Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Honors 11: Article (video) of the Week-Due Friday

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38312193/ns/dateline_nbc/t/america-now-children-harvest/

42 comments:

  1. This video was very informative, when she said “some as young as five or six years old” I almost couldn’t believe it. At that age you should be learning and playing, not working. It was also sad and shocking to see the conditions that they live in. Seeing this makes me feel grateful for what I have and all of the freedom I had growing up as a child to do what I wanted and not work. It was really upsetting to watch these young children work, when the man asked what they would wish for and the girl said “to rest for a while” it was sad and no one should have to go through that growing up. Its disgusting to see that basically nothing has changed from 1998 to the twenty first century. I feel bad for these people and even though technology is changing some of it this should be stopped or changed someway for the migrant workers for the better.

    Morgan Lazowy p.2

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  2. It was interesting to watch how the migrant families live and how they work in the fields in this video. I was surprised when I learned that it is against the law for children under twelve years old to work in the fields, because it is considered child labor if they are under this age. It saddened me to see that some children start training to work in the fields at ages as young as two years old. It also saddened me when I watched the part where two children were asked what they would wish for if they had one wish, and they said “to let them rest for awhile.” The children are not really getting to live out their childhoods because they have to help their families work in the fields to make ends meet. It was also disturbing to see that a child as young as eight years old is already having back pains. I also did not understand the part in the video where it said at age twelve, it is legal for children to work under the hot sun in the fields for hours, but illegal for them to stock the crops in an air conditioned super market because they are still “too young.” I think it should be the other way around. It does not really make sense because the law is trying to protect the younger children, but at the same time it is not allowing them to work in better conditions. They still must labor in the field. This video made me truly realize the many hardships the migrant families must go though to make a living, and that America’s agriculture is dependent on these people.

    Haley K. Period 5

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  3. The struggles of these families are really unbelievable. I had no idea how bad some of these families in the video have it. The most shocking part of this video although is how young the children are that are doing a lot of the labor in the video. Speaking from experience I do work quite a bit and have hardly any time to myself but with these kids varying from 5-12 makes the situation a whole different conundrum. When I was there age all I worried about playing with my friends and having fun, unfortunately these kids already have the responsibility that adults have. These kid's lives revolve around school and "harvest times" and I'd imagine have little to no time for themselves. What really frustrates me is that the age to work on a farm is 12 but the age to work inside a store is 16. This system is a backwards system and I believe needs to be revamped.

    Cory W. Period 1

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  4. This video intrigued me from the very beginning when the commentator stated, ".. They are migrant workers some as young as five or six years old, working a long side there struggling parents on a farm." I was flabbergasted at the thought that five year olds could be working just so us Americans can have strawberries in our shortcake and a salad to go with our dinner. To me childhood is being taken away from these kids, and education should undoubtedly be the first priority. Five to eleven year old should not have to be worried about work and certainly should not be reeking the negative health benefits to go along with it. Many would think these problems don't exist in this country but the fact of the matter is that they do. Kids should not be abused and a stop needs to put forth immediately.

    Isabella S. Period 2

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  5. These videos were very interesting to watch. It's crazy to see how differently families live and work to make ends meet. One thing that the narrator of these videos said was that it is legal for 12 year olds to work in the fields, but it is illegal for them to work in super markets stocking the same crops that they picked. Watching these videos made me really sad because all of these children that are having to work in the fields, don't get to have much of a childhood. A lot of them also have to miss out on a month or two of their education. It's heartbreaking to me to see these things, but I realize that the parents have no other choice but to bring their children along with them to help. I think more awareness should be brought to occurrences like these in America because the more people that know about it, the more likely something will be done to stop it from happening in the future.

    Katlyn G. Period 2

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  6. Watching this gave me a greater appreciation for my life in general. Seeing these migrant families work in the hot fields all day to make ends meet is astonishing. You would never expect to see something like this occurring in this time period. It reminds me of when the Joad's go to the peach farm, and the whole family is forced to pick, and they still don't make enough money. This is what it must be like for the migrant farmers. However, the fact that this hasn't been stopped is sickening. There are children as young as two years old out in the fields. Even with families of ten people working, most still can't make enough money to get by. The government needs to put a stop to this before children have permanent injuries from this hard labor. There has to be another way for these migrant families to make money without there being physical pain involved. This is where the government needs to step in, and make sure this migrant labor is done with.

