The Circuit
Objectives
Attendance!!
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Take out a piece of paper and pen or pencil.
It was that time of year again. Ito, the strawberry share-cropper, did not smile. It was natural. The peak of the strawberry season was over, and the last few days the workers, most of them braceros (laborers), were not picking as many boxes as they had during the months of June and July.��As the last days of August disappeared, so did the number of braceros. Sunday, only one—the best picker—came to work. I liked him. Sometimes we talked during our half-hour lunch break. That is how I found out he was from Jalisco, the same state in Mexico my family was from. That Sunday was the last time I saw him. ��When the sun had tired and sunk behind the mountains, Ito signaled us that it was time to go home. “Ya esora,” (It's time") he yelled in his broken Spanish. Those were the words I waited for twelve hours a day, every day, seven days a week, week after week. And the thought of not hearing them again saddened me.�
That night I could not sleep. I lay in bed thinking about how much I hated this move.
A little before five o’clock in the morning, Papá woke everyone up. A few minutes later, the yelling and screaming of my little brothers and sisters, for whom the move was a great adventure, broke the silence of dawn. Shortly, the barking of the dogs accompanied them. ��While we packed the breakfast dishes, Papá went outside to start the “Carcanchita.” That was the name Papá gave his old ’38 black Ply-mouth. He bought it in a used-car lot in Santa Rosa in the winter of 1949. Papá was very proud of his little jalopy. He had a right to be proud of it. He spent a lot of time looking at other cars before buying this one. When he finally chose the Carcanchita, he checked it thoroughly before driving it out of the car lot. He examined every inch of the car. He listened to the motor, tilting his head from side to side like a parrot, trying to detect any noises that spelled car trouble.
When the bus stopped in front of the school, I felt very nervous. I looked out the bus window and saw boys and girls carrying books under their arms. I put my hands in my pant pockets and walked to the principal’s office. When I entered, I heard a woman’s voice say: “May I help you?” I was startled. I had not heard English for months. For a few seconds I remained speechless. I looked at the lady, who waited for an answer. My first instinct was to answer her in Spanish, but I held back. Finally, after struggling for English words, I managed to tell her that I wanted to enroll in the sixth grade. After answering many questions, I was led to the classroom. ��
The Circuit Bibliography Notation
Jimenez, Francisco. The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child. 1997.
Summary: A collection of stories about the life of a migrant family.
See You Next Week
What’s Next?
Our next LiveLesson will be held Thursday, Oct. 26, at 11AM Eastern Time
(that's 10AM Central Time, 9AM Mountain Time, or 8AM Pacific Time).
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To Do
Thursday, Oct. 26
Questions?
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Extra Credit
To get extra credit for reading this story, please answer the following questions on a word document, and send it to me as an email attachment:
1. What struggles did Pancihto and his family face?
2. Why does Papa become alarmed when he sees the school bus?
3. Connect with Panchito: What do you think he might be thinking and feeling at these points in the story.
4. Describe the life of a migrant farm worker in a paragraph or two.
5. Imagine that Panchito is a new student at your school. What could you do to help him feel less nervous, and more comfortable?