Unit 4, Lesson 8: What did schools look like in the Bryn Mawr area between the early 1900s and 1943?

What was it like to be taught in these schools?

At segregated schools like Bryn Mawr School, students were not taught the same subjects as their peers at Mission School. At the segregated school, students’ education focused on learning English and skills needed for working in the citrus packinghouses and groves. They were not taught advanced math or science and they were taught only to 6th grade. Because of this, they did not receive an equal education. The students were expected to work in low paying citrus jobs and not receive high school or college educations. In segregated schools, the classrooms were small and crowded with one teacher teaching many different grades. Despite these challenges, some students were able to succeed.​ 

4. Read what Fernanda Cruz said about her education. Fernanda Cruz attended a segregated school in Asuza and later became a teacher. 

“I spent my kindergarten days putting pegs into boards. I spent my first-grade days in the corner, with my head down on the desk, or in the closet. The sounds [English spoken by her teacher] still meant nothing and I was miserable…I became aware that we, as Mexicans, were segregated from the Anglo children. I resented it tremendously.”

Think about how you would feel in her situation. 

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