Immigration policies in this country and how English Language Learners have a difficult time assimilating to the education system.
By Jennifer Pitt
The first day of school can be a day filled with hopes and fears. Students look forward to meeting new friends, reuniting with old friends, and learning about new things. Yet for a large population this first day of school can be a very stressful and uneasy day. This population is that of the immigrants that have recently come to the United States. Not only are they entering a new school, it is one filled with a strange language and strange rules. It is a completely different experience for them then they are use to. While many students have trouble assimilating into our education system there are new theories and practices being made that not only help students assimilate but also hold on to their heritage.
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) was created in 1952. The bill was called the McCarran-Walter bill. It served the purpose of collecting and codifying many already existing provisions and made the INA. This bill has been around for over 50 years, and has had many amendments made to it as the wave of immigration changed. (US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2009) For example, the 1990 amendments increased legal immigration from about 500,000 annually to about 700,000 (Pryor, 1992).
In the United States schools have functioned as the primary institution for assimilating immigrants into American culture. It is where the language and values of this country are taught to the young immigrants. Yet no longer do schools focus on total assimilation. There is a strong desire for students to maintain parts of their own culture while also gaining parts of a new culture (Pryor, 1992).
A new theory views this idea as being a ‘Flowerpot’. The “Flowerpot model of America views the melting pot as having been converted into a huge container of fertile soil with roots, shoots, and buds capable of producing a brilliant array of new life” (p. 154, Pryor, 1992). Carolyn Pryor (1992) writes that to accomplish this, schools must be prepared for new croups to move in. This can be done through activities that create acceptance. For example, schools can have students visit schools with different ethnic compositions. Pryor (1992) also states that in order for there to be a new understanding, educators must educate themselves about the needs of immigrant students; “knowledge, enlightenment, and understanding are necessary for new growth” (p. 155).
We must recognize that coming to a new country is a very hard thing to do. Immigrants choose to pack up few belongings and move thousands of miles away from everything they know. They come in search of a better life, and the key to that better life is education. Yet while educators are starting to find ways to help the new become assimilated into a new culture, students are still struggling to do so. Immigrants are one of the leading portion of the population that drop out of school. One reason for this is because they have a hard time becoming a part of the school system. They feel as if they do not belong. That is why we as educators look for ways to help students feel they want to stay in school.
References:
Pryor, C (1992). Integrating Immigrants into American Schools. Social Work in Education; Jul 92, Vol. 14 Issue 3, p153-159, 7p. Retrieved from: ERIC on September 29th, 2009
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigration and Nationality Act. Retrieved from: http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/? vgnextoid=f3829c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=f3829c 7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD on September 29th, 2009
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ReplyDeleteTeachers Taking Action: Raising Awareness in American Youth
ReplyDeleteBy Meghan Muller
It seems as if many teachers, especially those new to the profession, are hesitant about using literature that touches on a sensitive subject. Although it might be easier to talk about topics that are enjoyable and make the reader smile and laugh, it is hard to ignore the topics that are rough around the edges that deal with real life situations that students will come across at some point in time. It is unrealistic to think that by avoiding topics such as racism, homelessness, poverty, death and gender issues that they will simply disappear. As educators, it is important to use literature to discuss such topics with students. A new wave of literature, known as critical literacy, has surfaced in order to help teachers talk about real life issues with students. The rise of critical literacy has been seen across the nation, and now teachers of all ages, are introducing books that will promote awareness in regard to ‘sensitive subjects’, rather than simply allowing ignorance to continue to be the answer. It is important to look at success stories in using critical literacy in order to teach about topics that were once overlooked due to a fear of scaring children, by honestly, exposing them to reality.
As more teachers are being exposed to critical literacy, more are willing to take a risk, by including some of the deemed debatable books into their classrooms. These books address topics such as racism, homelessness, and abuse. Nowadays professionals are starting to realize that avoiding using books that talk about current sociocultural issues only keeps children away from talking about things that they are going to be exposed to at some point in time. It has been said that, “Rejecting texts because they might frighten or corrupt children implies that school should be kept spate from society rather than be a place where children are taught to act responsibly and equitably within their world” (Wollman-Bonilla, 1998, p. 290). By utilizing critical literacy texts, we can provide students with helpful resources that may answer questions they have, and encourage critical thinking. In the future, our students will have to step up and take action. For them to improve society though, they must be aware of the problems that need to be addressed. By incorporating literature that talks about such issues, students will have a better sense of what is going on in their world. Through awareness, opportunities to change society for the better will follow.
Using critical literacy in the classroom can help promote awareness in regards to many of the issues that our nation is currently facing. One teacher, Kim Huber, Lewison (2008), talked about how she included critical literacy in her first grade classroom. At first she was afraid that her students could not relate to such topics, being so young, but over time she realized her initial doubts were wrong. Kim Huber decided to talk about homelessness when her school was collecting canned goods for local families who were struggling financially (Lewison, 2008, p. 61-2). She read the book The Lady in the Box to her class, which talked about a woman who lived in a box during winter months (Lewison, 2008, p. 61). After reading this to her class, Huber’s students brought in numerous canned goods to help out. She followed up with a writing activity in which students were asked what they would do with $100. Many children in the past responded along the lines of “I would by a Volstwagin jetu,” but after this activity responses were more like “I would give mony to by a hause. I wont to be nise to other pepel that don’t have homes…” (Lewison, 2008, p. 62-3). It is amazing how first graders were able to talk about topics that would have been deemed too sensitive to bring up at such a young age. However, Huber proved that students can take away a lot from critical literacy lessons. This example should inspire more teachers to take risks because they might pay off in more ways than one could ever imagine.
ReplyDeleteOther teachers are speaking up about the importance to talk about the issues that today’s youth is presented with. Although some teachers like to think that such things do not happen to children in their class that is not always the case. Many children in our classrooms might be exposed to abuse, violence, substance abuse and other sad things. As teachers, we must look for ways to teach our students on how they can overcome such obstacles. One teacher said, “Frightening things happen to children all of the time. Reading a book like this lets them see that it’s okay to talk or write about them” (Wollman-Bonilla, 1998, p. 292). It is important for educators to help all students express his or her feelings about such topics. By reading and writing about such issues, and through the incorporation of critical literacy into general curriculum, we can help children to reflect on real topics and to promote critical thinking.
Although teachers tend to look for books that are happy-go-lucky, and can be used to teach things like punctuation, grammar and writing techniques, they cannot always teach valuable life lessons. If first graders can be impacted greatly by reading about issues like homelessness and racism, and react in ways that demonstrate compassion and concern, then critical literacy should be used across all grade levels. Literature can be used to talk about a variety of things, especially current critical issues. The generation of children that are in our classrooms today can be ones to make a great difference in our struggling world. By making them aware of things like suicide, violence, homelessness, racism and other issues, teachers increase the chance of wiping out ignorance. If students know about such problems, and how they impact the lives of people in their own community, then they are more likely to take action. There will always be problems that plague our nation, but if we teach about them, it is possible that today’s youth will dedicate their lives to changing the world for the better. The key to changing the globe is through awareness and joint effort; maybe critical literacy could be the first step to achieving this goal.
References
Lewison, M., Leland, C., Harste, J.C. (2008). Creating critical classrooms: K-8 reading and writing with an edge. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Group.
Wollman-Bonilla, J.E. (1998). Outrageous viewpoints: Teachers’ criteria for rejecting works of children’s literature. Language Arts, 75(4), 287-295.