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  7. Watching this is almost unbelievable. To see families like these struggling and have to have their kids work is extremely sad. Even though the families say that the kids don't want to sit on the couch that is not a normal life. One of the kids even said, I don't know what normal is and that he didn't get to spend his birthday with his family. No child should have to live without being about to see his or her family and also shouldn't be years behind in school. Education should always come first, and that should be a known fact. We all want to be successful and these kids shouldn't get any less of a chance. Something the narrator said that really stood out to me was, "...picked by 5 or 6 year old reciting their abc's." When you see that it's almost sickening to see this is how children are spending their summer or their time, it's not right. Government needs to step in and stop this and give these kids as much of a chance as anyone else.

    Jessica B. Per 1

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  8. When I watched this I was so shocked. Little kids are training to work the fields and after they train they actually do the back breaking labor. They fall behind in education and become years below their actually age group. The sad part is the families of the children have no choice, but to work their kids. The whole family has a tough life and the only solution is to have another body working. I also find it shocking how no one under the age of 12 can work, but in the video it says that kids can start training at 2. These kids should be enjoying their childhoods not repressing them.


    Conor Smith
    period2

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  9. These video blogs were very intriguing to me. At the beginning of Pablo’s interview he states, “the migrant worker is the happiest man in the world.” I never would’ve thought that Pablo would’ve loved being a migrant worker. He spent back breaking hours and nearly forced his children to work for little to nothing. I also found it completely ridiculous that a child could work in the hot fields at the minimum age of 12 with no supervision other than that of his or her parents. However, to package these items in refrigeration and in proper working conditions, you have to be at least 16 years old. Why is that? It doesn’t surprise me that child labor is still present in today’s day and age. This is because I have had previous experiences with jobs that go by, “a don’t ask don’t tell” type of situation with my age not being 16, at the time. Customers have no place in asking a workers age so therefore, there is really no minimum age requirements to working. There are tons of ways to avoid the legalities of underage working proved by Pablo’s family. I have noticed that even though this family has faced many hardships like the tire falling off, the family still manages to function. I even think these obstacles bring their family closer together. Later did I notice that new developments have made it nearly impossible for the migrant worker to make a living. Is it good that the migrant worker’s children can focus more on getting an education rather than working? Or is it bad that the family has to resort to other jobs to make ends meet?

    Cassidy Murphy
    P2

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  10. After reading and watching this dateline I really saw what life was like for the migrant farm workers and their children. The fact that the owners of the farm along with the field workers in most cases deny that there are children working at the farms, even if they see the children, where they'd just say that they were hanging out with their parents, was really surprising to me. I was also surprised to find out that the group of people that the film followed from their home in Texas to their home in Minnesota, to find work for the summer, encountered some of the same troubles that the Joads encountered on their way to Cali, including a broken down car, which for the Cruz family was a popped tire. They also had to go out and find work in a highly competitive market for work on the fields like the Joads did, except what the Cruz's were competing against Round-Up. The other thing that really surprised me was how the children's life was altered by leaving school early in the summer and getting back in in the fall late putting them years behind in education and almost ruining their lives in the future as most drop out of high school. What I really want to know is if the parent's are aware that if they continue the lifestyle of a migrant farmworker, that their children will have to end up becoming them too as most drop out of high school?

    Quinn Bohan
    Period 2 :)

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  11. After watching the video I was shocked. Seeing those little kids as young as 6 maybe even younger was so sad. The kids who were only 11 years old were already pros at working in the fields. One boy who was only about 11 i think, was missing summer school just so he could help out his family and fill the buckets quicker. What was most shocking to me was in the video it said that its legal for a 12 year old to work in the fields and do back breaking work, but it's not legal for them to work in a super market. I think it's wrong that those kids can work in the field but not a store. These poor children are working so hard all day in fields, some children in the video were in pain from working in the fields. I'm just shocked that children so young are doing this type of work. It was just unbelievable to me that children have to go through this and are missing out on their childhood. What also was very surprising to me was that one of the migrant working in the video, Pablo, was actually happy about working in the fields. He liked it, which was surprising to me because hearing about what he went through everyday working in the fields I would think that he hated it.

