Miranda (2014) describes the educational system that was imposed by the post-Revolutionary Mexican
government in San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya during the 1930s, arguing that it started the process of language
shift in this Zapotec-speaking community. In California and elsewhere in the US, boarding schools were
established by the federal government in the late 19th-century specifically for Native American children. These
schools and the experiences of the children who attended them are described in the following resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOB6NufW-A
https://www.kued.org/whatson/kued-productions/unspoken-americas-native-american-boarding-schools
https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2018/11/14/the-power-of-american-indian-boarding-school-records/
https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/wind-river-carlisle-indian-boarding-schools-wyoming-and-nation
Pick two of the five resources above and write an essay of about 500 words that addresses the following
questions:
What was the purpose of these boarding schools in the US, and how was it the same as or different from the
purpose of the educational system in San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya?
What were the experiences of students who spoke an indigenous language in these boarding schools, and
how was it the same as or different from the Mexican schools?
What consequences did these educational experiences have for students’ attitudes towards their native
language in both the US and Mexico?
Use the stories and interviews in both Miranda’s description of San Jerónimo Tlacochahuaya and the
resources you choose from the list above as much as you can to support your answers to the questions. Be as
specific and detailed as possible.
As described in the Grading Rubric, you can only receive full points for this essay if you go Above and Beyond.
In this context, this means conducting your own research and using outside materials (something other than
what you learned in class or the materials above). An example of going Above and Beyond is finding and using
an additional resource beyond the ones already provided for your here.
Sample Solution
