ABSTRACT
Manny, the only child of a third-generation Mexican-American family with roots in New Mexico. From birth, Manny has lived in a pleasant, suburban, middle-class neighborhood a few miles away from the low-income area that surrounds his school. His neighborhood represents the ethnic diversity of his school and is an area where well established Mexican-American families have lived for two decades alongside Anglo and African-American families. Success for Manny revolved around the pursuit of the American dream, which for most adolescents represents financial independence, self-reliance, and freedom of movement. Manny was oriented toward a practical and fast route to achieve his ideal of the American dream. His theory of education was that it should be a preparation for real life. Many Mexican Americans in schools feel the need to identify themselves as distinct individuals through their own linguistic forms.
