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One thing I really enjoyed about reading this book, is that in between the main chapters of the book it would tell us mini stories of the other characters. The chapter would include how and why they came to America. What surprised me about each chapter is that every person had a hardship they faced in the journey to where they are now, and that they were still struggling. Even Quisqueya, who in my eyes was one of the lesser enjoyable characters of the book, was relocated from her home country when her mom man from California. She was only 12 but suffered from sexual abuse that her mom turned a blind eye on and said “look at this life they’ve given us”.

Another example was Arturo who came to the country legally. I would think that someone who crossed the border legally would have little no trauma but that was not the case. The left everything they had in Mexico, picking up their furniture on the side on the road. He went from owning a construction business to getting fired from his job at a mushroom factory where they worked in terrible conditions because of a technicality. This caused him to lose his job and his family to struggle. They faced a different form a trauma but the trauma effected the family every day.

What this makes me realize is that many of our students and families are up against something. Although the trauma may come in many forms, it’s effects can be great. Are job as educators is to make the school environment a safe place for them to combat or work through the trauma, or learn to cope with what they are going through.

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I feel as though the entire trip to the United States was trauma for those who have experienced it. This book shared the harrowing stories of how police officers, gangs, and citizens would beat, rape, and kill immigrants who were traveling on the trains to the US. This has to be such a traumatic experience for all involved. On top of being attacked every step of the way they often did not know when their next meal would come or how they would survive particular weather issues (freezing cold or intense heat). I am sure there are some students in our community who have went through this journey and the compassion I feel for them is immense. The fact that many immigrants put themselves through this torture for a better life had my heart hurting. Also, as the book stated many immigrants make this journey 5+ times before they can actually successfully make it to the US. 

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I feel as though the entire trip to the United States was trauma for those who have experienced it. This book shared the harrowing stories of how police officers, gangs, and citizens would beat, rape, and kill immigrants who were traveling on the trains to the US. This has to be such a traumatic experience for all involved. On top of being attacked every step of the way they often did not know when their next meal would come or how they would survive particular weather issues (freezing cold or intense heat). I am sure there are some students in our community who have went through this journey and the compassion I feel for them is immense. The fact that many immigrants put themselves through this torture for a better life had my heart hurting. Also, as the book stated many immigrants make this journey 5+ times before they can actually successfully make it to the US. 

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As an educator we need to be empathetic towards this situations for we don't know what the immigrants we encounter have gone through.

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There were lots of examples of the traumas that the characters in my novel endured. This new awareness about some of my students and their families has truly helped me. I feel as though I have a better and deeper understanding of the possible challenges that my students have to deal with on top of their regular students stress.

I can imagine that I will now be more aware of how I can highlight the different cultures that are a major part of my students lives. We can show off our cultures by having Show-N-Tells and presentations. There is a comment in the story that says, “When Lucia Castillo got here, she spent the whole year as a mute, shuffling from class to class and eating the food her mom made her-pinto beans and rice and tamales-by herself in the corner of the cafeteria.” I really appreciated this comment because it is a judgement from a classmate. I believe some students feel this way about others that are different. If these new students became less scared and more accepted by their peers the may adapt better to the American lifestyle. I would also, like to let my students drive the sharing in our morning meetings with personal stories about their families. It will help for all of the students to learn about their similarities and differences between their cultures.

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The children in this book not only had the trauma of losing both parents to America in the beginning, but also living in severe poverty. They were also beaten when they didn't do things exactly how they were suppose to, or for having their own opinions or feelings.
Now that I've read this book I feel I have a better understanding of the big picture of our ESOL students. When you have more sympathy and empathy on a person's situation you are more likely to be open to helping them in a way that is beneficial. I want the students and families in my class to always feel that I have their best interest at heart, that I am here to help them, to support them, and to love their child. I would like to be better this school year about reaching out to families of my ESOL students and to make more of a connection. I want to make sure I label things within my classroom in Spanish and English so that my ESOL students can feel more comfortable. Trauma can look differently for each child and family. I want to do my best to make sure I do everything I can to communicate with them, and offer any services I can to support them.

