In the classroom this week we reviewed statistics about California’s farmworkers: most are Mexican, most are men, most are undocumented. We discussed how people without documentation are not protected by laws guaranteeing a minimum wage, meal and rest breaks, or the right to vote. Mexico is both California’s neighbor and another major agricultural producer. We read the book Mi papá es un agrícola/My Father the Farmworker, which was written by the son of a Mexican man who came to the United States to work on farms as part of the Bracero Program in the mid-20th century.
In the kitchen, we made a bright, delicious guacamole using Haas avocados grown in Mexico and Bacon avocados grown in California. The chefs enjoyed the guacamole with yellow and blue tortilla chips from local food producer Sabor Mexicano. At the end of class, we washed the avocado seeds and every student placed one inside a damp paper towel inside a sandwich bag, where they will sit for a few weeks while we wait for them to sprout. In the new year, all the second and third graders will be able to take home an avocado plant, which won’t likely produce fruit for many years but should make a lovely houseplant!