    Jackie W
    Per. 2

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  12. Before watching this video, I knew that there were different laws for child labor in agriculture, but it was still pretty shocking to see how young the working children were and what these families go through. The migrant farmers travel a long way to work on fields, but they don’t even have a guaranteed job. The sense of insecurity must be awful, not knowing whether you’ll be able to feed your family even after you’ve travelled so far away just to find work. One of the things that struck me the most was that the accident when the family had to fix the tire cost them a week’s pay. That seems like an unnaturally high percentage, even with a discount. Another thing that I found odd was that the families picking blueberries were paid by the amount of blueberries picked, not an hourly rate. It seems that this system would encourage productivity, but it makes it so hard for them to make a living, just like in Grapes of Wrath. Watching these videos have showed how the issues in the book are still alive today; people are still being treated the same and it is just as difficult for them to make a living as it was back then.
    -Amy Bachhuber Period 1

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  13. It's staggering to see just the way some families have to operate in order to ensure that they're providing just enough to help their families survive. It's especially shocking to see really young children, as the video said, even as young as six-years-old, working in the fields to help out their families. In the society and culture that we know, it's outrageous to have such young children doing labor during the day like that instead of playing with their friends and going to school to learn. One thing that also really stood out to me was that one of the children said that he missed summer school so that he could help out with work with his family all season. Education should always be a top priority in a child's life but the fact is that, that is not always the case when there are more pressing matters, such as working for survival, on the line. I find that in particular to be very saddening to me because I know just how important school is to me and it's very upsetting to know that some kids won't ever get to experience the same opportunities as I will as a result of my education. In addition, because they start working so young, they are putting themselves at risk very early in their lives and they are most likely exposing themselves to very serious injury that could even become permanent overtime and end up affecting their quality of work and life. However, I also found it interesting that Pablo was so gracious about his lifestyle. He seemed to really enjoy what he does to a certain extent and it's pretty inspiring to see someone like him be such an uplifting person. Though he's going through so much and working so hard every day in these horrible conditions, he seems to be happy and positive overall. If he's able to do that, then surely we can stop complaining about the little things in life that truly don't matter in the long run, even if they do seem like the end of the world at the time.

    Sarah C. Period 5

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  14. I think this video is important. It shows the hardships in America. I find it sad that most if not all were hispanic families that had no other options or opportunities to do other work. I also found it surprised at the lack of respocibity from the farms. They should be checking up on these people who they let on their farms to pick. I find it irresponsible and I'm glad to see they are getting fined for it. I can also put myself in the miragrant's shoes. When I was little, I used to work on trucks with my dad and then construction tools, like compressors and airguns. I even got my own paycheck and I would give it to my parents for extra money for food or gas. So I can understand why this child labor is happening.

    Jesse C. Per 1

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  15. I think these videos were very informative. It was interesting to see these families’ story and how all the children have to work with the parents in the fields. I found it very interesting that at 12 years old, a child cannot work in grocery store to stock up fruits and vegetables, but they can do the hard, painful work of picking these crops in a field. It is very ironic and, in my opinion, ridiculous. This video also shows how crop owners often turn the other cheek and let children under the age of 12 work in the fields. Although it sounds horrible to have children working at such a young age, I think it depends on the perspective of the workers. For example, most of the children were not bitter or upset that they had to do this work instead of playing; instead they were proud to help their families. Also, some parents thought it would be unlawful to make the children stop working against their will. This is why I think there is a fine line between all of this. I think if the child doesn’t mind working, then they should be allowed to work, except they should be given breaks and treated less harshly than adults. If they are working against their will, like most of the younger children usually are, it should not be allowed.
    Carlye M. Period 5

