Get Organized
Around Assets
The steps community
organizers use to help
change people’s lives can
help teachers improve
English language
learners’ reading.
Larry Ferlazzo
Nobody thought Juan was very capable. People didn’t ake him seriously when he said he wanted some land to farm. Finally, he
was given a small plot, but everyone
laughed because they believed it
was poor soil and Juan wouldn’t be
successful. Juan, though, was a hard
worker, and he had the knowledge
that his friends the Zanate birds shared
with him. Following their advice, he
planted what are known as the “three
sisters”: corn, beans, and squash. The
birds—and the indigenous people of
Mexico—know that these three plants
complement one another during the
growing season. The townspeople were
shocked to see the success of Juan’s
harvest. From that day forward he was
known as Juan Zanate.
© Stefanie felix