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As I read the title of this discussion thread (Trauma Informed Practices) and then read the questions, my first thoughts were: YES, Absolutely, Of course!

Yes, reading this book has deepened my awareness about student and family trauma. Yes, it is going to inform my teaching practices. How it will, is yet to be discovered.

I now have a greater empathy for the impact that immigration has. Coming to America was once viewed by many as an oasis of joy, opportunity and prosperity. While many of those things are still attainable, it is not without risk and sacrifice.

As an educator, it is imperative that I understand the risk and sacrifices that are taken by these families. It is imperative that I consider a student and their family with the complexities of their lived experiences and how it may impact their actions, decisions, hopes and dreams. Trauma can present it self in a whole host of ways and educators need to be prepared to deal with the ways that it can impact a child in the classroom.

One very poignant example was the feeling of abandonment that Reyna felt throughout her entire life. In one section of the text, Reyna's mother had finally come back from the United States. She had been longing to see her. However, when she finally had her in front of her she "didn't move from the gate. She clutched Mago's dress and hid behind her."

It was heart wrenching to see her have her mother physically in front of her but yet she still felt, the distance between them.

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I often find myself telling others about this book just out of the pure shock of what many of these immigrants had to go through. This was no vacation or relaxing feat, it is pure terror the entire journey to the north. Many instances were brought up of robbery, brutal attacks, and even rape by the hands of people that could have helped these immigrants return home, bandits or ex police officers. As if this wasn't enough, the day to day struggle of hopping the train cars was all the more difficult from the exhaustion set on from being dehydrated or starving. I can attest that some of our students and their family members have encountered these experiences. Some that have shared with me made this trip with their parents multiple times. It is eye opening that these children possibly had to witness such events in their young lives and thinking back on it now, it really puts things into perspective for me. As educators, our main job is to provide students with a sense of belonging and purpose in a safe environment.

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The familial trauma is what shocked me the most and will in tern affect me as a teacher the most. The journey doesn't end at the destination whatsoever. The family's stress and struggles continued greatly after arriving in the states. I think I had an ignorant point of view going into this book regarding that. I can only hope to create a classroom community that involves families like Enrique's so that they feel comfortable and that their stories continue to be heard.

I think that I could certainly grow as a teacher by giving my students more of a platform to share their stories. I think not only to create further empathy from myself as an educator but from their fellow classmates. I would hope that students can gain not only empathy but a greater sense of belonging. More often than not Enrique was looking for companions along his journey. Whenever he worked with another person the load just felt lighter. If I can make a better community within the classroom for both students and families then maybe this could help lighten at least one students load.

In terms of increased empathy I think that I could certainly do a much greater job of trying to understand a whole family more than simply how a student behaves within school.

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Throughout this book, the author interviews many people who have experienced trauma throughout their journey to El Norte, including, violence, kidnapping, brutal injuries and human trafficking. After reading about these experiences I have definitely been thinking about how I can show more empathy in my classroom, since it is likely that some of my students have experienced some sort of trauma. Having a better understanding of the risks migrants take when they decide to journey through the U.S. has given me a deeper understanding of why they choose to leave their home countries. Why risk these experiences for themselves and their children if the reward was not worth it in the end?

The section that really stood out to me in this book was the section of the Invisible Slaves of Chiapas. The reality for many young women is that they will be raped, possibly multiple times, throughout their journey. I cannot imagine being in a situation where I would consider this as a possibility. Reading about the experiences of these woman who were raped on their journey or kidnapped and forced into prostitution rings has increased my awareness of the risks of this journey. It has shown me that in many cases people have no choice but to leave their home country. Instead of judging them, we should listen to their stories, and find was to help them. What this mean for our migrant families and students is giving them resources at school to support their transition, such as food bank initiatives, providing them with nutritious breakfast and lunch, providing them with school supplies and mental health services. I think having translators and community liaisons who can work with immigrant families will school become a resource and place of safety for these families.