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  16. This video opened my eyes to the suffering of the migrant community. It is very interesting how most children in America regard summer with a blissful tone, while others dread it as it is a time of “hard labor in the hot sun.” The general consensus of the American people is that since they aren’t affected by the migrant’s struggles, they don’t care or feel sad about the situation. Americans don’t care where their food came from or what person performed the backbreaking work to get it. Eleven year old James Flores is a clear example of someone who “works alongside [his] struggling parents on America’s farms.” An important question was raised in the video about whether a migrant’s childhood was being taken away by having to work in the fields during the summer. I believe that it is. Childhood is a time of innocence. No child should be exposed to an environment that causes them to work all day and worry about if his parents will be able to afford the bills. Furthermore, the most shocking part of this situation is that young children are still illegally working on the farms. The government has not yet stepped in to help these suffering migrants.
    David E Period 5

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  17. I think that these videos were very eye-opening for me. I knew that children were working on fields like this, but I had no clue that the work was that tough. There was a little boy with heavy buckets on his back, and they hire people to pick cucumbers even if they aren't of the age limit. It breaks my heart to know that when he asked the little girl what her one wish would be, she said to have time to rest. She did not wish for money, fame, etc; she only asked to have a break. The government knows that this illegal work is going on, so why don't they do something about it? These children should be in school being educated, not travelling around the country in a van with their family trying to find somewhere to harvest. A few of the children seemed happy about their work, which sounds absurd to me because when I was a kid, that was not the ideal situation I would want to be in every day. Some of the videos shown are from the late 1900's, though, so times may be slightly different now. I don't believe that any children should ever be allowed to do work like that, for it could damage them physically and emotionally for the rest of their lives.

    Lizzy B Period 1

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  18. This video was very shocking to me. Children should not have to be working at such a young age. The child population of the world, and especially of the United States, should be out playing with siblings and friends during summer, not working in the fields. The fact that the government knows about this and yet still allows this to happen is incredibly discouraging to me. I have lost faith in our country if this is acceptable to our government.

    Anna B., period 2

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  19. These videos completely shocked me and changed my view on our government. They showed how some families get to relax in the summer while others have to work their ass off just so they can afford to pay their bills. I don't believe this is fair to mankind, as it is hard to constantly work hard every day. I don't think communism is the solution, but our government needs to step in and further help these struggling migrants who barely survive past the day. Also, these videos discussed the issue of child labor. It shocked me that even today, there are children working on these farms to help their parents pay the bills. Child labor is not right because isn't childhood supposed to be about enjoying your life and not having to worry about serious issues such as surviving? I can not believe that our government actually allows this. I believe that if the government isn't going to do anything about this that we should start a protest against child labor and help these children live normal lives without any serious responsibilities.

    Ali P.
    Period 5

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  20. This video was very shocking to me. I had always believed that child labor laws we strictly inforced and that now of this was still happening here in the United States. These children are be robbed of their child hood, they should be out playing with their friends, not worry about working. I can't believe that people know that this is going on and they turn a blind eye to it. Things need to be done to stop this from happening to kids. I know that new technoglies have stopped some migrants workers, but all child labor laws need to be strictly inforced through the country.

    Brian Fitter - Period 2

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  21. I was shocked to watch this video and witness with my own eyes that children still today do back breaking work for their parents to help with their financial situation. Not only does this go against child labor laws, but the children are being robbed of their childhood. This video made me really look at my own life and makes me thankful of how fortunate I am and how at times I can be ungrateful. During this video, a great point was made in which 12 year olds can work in fields through the heat and aches or injuries yet you have to wait until you are sixteen to work in the air conditioning and stock the food you picked. It was good to see how happy some of the kids were for helping their families, but it breaks my heart to know that the food I sometimes take for granted was slaved over by the very same children. I think that the government should really start to enforce the child labor laws because the work these children have to do is so dangerous to their health. Also not only is the work dangerous it is illegal and needs to be stopped.
    Brittany S. Period 5

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  22. This video, like many of the other articles you have posted, makes me sad; but also it makes me question the government that allows this. We live in a time when everyone knows everything about everyone, yet our own elected politicians do not even focus their attention to issues that effect so many. Basically, hypocrisy is the word;I say this because,as the video stated, a 12 year old can work all day in the fields picking fruit but cannot work a job at a supermarket handling the same fruit. Greed has stricken our leaders and instead of protecting our basic freedoms and liberties, they focus on the petty and pointless arguments between themselves. Our divided government is to busy ripping each other limb from limb to look around and see the shithole of world they allowed it to become. But wait, maybe the problem isn't electing the wrong leaders, but rather not standing up for the injustices that we all witness and pay no mind to.
    Steve Z.
    period 5

