Ana Karen Reyes-Bailon
PhD Candidate
University of Leeds
I am a PhD candidate in the School of Education at the University of Leeds. Before completing an MA in Childhood Studies in 2019, I worked as a preschool teacher in Chihuahua, Mexico. My research explores how children produce their culture. I propose to see children's culture as an entity in its own right, as shaped through entanglements between humans and more-than-humans. This interest grew from observing the diverse ways children experience childhood and the role of context in shaping identity. My work is also informed by firsthand experiences of how violence affects children and their communities in urban Mexico.
Voices from the Casa Hogar. Sara’s Story: The Girl Who Wanted to Teach Her Father
Keywords:
Urban Vulnerability, Indigenous Youth, Resilience
Sara and her sister (aged 7 and 6 respectively) stayed at the casa hogar during the week while their parents worked, her mom cleaned houses, and her dad worked in construction. Like many of the other girls, their parents’ jobs reflected the socioeconomic reality. But Sara stood out for me. Her strength and personality drew me in, and that is why I tell a part of her story.
When I first met Sara in the classroom, some of the children approached me with questions. Others watched from a distance. Sara avoided eye contact when I looked her way. I sat two chairs away, with a group that had invited me to join them. Slowly, Sara began to open up. She asked me if I could braid her hair. She showed herself strong and looked after her sister, asking her to not lose their colours and to do the homework.
In the next few days, the mornings were dedicated to write Christmas letters for benefactors. Most of the girls asked for toys and then some for a jumper because the teacher told them to. Sara asked for clothes and a blanket and took a moment to check what her sister was asking for and told her to add for clothes. This responsibility was not limited to the classroom. On Thursdays they would prepare their clothes to take home for the weekend, and while her sister was playing, Sara would be folding their clothes and putting things away. After dinner, they would be offered a sweet treat, either cake or a piece of bread. Sara would ask one of the caretakers if they could change that for some fruit, so it was healthy. I was impressed by her diligence in keep always eating healthy, even at birthday parties.
One day Sara was playing with friends running and jumping when she started to feel bad. She started crying and when I asked her if she was ok, she could just say “my dad” between tears. Even in distress Sara could only think about her dad. You see, her sadness was not about herself, it was about keeping a promise. Sara’s dad, like his wife, could neither read nor write. Sara was the second child and the first one in her family to go to school and while she was still learning, she promised to teach her dad to read and write. During the holidays she visited her brother who lived in the Sierra Tarahumara and taught him the numbers and vowels. She was so happy and that made her also want to teach her father.
Sara’s story is just one among many children who carry far more that their age should allow, of Tarahumaras communities displaced yet resilient, and of hopes for futures build not only for themselves but for those they love.