# data[].attributes.body
My great grandpa came to the United States from Zacatecas, Mexico when he was a small boy. My great grandma was born in rural town in Arizona.  Her mother had immigrated from Mexico.  They both grew up bilingual with little education. Bennett (2015) describes the first wave of Mexicans that immigrated into the United States from 1900-1930.  Her mother and his father were part of this first wave that diversified the southern states.

# data[].attributes.body
My mother in her early years as a college student, and a young mother. She aspired to get an education to support herself, and her children.

# data[].attributes.body
Grandma:  She recalls the population of her school as predominately Latino with a mixture of Dutch, and Portuguese.  The instrutction was taught in Enlgish and was the only language my grandma spoke in school.  She did recall some Spanish being spoken on the playground, but very little.  There was one teacher she suspected of being prejudice during P.E.  She explained how she would always make comments, but the students would ignore her.

Mom:  She remembers much of her high school and elementary experiences.  She has the most vivid memories of sixth grade camp, and how she learned about nature.  She found many of her teachers helpful, and supportive.  She said, " I remember the school counselor (Mrs. Watson) was very nice, and I could always talk to her.  The assistant principal (Mr. Castillo) always encouraged me to do good, and to go to college."  The demographic of her school was predominately Caucasian and Latino with smaller amounts of African American, and Asian groups.  The school was diverse, but she only spoke English during the school day.

Rosales (2003) explains how Mexican Americans were educated in an Anglo system, in which they were assimilated into society. My mother stated, "the classroom was set up in rows while the teacher taught the class." This Anglo structured setting may not have been the best fit for my mother's, and grandmother's learning styles. However, they had to adjust to this type of structured learning. Rosales (2003) also explains how American ideologies were taught in the classroom with little regard for other cultures during the 60s, and 70s. This environment  lacked multicultural views, and failed to acknowledge the diverse students that attended my mother's , and grandmother's schools.

# data[].attributes.body
Grandma:  Her parents were second generation Spanish/English speakers, and she was also fluent in both.  However, she mainly spoke to her parents in English.  She only found herself speaking Spanish to her in-laws after she had gotten married.  Prior to this she had never really needed to speak Spanish.  She always spoke English at school, and for the most part in the home.

Mom:   Her father's side spoke more Spanish than her mother's side of the family.  After my grandma married my grandpa they lived with his parents for a while.  My mother remembers talking to her grandma in Spanish, and translating for her when they went to the market.  After she died, when my mother was very young, she stopped speaking Spanish and would asnwer in English when spoken too in Spanish.  Over the years she has lost touch with the langaguage as she only spoke English in school, and in the home.

Both my mother and gradmother spoke Spanish when they needed too.  Although it was apart of their heritage they were American and spoke English.  It would appear that each generation lost more of the language as I can only understand bits and pieces of it.  Montiel (2014) mentions the loss of a language from one generation to another through acculturation. My mother is 4th generation and my grandmother is 3rd generation. From each generation the language slowly faded away. My grandma knew Spanish, but spoke English. My mother was taught Spanish, but preferred English. I have heard Spanish, but only know various phrases and words. Throughout the generations the language will completely be irradiated as we become more Americanized. Especially because my mother and grandma felt the need to always use English in school. Their education set the tone for the appropriate language to use in a public setting.

# data[].attributes.body
Family gathering at grandmas house.  3rd to 5th generation. Grandma rarely spoke to me in Spanish, but would speak it in front of me when she did not want me to know what she saying. As a small child it was common to hear, but not to understand it.

# data[].attributes.body
My mother graduated from Los Alamitos High School, which was part of Anaheim Union High School District at the time.  She said, "I remember the feeling of accomplishment when I graduated as a young mom."  She could not wait to attend college.  Her parents and family always encouraged her to pursue a higher education after high school.  She recalled the feeling of excitement as everyone threw their hats up in the air. Bennett (2015) provides the graduation rates from 1970 to 2000.  In 1970 24.2% of graduates were Mexican, and it increased in 2000 to 51%. She was in the middle of this jump when she graduated high school. The statistics show a larger presence of Mexican students, which created more diversity in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
Church was where my mother spent most of her Sundays with the family, during her childhood.  Raised in a Catholic household she was involved in many church events, and raised her daughter the same way.  These are my grandparents holding my mother while she was being baptized by a Catholic priest.  A very uncomfortable experience for any newborn, but a traditional part of the religion.  Many Latinos are Catholic and practice many of these traditions with their children.  The values of this religion are instilled in Latino customs, and are big part of daily life.  My grandmother was married in the church and so were her parents.  Church has always bee separate from education, but it played a role in my grandmother's life.