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  23. This video shows how the government really doesn't enforce child labor laws. Th facts that a two year old girl was learning to work in the farm was astonishing. Whats really stood out to me was when the kids said they had to miss summer school in order to help their families. First of all, the pay is so low that parents need their children's help in order to feed them. Second, education is so important these days to make a living in America. Education is the top priority on my list, so i can't even imagine putting it out of the question. These children are not only getting a poor education ,but also malnutrition. In the video is said that the kids had to eat raw hot dogs on their way to the next farm. Meanwhile, they have to pick the nice fruits and vegetables we get on our tables.
    Julia Watsky p.2

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  24. This video has shocked me. Its not right in any way to have these young children working in the hot sun every day. They should be enjoying their childhood, by going to the beach or swimming in the pool, not spending days in the field picking berries. It upsets me how the government does not choose to step in and stop the child labor, even though they know about it. I don't like the idea of "don't ask, don't tell." But, I do like how the media informs many Americans by posting this story on TV and online. I think most Americans should be aware that there is still child labor in our country. Most of the fruits and vegetables that are in our supermarkets were peobably picked by children somewhere around the age of 12.

    Miriah V.
    period 5

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  25. Everyone expects a lot of progress as time goes on. However, this video is proof that change doesn't occur unless people enforce the change. The government and business don't enforce this change because money is more important to them than the life of a child. This fact is sad yet 100% true. These kids should be in school and educating themselves so that they have a chance at a better future. Not slaving away in the hot sun and working illegally. Also, I find it ironic that 12 year old kids are allowed to work in the fields but not allowed to work in a safe, clean store. I agree with Brittany when she stated that she's shocked. While it's good that kids are proud to be helping their families, they should instead be trying to help themselves create a better life.
    Aaryne Antell
    period 5

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  26. This video was so shocking to me, even more shocking than the articles that we have read before on labor issues. I can't believe that so many kids under 12 years old are working in these picking fields. The part that got me the most was when the camera had showed a little 2-year-old girl picking fruit! Even with the "don't ask, don't tell" rule, i still can't imagine any human having a person that young pick something that they grew; personally, i wouldn't even think about people this young picking my produce if i was a farm owner. Relating to what julia said in her comments, i can't believe that the government doesn't stop this. If they were able to tape and make a segment on these families that show themselves and other people working at such young ages, why can't they trace it back to these farms and stop it? I just don't get it. I also find it so unfair to the kids that have to leave school early just so they can get ready to pick crops, and it's not fair how they are behind other kids in their class because of it; i think it's basically cheating them out of their education somewhat.

    Maxine Hernandez, P2

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  27. I was glad to see that the wages of the migrant families were enough that they were able to support themselves comfortably. One family had built an entire ranch on the money they made from farm work and another had been able to support it's children through college. It was also comforting that the families, and even the children, seemed very happy with their life, even though they were tired after working hard. Personally I found it disgusting that the child labor official's response to the ineffective child labor laws was to increase the minimum age and increase fines on farmers. This would make it harder for both the migrant families and the farmers. If the children can't work then the family might lose their comfortable living; also, if the farmers are receiving fines for things out of their control, than they might not be able to pay the workers quite as much which would make it even harder for the migrants. This is just another example of the work of the ignorant, and ineffective bureaucratic regime that is plaguing our country.

    Evan B per 5

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  28. You would think that after this issue was brought to the people's attention in 1998 more action would be taken against the child labor. Personally I believe that if, like some of the kids shown in the video, enjoy being able to help their family make a little extra money should be allowed to volunteer their time. What I do not agree with is the children who are working at 3 to 9 years old. These kids will be working for the rest of their lives and they shouldn't have to work at such a young age. I also believe that for kids like Uli it is not right to pull them out of school and cause them to fall behind their peers. I believe that the schools that have children like Uli who help their parents earn money in the spring should receive the necessary school work so that they will not fall behind in school.