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While I have heard details of this difficult journey from my students' perspectives, nothing could compare to the gut wrenching details this book provided. The physical and mental abuse depicted in this book literally made my stomach hurt. I don't think any of my elementary students could have conveyed their experiences the way Enrique's Journey did. Which makes me have hope that my students weren't old enough to be fully aware or were not necessarily exposed to this severe of trama during their journey. My students remember having little water to share with a large group, being given chocolate milk from the immigration officer when they separated him from his mother to interrogate her, having to hide under a blanket on the floor of a canoe, or being separated from their family for days in the woods once they crossed the boarder. That doesn't mean I won't ever come across a student who has experienced being robbed, raped, or forced to smuggle drugs or join gangs for protection.

Since reading Enrique's Journey I have certainly gained even more empathy for our English Learners and their families. I plan to take a more active role in communicating with these families. I am also more inclined to learn more about each students' individual journey and family dynamic. To make sure I am being sensitive to their situation, I could seek assistance from our school's Hispanic Liason and/or ESOL teachers about how to approach this topic or for them to provide me with background information about the family. While my school is very good about making sure newsletters and notices are translated, I would like to put forth more effort into learning the language so that I could somewhat communicate with these families on my own. I want them to know I am making a conscious effort to connect with them. I do want all my students' families to know I have their child's best interest at heart, but I know the Hispanic culture specifically is very protective and family oriented for obvious reasons. Education for their child is also very important to them and often parents feel inferior in these academic conversations because they aren't as knowledgeable about our curriculum. Therefore, I plan to be more proactive in providing the families with as many resources as possible to help them better support their child at home.

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I think a deeper awareness about student and family trauma will help inform my teaching practice by fostering empathy and increasing my knowledge of possible experiences that our students and their families may be or may have gone through. It is important to understand that while we do not know all the details (and it may not be something that we should ever know) after a family experiences trauma, we must understand that even though the "experience is over" that trauma may always be impacting future decisions and experiences.

Throughout The Distance Between Us, past experiences taint the relationships that Rayna has with each of her parent figures (Mami, Papi, Mila, & extended family) and her interactions with others.  She is always trying to please and make her father proud.  She feels that she is unworthy, undeserving, should not have more or should not be able to take advantage of experiences.  That her beatings by her father are somehow acceptable.  Her interactions with other students, teachers, potential boyfriends, are all overshadowed by her past negative experiences and the words of her family.

While teaching, I try to develop personal relationships with students to encourage their interest in school and improve their education, however, I also try to be respectful of students who do not seem to open up, engage in discussions, or share their experiences.  It can be tough to balance that open communication and interest without appearing too forward or disrespectful of the differences of our students.

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In the Book of Unknown Americans, there were various accounts of trauma that occurred. Some of the trauma was related to the characters in the book immigrating to America, but some trauma that occurred was not specific to the characters not being native to the US. One of the characters Quisqueya was raped after coming to the US. This situation may not have happened had she not traveled to the US. She mentioned at the end of her chapter that this was something that she never told anyone and I know that many times students feel as if they dont have anyone to talk to or they think that they shouldnt share. I know that when supporting a student that has endured trauma it is important to ask for help. I am not a guidance counselor or a clinician and I think teaming up with people in your school building can be very beneficial, they are trained to support with students who have experienced trauma. I wish there was a better way to connect ELL students to some of the supports available. I was glad that my previous school had a family liaison that spoke Spanish and she was able to connect with a lot of the Spanish Speaking Population.

One way that I would like to grow as a teacher is to become more informed on how to know when a trauma may have occurred and actually understanding more about how traumas can effect children. My school did a PD on this before but I think that this is a reoccurring topic that needs to be addressed.

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This book detailed the many types of traumas that migrants face as they head through Mexico to the U.S. border: rapes, kidnappings, beatings, murders, robberies, trafficking, committed by the drug cartels, bandits, and often with a blind eye turned by the police, or even the assistance of the police. In addition to these major types of trauma, there were also the smaller traumas: not knowing the best path to take, or who to trust as a guide, or not having enough food, money, or shelter for the night. And that's only the trauma of the journey itself, but as the book made clear in the first chapter, migrants making this journey are fleeing difficult and dangerous situations in their home countries, and will have experienced significant trauma before even beginning the trip. Anyone who undertakes this journey will have significant trauma in their past, which will impact them for their whole lives.

