*Criteria found on website

Sylvia did not want to go back to school because the kids were 'mean' to her after they told her that she belonged in a Mexican school (pg 5). 

Sylvia's mom did not want Sylvia to fear going to school because they (meaning her father and her) fought so hard for Sylvia to be able to attend there. I think it was more that Sylvia did not like being bullied which no kid likes, but having her mom try to build up her confidence to tell her that "you belong there" was really powerful.

Sylvia wondered why the school secretary, school superintendent, and county superintendent were being prejudice against her brothers and her. Why could her cousins who were Mexican but looked white and had a French last name be allowed to attend school?

I personally was deeply upset to see how multiple members of the school district treated the Mendez family and would not give them an explanation on why their children must attend the Mexican school. Even referring to the school as a Mexican school did not sit well with me when I was reading this story.

I think that this story did a great job of incorporating this piece of criteria. Sylvia's parents decided to nonviolently solve the problem that was stopping their children from attending the school that was closest in proximity to their house. On pages 19 and 20, Sylvia's parents create a petition for other parents of Mexican-American children to sign to shed light on how many Mexican-American families are negatively affected by this rule of where their children can and cannot attend school. I think that having parents resort to creating a organization and petition was really powerful since it demanded real changes in a nonviolent way.

On page 26, the school superintendent said that they sent Mexican children to Mexican schools because, essentially they are dirty and have poor hygiene. This is such a blanket statement and he believes Mexican people specifically the children are vile and dirty and should be segregated away from white clean students. I think including this in the story showed how people were prejudice against other races and heritages without understanding how hurtful and incorrect they are/have been.