    Christina p.2

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  29. This video really shocked me because I had no idea that child labor was STILL this bad. Eight year old children working in the fields doing back breaking work is insane. This is something you would expect seeing during the great depression because it was a different time where young children went to work to help their parents, but just to think it is still going on is nuts. The parents that work in the fields should be paid a resonable amount of money so that they can feed their families. it is ridiculous that they need their young children to mature at eight years old so that they can work to help make money. that isn't somethingan eight year old should be doing.

    Rachel I.
    Per. 1

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  30. I think the government should address issues like these more often and enfore them more. I had no idea that this was still occurring in the US today! I also think it was suprising and really eye opening that families like the Cruz's have to drive north and work during the summer even though they have a 5 acre ranch of their own and are pretty well off. The media I think, is partially to blame for why the average US citizen is unaware of this, and if US Citizens are aware of this, then I think its sickening that they are not doing anything about it.

    Anna Atkinson
    Period 1

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  31. This video grabbed my attention from the very beginning when she said, “They’re migrant workers, some as young as five or six years old, working alongside their struggling parents on America’s farms.” This is shocking to me because I never would have thought that children so young could be working hard labor in the modern world. As it when on, I saw the true hardships these migrant workers have to face, like just fixing their van. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” world was also very shocking to me because everyone basically looks the other way at something illegal and unhealthy. It is not right the way these children are treated and they they can’t do anything about it. They are not allowed to be in air condition working, but they are allowed to work in the hot sun and risk injury. This was outrageous to me. This video gave me another perspective on how migrant workers and hard labor has not changed in the years, even though we all believe it has.

    Rebecca W. Period 2

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  32. The thing that most surprised me was the age of some of the children working. It is shocking that although there are child labor laws, little children are still being forced to work at a low wage. Children should be allowed to experience the childhood that they are meant to experience. They should not be spending their developmental years working on a farm alongside their adult parents. There are reasons for laws against child labor in our country and it appalls me that this is going on under our very noses. I hope that we turn things around and stand up for the rights of our children.
    Anna T
    -Period 5

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  33. This video was very informative and really captivated me. It was just so unbelievable and sad to know that while we are at summer camp and having fun in the sun, there are children that are as young as two years old being forced to work along side their parents on the farms of America, It really astounded me how something this terrible is going on in our country and not many people even know about it. I for one did not hear about this issue until we discussed it in English class. This video helped to raise awareness and show the urgency of this issue. It was also astounding to me that when talking about a worker, it was stated, "He saw a purity to his work, while we'd seen just back-breaking stoop labor." These people don't see the wrong in this. They just see their way of life and it even makes some of them happy. With all of the problems that they endured, they still move on and keep working. These children are being deprived of their childhood and it is absolutely wrong.

    Morgan R. Period 1

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  34. This video opened my eyes to a lifestyle that I did not think much about. When Pablo says that "the migrant worker is the happiest man in the world," it really made me reflect back on my life and I realized how selfish and ungrateful people can be. Pablo does not have much, yet he finds the happiness in life and is more optimistic than a lot of my peers are. As the video went on, I was shocked to find out that children at the age of 2 were even out on the fields, learning the ways of farming. Some children were not even given the chance to attend school, and others were pulled out early so that they could get on the road early to travel to places of work. The saddest part of the video for me was when the families took the journey all the way to different states, but they were not able to acquire jobs. These families do not have guaranteed jobs, yet they still make the journey in hopes of some sort of work. It was also disheartening when the families got to the farm, but realized that a pesticide had replaced their jobs. This reminded me of the cotton-picking tractors in The Grapes of Wrath that took over the farms and put people out of their jobs. It gives light to the continuing debate of whether mechanization creates or destroys job opportunities. I personally think that it hurts job opportunities because mechanization usually entails high-wage jobs, and so the middle class gets squashed. Like Ehrenreich supported throughout Nickel and Dimed, the upper class depends on the middle class, so blue collar jobs are the ones that the government should be protecting.

