I love everything by Francisco Jiménez. I was fittingly introduced to his writing in my very first multi-cultural education course. The course that began my passion for equity in education. I remember that our professor had us read copies of "The Circuit" and "Under the Wire". Later I read his full books, as well as his picture books. I have shared his stories with my students, and my current students come to my classroom already knowing about Francisco Jiménez because the 4/5 Spanish teacher at our school reads some of his writing with them.
Reaching Out moved me. I found myself close to tears many times, thinking about his struggles and the difficult decisions he had to make in order to continue his education. In the note from the author in the back, Jiménez explains his most recent book, "From the perspective of the young adult I was then, I describe the challenges I faced in my efforts to continue my education, such as coping with poverty, feeling torn between my responsibilities as a student and my sense of duty to my family, having self-doubt about being capable of succeeding academically, and trying to adjust to an environment that was different from the community in which I was raised" (195). As is true for his other books, he eloquently relates his experiences.
Saturday morning as I was laughing about how he gained thirty pounds during his freshman year, I couldn't wait to share that section with my students since they just went on a recent college visit and were in awe at all the food in the cafeteria. Then it hit me that Friday was the last day of school and I would not be able to share the book with them until we go back to school in August.
I am not sure to which extent I will use the book in the classroom, but there are many possibilities. At minimum, I know that with a book talk that many students would be excitedly waiting to get their chance to see the latest in Jiménez's life. I am sure I will do more though. Most likely, I will read it aloud to the whole class. In my first teaching position I used some of his stories as part of my Overcoming Obstacles unit. I am deciding on overarching themes for next year, and that is one of my possibilities. I have also been thinking about a Take a Stand unit that I did during the 08-09 school year, including discussions about César Chávez. There is a section of the book toward the end that brings up some of the events that we studied, so it would also be a good fit for that unit. With my 8th graders we will be reflecting a lot on the decisions they will make as they transition out of our school and their goals for their future. Once again, this would be a perfect book for those discussions.
I look forward to seeing in which capacities I will use the book next year! If you would like to know more about Jiménez and his books, his university web page is a great resource.
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