ABSTRACT
Maria walks her twin boys—Rafael and Manual—to their first day of school. The boys are excited and little afraid. What will school be like? Who will be their teacher? But most of all, how can it be that their teacher doesn’t speak Spanish like they do? What does that mean? Maria and her husband Miguel moved to California from Mexico a few months before school started. They believe that school is important and want their boys to learn so that one day they can have good jobs and good lives in the United States. Maria and Miguel do not know that much about how school works in California or what their children will be expected to learn and do. They prepare the boys by telling them to behave, to respect their teacher, and to follow what the other children are doing. They believe that if children are well behaved they will be ready to learn in school.