    Lianne Y, Per. 5

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  35. I think it is horrible that children who are supposed to be looking forward to summer, dread the fact that summer for them means back breaking work in the scorching fields. Although I feel it would benefit children to be going to school and educating themselves rather than illegally working beside their parents, I understand that by having that one less family member helping out might mean homelessness. When the little boy asked the little girl what her one wish was and she responded with "rest", I wanted to cry. Such hard work being put in the hands of children is heartbreaking.
    Jocelyn G
    Period 5

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  36. Though it was a bit disturbing and saddening to watch, I am glad I watched these videos because they were interesting and have taught me quiet a bit.I did have some idea of how bad the child labor is in this country, I had no idea that it was to this extent. It is crazy to think that three year old children are working so hard and having to struggle so much. These videos also made me realize how fortunate many of us are. Most of us just complain about trivial matters. Sometimes, we should just take a little time to appreciate what we do have instead of whining about the things we want. The videos also made me question the government. What exactly is the government of this country doing? I understand that the country's economy is not so good and there are a lot of other issues right now. But, I think this issue should be on the top of the list. After hearing/watching about people's hardships like this, it makes me feel a bit guilty. All we can do is read about it and then write a few sentences reflecting on how bad we feel. And then, we just return to our normal, mostly comfortable lives. I wish that there was something to do to reach out to these people or make this stop.
    -Ayeshra A. Period 1

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  37. To be honest, I don't think there is so much wrong here. I do have a problem with having the kids under 12 work the farms, but for the rest, it really is a life one can be proud of. Persistent education is not for every person. Some families would prefer a simple, dignified life. Literally, summer vacation was created to allow young people time to harvest crops. I think that the kids who do this should be allowed to pursue education and alternative jobs if they want to, and should be kept at a minimal comfort during this labor, but other than that this was pretty much the standard a century or two ago, and the kids who grew up from it grew into strong, proud, useful, and handy adults. As CT kids we're really instilled with a vision of what is correct in regards to life: Stay in school, go to college, get a degree, get a job. For us, anything else can appear foreign and unfathomable.
    -Steven K. Period 2

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  38. This video tugged at the heart strings of the viewer. When the little girl responded with “rest” to what she wished for, my jaw dropped. It’s insane to think about such young children working alongside their parents doing back breaking work. I imagine it must be horrifying for the parents to have to watch their children suffer so they can pay the bills. This video did an excellent job of making me more aware of child labor in this country.
    Eden W.
    p. 5

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  39. I found this video to be extremely powerful because we finally saw faces and people to associate the migrant workers movement with. When I was reading other articles, I understood and appreciated the what the articles were saying about agricultural workers , but now after hearing the stories of the Floreses and the Villanuevas I can connect to the material on a much greater level. I found it despicable that the child labor laws are not enforced in the agricultural market because cheap items are being demanded by the public and that calls for cheap and plentiful labor. This requires the whole migrant family to work including those under the age of 12 because the family needs the money to stay afloat.

    Griffin S. P. 5

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  40. I was shocked after watching this video that so many children work in fields in order to help their parents make enough money to survive. Some children as early as two worked in the fields, even though the legal age to work in the fields is twelve. The video reminded me of the Grapes of Wrath because the Villanueva family traveled across country every year in order to find jobs and make money. This is similar to the Joads moving to California in order to find jobs. Also, both families' existence and ability to find jobs was based on their car. For example, when the Villanueva family was driving to Minnesota and their car lost a wheel, they ended up having to pay $600. The fact that their ten year old child Uli had to help his family farm and lose about a month of learning in school is awful. The problem is is that the Villanuevas have no other choice because they need the money Uli makes to survive.

    Justin W. Period 5

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  41. Like others who watched this video, I was alos very shocks by wha they said. I couldn't believe that children as young as 2 years old have to go out in the fields and work because they need to help there family. I didn't know that so many children had to go out in the fields and work and I think that's very sad because they are missing out on there childhood. It's very disposable that the child working laws are not more inforced when it comes to harvest fields. That its even sad that the legal working age is 12 and they have he rule of don't ask don't tell when it come to how old your children are that work in the filed. I just hope that more light gets put upon the harvest fields of child labor. It's just really sad to know that kids so young have to go out there and work because if they don't then their parents can't pay the bills that they have.

    Emma N. Period 5

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