Dr. Francisco Jiménez has been an inspiration to many of us and our students for decades. His books and his voice may be just what we all need to hear right now. This podcast also has a YouTube version (see below)!
You can listen to this episode right here or on your favorite podcast app.
Listen to “BAP126 To Teachers of Immigrants from Dr. Francisco Jimenez” on Spreaker.
FRANCISCO JIMÉNEZ
Website: www.scu.edu/fjimenez
Website: The Unbroken Sky
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXmEmqt5h_s
I begin this podcast by mentioning that my guest was deported when he was in the 8th grade. I highlight this moment in his life because so many educators are reaching out to me about their current fears and the fears of their students. Dr. Jiménez spends time sharing the incredible effect teachers had on him. Teachers that may never know because he was only in their class for part of a school year. I can’t think of a better voice for us right now than that of Francisco Jiménez. Take a peek at this quick movie trailer to get a sense of his background:
The Unbroken Sky
A short dramatic film “The Unbroken Sky”, based on his memoirs, was produced by an independent film company.
and the link to the film Project: https://theunbrokensky.com/
You only need to scan the rest of this post to grasp the many accomplishments and accolades of Dr. Jiménez. Rudine Sims Bishop has taught us that students need books that act as windows, but they also need mirrors. Many educators have used the books of Dr. Jiménez to offer powerful windows into the world of the migrant child and also an important mirror for many of our immigrant youth.
I reached out to Francisco at a time when I needed support for my own mindset about what is happening right now to our immigrant families. He quickly agreed to this interview, and he DID NOT disappoint. Like me, I know you will have many take-aways from this conversation.
Some Themes for Reflection
(PD idea: Discuss with “I heard an example of ____ when they talked about…”)
- Holding SLIFE (Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education) in high regard.
- Making sure marginalized students feel valued.
- You get to keep everything you learn regardless of how many months of the school year you are in class.
- You are learning everywhere you go, and what you are learning is valuable.
- Our immigrant parents are a perfect example of perserverence for our students.
- There are so many brilliant people who did not have the opportunity to get formal education.
- Francisco thought his life was over when he got deported. Obviously, it was not.
- Educators will never know their effect.
- Teachers changed his life. The anecdotes brought me to tears.
- Don’t underestimate compelling text – even if it is above their reading level (like The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was for young Francisco)
- We need to be empathetic for our students and allow them to share their fears. But also encourage them to have hope for the future. There is always hope.
.. .and so many more take-aways.
The interview was a powerful hour of hearing from someone who has been a hero of mine for many years.
More on Francisco Jiménez, PhD
Author and educator, Dr. Francisco Jiménez emigrated with his family from Tlaquepaque, Mexico to California and as a child worked alongside his parents in the fields of California.
He received his BA from Santa Clara University and an MA and Ph.D. in Latin American literature from Columbia University under a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.
He has served on various professional boards and commissions, including the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (10 years, two as chair), California Council for the Humanities, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities (WASC), Santa Clara University Board of Trustees and the Far West Lab for Educational Research and Development.
Dr. Jimenez has written several important books for our time. His autobiographical books (see links below) have won several national literary awards, including the John Steinbeck Award*, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the California Library Association’s Annual John and Patricia Beatty Award, the Américas Book Award, the Pura Belpré Honor Book Award, the Jane Addams Honor Book Award, the Tomás Rivera Book Award, Reading the World Award, the Carter C. Woodson National Book Award and UCSB’s Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature.
His books have been published in Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Persian and Spanish. In addition, he has published and edited several books on Mexican and Mexican American literature, and his stories have been reprinted in over 100 textbooks and
anthologies of literature. His latest work is The Circuit Graphic Novel published by HarperCollins in 2024. His four-book series—The Circuit, Breaking Through, Reaching Out, Taking Hold–has been included in the American Library Association Booklist: 50 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.
Breaking Through and The Circuit have been adapted as plays and performed by the
Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts at Hancock College and at schools throughout the Central Coast of California. Santa Clara University Presents Arts for Social Justice performed both plays on campus and at numerous schools in Silicon Valley. The Circuit was also performed at the Fringe Festival in Edenborough, Scotland.
Teatro Visión performed La Mariposa and Breaking Through in San José, California
Jiménez was selected U.S. Professor of the Year by CASE and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2002. He holds honorary degrees from De Anza College and the University of San Francisco. In 2015 a new school in Santa Maria, California was named in honor of his late brother and him: The Roberto and Dr. Francisco Jiménez Elementary School. His work has been recognized by the United States Congress, the United States Department of Education, the California State Senate and the Governor and Minister of Culture of the State of Jalisco, He has been featured in Telemundo, “Al Rojo Vivo” and in Univisión, “Aquí y Ahora”. He is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Santa Clara University.
Some of his Powerful Books
The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child (Cajas de cartón, Spanish edition)
Breaking Through (Senderos fronterizos, Spanish edition)
Reaching Out (Más allá de mí, Spanish edition)
Taking Hold: From Migrant Childhood to Columbia University, (Pasos firmes Spanish edition)
The Christmas Gift/El regalo de Navidad
*“The John Steinbeck Award is given to writers, artists, thinkers, and activists whose work captures Steinbeck’s empathy, commitment to democratic values, and belief in the dignity of people who by circumstance are pushed to the fringes.” Past recipients include musician Bruce Springsteen, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, filmmaker Ken Burns, playwright Arthur Miller, and United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta.
Also mentioned in this Show:
Larry Ferlazzo’s Work on Intrinsic Motivation:
Pamela Broussard’s Quote about Interruptions in Education not being a Period, but a Comma. Find more about Pamela here.
My heartfelt gratitude again to Dr. Jiménez.
I hope you had so many take-aways as I did. Please reach out to let me know what resonated with you!
Thank you again for being here and for all you do.
Take good care,
– Carol
Also! Join us in Dallas on April 23 if you can! Or reach out to bring engaging uplifting training to your school.
