George Washington Gómez /Dear Old Gringo School Days

Reading Questions Part III

Chapter 1 pages 107-110 Gualinto Goes to School

  1. Why did Feliciano takeGualinto to register at School, and not Maria?
  2. Why did Feliciano move away and not stand under the flag posted in the school?
  3. What kind of horse is a gelding horse?
  4. Why did people in town address Feliciano as “Don”?
  5. Who was Miss Cordelia?
  6. Why did Felilciano say that Gualinto’s name was of an Indian origin?

Chapter 2 First Day of School in Miss Cordelia’s Room/La India, Orestes & El Colorado

1. How would you describe Miss Cornelia’sinitial attitude toward Gualinto?

2.What illness did Orestes suffer from as a child that made him repreat the first grade?

3. What was El Colorado’s concern about his parent’s relationship?

Chapter 3 pages 116-118 Texas School Segregation/ Bi-lingual Education/Teacher Preparation

  1. What were the Escuelitas and why were the different that the schools in Jonesville?
  2. What does the author tell us about Miss Cordeliasbackground,her education and preparation to be an elementary school teacher?
  3. Why do you think that the low first graders dropped out of school after their first year of school?
  4. Why was it considered polite to speak of Mexicans as Spanish, Latin Americans or Latins?
  5. Why did they call Miss Cordelia la Guajolota

Chapter 4 pages 118-124

  1. What did Gualinto Take with him to school and what if anything did La Indiahave incommon with his school supplies?
  2. Where did Miss Cornelia disappear too, and what Alicia and La India do to embarrass Gualinto and how did he react to their teasing him?
  3. What object did Miss Cordelia use to discipline the boys?
  4. Who was la Niña Osuna?
  5. Why did Gualinto cause El Colorado to be punished and how did he react to Gualinto’sapology?
  6. What does the author mean by the phrases “ warm morbid “slightly expurgated versions of the obscene gestures..”?
  7. Why didGualintoniadd the letters :ch, ll and ñ when writingthe alphabet?
  8. How do you suppose that Colorado had such a negative opinion about girls?

Chapter 5 pages 124-132

  1. What was the relationship between Gualinto and Miguel Osuna?
  2. What expectations did Gualinto’s family have for him and why?
  3. How did Miss Cornelia again humiliate Gualinto during their reading exercise?
  4. How was did Gualintos friends like El Colorado acquire nicknames?
  5. What did the boys on the playground do to goad Miguel and Gualinto into a fight?
  6. Who was Mr. Baggley and why did Gualinto dislike him?
  7. Who or What is a pugilist?
  8. What did Francisco mean when he stated that he was “talking Castillian”?
  9. What type of punishment did Miss Cornelia administer to the boys that would be considered illegal most Los Angeles public schools today?
  10. Why was Francisco Four-Eyes so much different than the other boys?

Chapter 6 pages 132-137

  1. What was Gualinto big secret about his real name and how did Miss Cornelia react when she learned his secret?
  2. What was Armistice Day and what role did Gualinto play in its celebration at school?
  3. What did the author mean when he stated that Miss Cornelia “said no…. a trifle disdainfully”?
  4. What does the author mean when he states that “Maria smiled at Miss Cornelia’s condescension “ and her using “didactic tone”?
  5. How would you contrast the behavior and demeanor of Miss Cornelia with that of Miss Huff?

Chapter 7 pages 137-141

1. What did the “old Guajolota” do to cause the students in her class to think that she was being nice to Gualinto?

2. Who was Don OnofreOsuna and what standing did he have in town?

3. What is meant by the term “ amor de lejos, amor de pendejos”?

4. What advice did the boys give to Gualinto about his expressing his affection for La NenaOsuna?

5. What did Gualinto write in his letter to La Nena and what were the consequences of his effort?

Chapter 8 pages 141-147

1. How did Gualinto react to the public whipping and humiliation that the suffered at the hands of Miss Cornelia? How would you have reacted?

2. How did Uncle Feliciano react to the incident at school?
3. What were the nature of Gualinto’s injuries and what medical treatment did he receive?

4. Why was Don Santiago called in?

5. What did Carmen have to say about what had gone on and why wasn’t it reported to her Mother?

  1. Who accompanied Don Feliciano to the meeting with the principal and who else was present as witnesses?
  2. What impact did the incident have on La NenaOsuna and why did Uncle Feliciano think that Gualinto would find a new love?

Chapter 9 pages 147 –150

  1. How was it thatGualinto and other MexicoTexan students began to become Americanized?
  2. What does the author mean that the many “GualintoGomezes” face external conflicts between “two clashing forces”?
  3. How do we see the conflict within Gualinto over his name?
  4. How did Gualinto feel about his Mexicaness – especially the Mexican flag, the Mexican national anthem and Mexican music?
  5. Why did Mexicans in Texas become Americanized in one generation as did the European immigrants?
  6. Who were some of the Mexican heroes that Gualinto identified with?
  7. What was the importance of the Society for the Advancement of Latin American Voters?
  8. Do you think that the author implies that Mexican children such as Gualinto were being subtlety seduced by their teachers into being “Americans”
  9. Did you ever experience the conflicts that Gualindo does in being incorporated into “American” society?
  10. Did you ever feel or continue to feel that your view of yourself and the role of your community in history is distorted or ignored?

Chapter 10 pages 150-154

1. What impact did Maria’s broken leg have on the lives of Maruca and Carmen?

2. What did Feliciano have to say about Carmen’s wanting to graduate from high school?

3. Why did Dr. Zapata have a military bearing?

4. How did Gualinto promise to help Carmen?

Chapter 11 pages 150-157

1. If not driven by Gumersino’s dream, what would have become of Feliciano?

2.How did Gualinto give his family self confident pride?

3. What were the factors in Felicianos increasing prosperity?

4. How did Gumersino’s memory become more nebulous but heroic?

5.What impact did Feliciano’s and Maria’s mother have on their lives?

6.How did the attitudes of Feliciano differ with those of Gualinto and Maruca?

7.What caused Gualinto to run and hide in the toilet?

Chapter 12 pages 157-163

1. Why did Ms. Barton think that Gualinto looked like a game cock that needed to loosen up?

2. Why did Elton Carlton dislike Gualinto?

3. What did Gualinto and Ed Garloc argue about that nearly came to a physical confrontation?

4. Why did one of the girls call Gualinto a Bolshevik?

5. What did Eloida have to say about Rio Grande City?

6. How didGualintoreact tio his being called Spanish by Ed Garloc?

7. What did Gualinto have to do with Nena passing her history test?