Former migrant workers share their American dream, while Michigan educators help migrant worker children change their future.

As a child, Heriberto Vargas, owner of the Acapulco Mexican Restaurant in Lawrence, MI, attended the Jose Maria Morelos school in Aratzipu: located in the Mexican state of Guanajuato (Wann-watt-oh). But his education was cut short when, age 14, he came to the United States as a migrant worker. “It was hard,” he says, his dark eyes reflecting the pain of those early years. “Very hard.”

Through hard work and determination, Heriberto saved enough money to leave the migrant camps behind and start his own restaurant. His younger brother, Martin, recently opened a second Acapulco Mexican Restaurant in Kalamazoo. But both men remain strongly connected to the place of their birth.

In 2004, concerned that the children of Aratzipu had no computers, the brothers contacted the Van Buren Intermediate School District (VBISD). The southwestern Michigan district, which has a sister-school relationship with the village of Aratzipu, donated 40 retired computers from its Vocational Technology Center.

Inspired, the brothers raised their collective sights a bit higher and put in a bid to purchase a retired school bus from Van Buren. “I used my own money to buy the bus,” says Heriberto. “Afterwards, people from the community here donated money to repay me. Everyone came together.”

Today, children who once had to walk two or three miles to school can ride in the full-sized 1993 Blue Bird bus. “But there are two schools,” Heriberto says. “Our plan is to buy another bus and get some more computers.

“When people don’t have a good education, they start working in the fields. That’s why children need the opportunity to improve their abilities. Buses and computers help them do that.”

Guillermo “Willie” Dominguez, home-schooling liaison/recruitment coordinator for the VBISD’s Migrant Bilingual Education Program, is passionate in his belief that every child deserves an education. But connecting families with resources isn’t as easy as it sounds – particularly when those families are migrant workers.

Dominguez and his staff visit the migrant camps dotting Van Buren County every summer to identify and recruit families into the District’s federally-funded education program. This year’s session begins June 26 and ends on Aug. 11.

“The parents are so glad to see the recruiters,” Dominguez says, “because it’s a great help to them. They don’t have to worry about the kids being left in the camp by themselves. They would rather send them to school where they can be educated and safe.”

The average daily attendance last year was 300 to 335 per day, even though more than 1,000 children were recruited and about 600 enrolled. “A family may come to Michigan to pick blueberries but, after a few weeks, move on because the crop is bad,” he explains. “The same with pickles. Nobody can control Mother Nature.”

Van Buren’s program isn’t the only migrant-focused program in the area.

Pedro C. Martinez, administrator for the VBISD international partnerships and migrant education program, says separate programs exist in Hartford, Bangor and South Haven.

Martinez says teaching students English is an integral part of the District’s migrant education program, which uses Spanish as a method of instruction.

“There’s no question that being able to speak English is a necessary function if they want to be successful,” he says.

Dominguez says it’s also important to “try and bring these kids’ education level up to par with the traditional student who goes to school 186 days a year without moving. Our objective is to also get them out of the fields and let them know that they have the knowledge and capability to become whatever they want to become. That there is something beyond working in the fields if they apply themselves to education.”

Martinez says the eight-week summer program has social ramifications, as well. “By providing educational programs for migrant children, they become engaged in learning. They don’t waste their lives getting into trouble,” he says.
Once the recruiting phase is completed, Dominguez maps out a daily bus route to transport the children to and from the Van Buren Technology Center.

“We also utilize classrooms in the Learning Center,” he said.

The children arrive early and start by enjoying a free breakfast. Lunch and an afternoon snack are also provided, with the school day ending at 3:30 p.m. Participants range in age from two years to 22. “For the older ones, it’s a chance to get their GED and change their future,” Dominguez says.

About 20 certified teachers, and two aides per classroom, are hired each year. But not everyone is from southwest Michigan. “Teachers from several states in Mexico participate in an exchange program with us to support the children in history, language and culture,” Dominguez says. “During the school year, some of the VBISD teachers spend two weeks in Mexico.”

Martinez adds, “The more that our teachers know about the educational system in Mexico – how they operate, how they teach – the better they’ll be able to work more effectively with the Van Buren District’s diverse population.

“It’s a global world. We need to stop looking at the differences and focus on the common vision. If we focus on the differences, we’re not going to get very far. But if we look at what common problems we have, what common goals we have, then we can establish a common vision.”