In the book, the author never wrote about encountering children the age of our students along this migration route - the youngest were teenagers. I don't know if this is because children don't take this particular path when migrating, or if he just didn't interview any - I would hope that it's because there are safer paths taken by those bringing children along, with less trauma along the way. But even if none of our students have experienced the particular forms of trauma described in this book, it's likely that we have students whose parents took this path or a similar path to the United States.

As a teacher, this book helped me to think about the fact that many of our students' parents have significant trauma in their past, which will affect both the way they parent their children, and the way that they respond to contact from teachers or administrators. It reminded me to make an extra effort to connect with parents who are immigrants, to be sure that they feel welcome and included in any school events or communications. Given the corruption of the authority figures along the migrant trail, I also think that it's important for the school to do anything it can to help our immigrant parents feel that their children are safe, and that they are safe themselves, when they come to our school.

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After reading, Enrique's Journey, I feel like I am more knowledgeable and empathetic about the trauma that occurs before, during and after a migrant makes the journey to the United States.  Reading about the stories from traveling on the train and through parts of Mexico were extremely eye opening.  I am so sympathetic and empathetic about our students who have been through the journey.  Traveling to the United States isn’t the only traumatic part.  These children feel abandoned by their mothers, then when they reunite years later- it is often very tense and uncomfortable.

Reading this book will definitely change my teaching practices.  I am so much more aware about the trauma that the migrants are exposed to.  It has also opened my eyes to family dynamics.  I only wish I would have read the book sooner as I feel it could have helped me understand a previous student better.

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The characters in The Book of Unknown Americans experienced so much trauma, which was confounded by their isolation and lack of support from institutions.

Poverty seemed to be a universal experience for the residents of the Redwood Apartments.  Many residents worked jobs for which they were overqualified, which paid low wages and offered no job security.  This resulted in food instability for many families.

The characters  were also the victims of crimes including harassment and rape.  Unfamiliarity with the language, biogtry on the part of community servants, and understandable distrust of institutions all made the character vulnerable to crime and prevented them from accessing the legal support they needed.

In order to respond to this trauma in my students, I plan to make my classroom a place where individual stories are invited and valued. I want my students to know that I care for them and that I am a trustworthy adult who supports them. I would love to be able to help my students and their families access community resources like job skills training, language courses, food support, and legal coucil.

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One particular scene stood out for me, in terms of trauma and understanding what our student/parent populations face, was the chapter featuring Esmeralda Marroquin, the French-Mexican-American border agent. It was a chapter, while not filled with the same extreme violence and trauma of other chapters, filled me with a sort of dread. This raised so many questions for me--and caused me to read a little bit more about the economic impact of border patrol jobs in towns similar to the one featured in this chapter. On one hand, you have the child of two (supposedly) legal immigrants, who seeks to give back to a country she feels has given her so much. In this way, she is very much like the migrants she considers "mice" in her game. You also come to understand, upon further research, these border agents themselves were in positions of poverty before these jobs. But in the same moment, you are forced to reckon with cruel aspects of their jobs, how they dehumanize these migrants, and uphold policies that may not be to the benefit of our country.

The reason this struck me so hard is because at the core it is a battle of empathy. How do you reconcile that these agents are also human, despite the fact you may fundamentally disagree with their purpose? It reminds you that these issues come with complex nuanced  layers that cannot be simply divided into "good" versus "evil".

This realization will definitely impact my teaching practice--though as an East Coast state, it is unlikely we will encounter children of border patrol agents. But it will make more cognizant of how I deal with these topics should they arise, and how language itself can even impact how students approach these issues with empathy--even if they may not agree with the perspectives.