# data[].attributes.body
Out of 7 children my grandma was the only one to graduate from Artesia High school.  This was a very proud moment because she knew it was something her parents had always wanted for her.  She said, "It was a big deal beck then."  She remembered the graduation party at the Los Alamitos Race Track Club House, hosted by the school.  However, during the 50s my grandma felt she was only expected to graduate, get married, and start a family.  She explained, "That is was the thing to do after high school."  Gómez-Quiñones, and Morris (2005) discussed how Mexican American women did not attend college and worked in the low-wage sector.  My grandmother did not feel she was expected to pursue college. She mentioned, "My father wanted me to be a secretary like our cousins."  A Historical Encyclopedia on Latinas in the United States explains how many Latino women performed invisible work of cooks, secretaries, and janitorial services (Student Movements, 2006).  This was a stereotypical position her father wanted her to pursue.  She stated, "It was another common thing to do at the time."  All of her friends were getting married and leaving their hometown.  My grandma got a job in a shoe warehouse out of high school, and decided to attended beauty school.  Society's expectations of her were low, and it was not deemed necessary for her to have an education as a young Latino woman.

# data[].attributes.body
Bennett, C. I. (2015). Comprehensive multicultural education: Theory and
practice. (8th ed.) Boston, MA:Pearson.

Gómez-Quiñones, J., & Morris, I. V. (2005). Chicano Movement. In M. C. Horowitz (Ed.), New Dictionary of the History of Ideas (Vol. 1, pp. 305-309). Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons.

Montiel, M. (2014). Family, Community, and Culture. In C. M. Tatum (Ed.), Cultures of the American Mosaic. Encyclopedia of Latino Culture: From Calaveras to Quinceañeras (Vol. 1, pp. 295-301). Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood.

Rosales, F. A. (2003). Mexican Americans. In S. I. Kutler (Ed.), Dictionary of American History (3rd ed., Vol. 5, pp. 343-345). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.

Student Movements (1960s and 1970s). (2006). In V. L. Ruiz & V. S. Korrol (Eds.), Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia (Vol. 3, pp. 727-728). Indiana University Press. Retrieved from

# data[].attributes.body
I am of Mexican descent and a 3rd generation non Spanish speaker.  My mother grew up with the language, but spoke English in school.  Her home language was Spanish and English (Spanglish).  After several years she eventually lost much of the language.  Her great grandparents were both from Mexico, and were bilingual.

My grandmother is a fluent 3rd generation Spanish speaker.  She mainly spoke Spanish and English at home, and only English at school.  The area she lived in was much more rural at the time.  Her parents were devout Catholics and involved in the church.  The community she lived in was also largely Mexican.  The family carried many traditions of the culture and partake in several Mexican celebrations.

# data[].attributes.body
My grandmother was born and raised in Artesia, CA.  She came from a large family of three boys and four girls.  Her parents were born in the U.S. and had a house built in Artesia for their growing family.  The town was rural, but also diverse.  Dutch and Portuguese diary farmers, Latinos, and small Asian groups occupied the town.  My grandma graduated from Artesia High School and continued on to beauty school.  After several years of working in a beauty parlor she married my grandpa, and had one daughter.  She thought about attending college, but got married and started a family of her own, as many of her older siblings had already done.  After getting a divorce she got a full-time job in a manufacturing company to support my mother.  She was very hardworking until she retired.

# data[].attributes.body
My mother grew up in Los Alamitos, Ca as the only child of my grandparents.  She lived in a middle class neighborhood, in small house, until she graduated from Los Alamitos High School with a 3.8 GPA.  With a baby in one hand and a diploma in the other she started working, and attending Cypress Community College as a business administration major.  She recieved her AA Degree and intended to transfer to Cal State Fullerton. However, her direction shifted and she became a certificated court reporter. She did this for two years as a freelancer, but switched to more stable work as a legal secretary.  She had the highest level of education in my family, until me of course.  She did not continue to pursue a higher education because she had to support my older sister, and I.  After my younger sister was born it was not an option anymore.  However, she continued to excel in her current position.