrow them for a little bit and I have to make sure that I take care of them so that when they go back home, they can be successful and achieve what they need: meeting graduation requirements and being eligible to attend colleges in Arizona. - Ms. Graciela

16. Interpretation of Findings • Carino / Caring Theory • Aesthetic Caring – not just the loss of an opportunity to help a student, also inflicted trauma on them. • Hindered high levels of motivation • Students feelings towards counselors just following school policy without recognizing student knowledge. • Resulted in delayed, perhaps broken hopes and dreams • Authentic Caring • 1- Simply acknowledging that the student knew something about their own capacity as a learner. • 2- When counselor asked what skills a student needed or had mastered , a two-way street of reciprocation which Valenzuela termed “emotional displacement”. • 3- Advocacy

17. Interpretation of Findings cont’d • Culturally Responsive Pedagogy • Different from that which is generally defined as curriculum and teaching methods. • For them, culturally responsive were the workbooks they could read and test for at their own pace. • Disturbing, that for these students, accruing credits was their sole definition of education. No mention of “empowering lessons” or culturally-relevant curriculum.

18. Recommendations • Caring Teachers and Support Staff who serve as advocates • Cultural and Linguistic Competence • Are self-reflective and responsive • Information Rich • Background / Student lifestyle • Positive aspects of their lives too (cared for, resilient, supported, aspirations) • School System / Deadlines & Requirements • Academic Records / Student’s trajectory

19. Recommendations • Students are held to high/fair expectations • Motivates them • Compatible curriculum • Home Involvement/Communication is a priority • Basic needs are met before expecting school involvement • Create a positive and welcoming environment

20. Contact Julissa MendozaGonzalez julissamendozag@yahoo.com www.edd.sfsu.edu