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One of the scenes that stands out to me is when Reyna comes home from school with head lice, and she expects her father to be upset. Instead, he is very tender in that moment and combs her hair. There are other situations such as her brother's bedwetting and her refusal to eat spaghetti that remind her of intestinal worms, that lead to her father lashing out in anger and violence. The unpredictable nature of his violence is part of her childhood trauma. The process of being an "illegal" was also a traumatic experience that extended to her adulthood.
Reyna Grande was featured in a collection of short stories called Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives. An excerpt is available here: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/reynagrande/what-it-was-like-crossing-the-border-as-a-child-reyna-grande
"Yet, what all displaced people have most in common...is our trauma. The trauma that propels us to this land, and the traumatic experiences that await us."
In order to be a more effective teacher for students who have experienced immigration, or who are the children of immigrants, I would like to improve my Spanish speaking skills, and to find community resources for families. I would also like to have community circle conversations with my students about belonging and inclusion, and help them to grow in their empathy toward others.

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I was struck by the individual stories of the characters in this novel. You can hear and read and even see issues, but unless you have a personal source, I often find that the concept remains at a distance. Hearing actual stories (even if they are fictional) really helps me imagine their lives with greater detail, increasing genuine empathy.
Although I feel like I am a caring and empathetic person, I do wonder if I always do a sufficient job of expressing this. The following quote made me think: “We're the unknown Americans, the ones no one even wants to know, because they've been told they're supposed to be scared of us and because maybe if they did take the time to get to know us, they might realize that we're not that bad, maybe even that we're a lot like them.” Although I don’t feel “scared”, or like I have been told to be scared, I know that when I don’t feel 100% comfortable in a situation, I resort to reserved, removed respectfulness. I guess what I mean is that I am more passive than active when I’m not sure what would be most helpful to someone who is struggling (with any issue, but in this case specifically the language barrier). This aspect of the novel reminds me that sometimes others aren’t as reserved, and would potentially appreciate more involvement/ action on my part. I hope to work on being a more openly available.

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This book has helped me to gain a deeper understanding of student and family trauma for migrants traveling to “El Norte.” Each chapter included a detailed form of traumas and different traumas migrants face on their journey to America. In the chapter about Los Zetas, it talked about how “Fifty-two undocumented Central American migrants were kidnapped and kept crammed in the house for days.” A little later in the chapter it mentioned that “The NCR stated that, even with their limited resources, they were able to document 10,000 firsthand reports of kidnapping.” The scarier part is knowing that this number is clearly much higher as migrants rarely make reports out of fear of being deported or not wanted to slow their journey north.

From my readings, this gang is ruthless and well organized. I’ve heard a lot about MS-13 but not much about the Los Zetas gang until this book. The traumas that this gang inflicts on migrants traveling through Mexico is an out of this world nightmare (this is in addition to the traumas of kidnappings, armed robberies, clinging to fast-moving trains, rape, murder, human trafficking & being trapped in prostitution rings, compromised police, being taken advantage of, and not knowing who to trust or be skeptical of through out the entire journey). Knowing this information helps me to have a deeper awareness about the traumas migrants (kids and families) have crossed paths with. To me, I need to be on the lookout for students and their families who I hear have migrated to the United States. The traumas that these kids and their families probably come with is a cross no one should have to bear. Providing access to mental health services, creating a safe environment, and building positive peer relationships are a good way to start the healing process. Trauma based instruction and social and emotional learning needs to take place in classrooms that have migrant students. I plan on learning more about trauma based instruction and seeing how I can incorporate its strategies in my classroom.

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I really enjoyed the different perspectives that this book was told in.  Learning about the stories of each individual from their point of view really helped me empathize with them.  Often, when you hear trauma you think of one major event.  But in these stories it felt like so much of their lives were the traumatic event, or the trauma didn't end.  The reasons for immigrating were different but all for such understandable reasons. They wanted or needed a better opportunity.  It helped remind me that in so many of the countries they were immigrating from, America is glorified, while in America those countries are villainized.
On page 145 Adolfo "Fito Angelino is telling his story and how he wanted to be a boxer.  He tells of the terrible conditions he was living through until he landed in Delaware and found many other people like him. He says "I know people here think we're trying to take over, but we just want to be a part of it. We want to have our stake. This is our home, too."
As a teacher, an member of a community, we need to embrace and welcome people not separate ourselves from them and then see others as "taking what's ours" we will never get anywhere without the mentality that we are all in this together.