Education, Not Deportation!

EDUCATION, NOT DEPORTATION!

There is a movement for the legalization of undocumented students who arrived in the United States at a young age. There are the students who shine in the United States by meeting and exceeding academics and there are students that get sucked into the uneducated schools and teachers.  There is a population of students that get ignored when certain resources are provided only to high academic success students.  There is no question that these students deserve the maximum access to education as their documented counterparts, but little has been studied about the psychological consequences of the smaller group of average to low academic success students.

            Meeting the needs of immigrant children is very complex.  What happens to the ELL immigrant children that have to mentally accept that they have a ‘special need’ because they are placed in “special education” classes?  And on top of that they are ‘undocumented’. There are two types of ELL students: U.S. Born English Language Learners and Foreign Born English Language Learners.[1]  Both groups of students face a danger when it comes to academic success due to their status or the status of their families, which plays a heavy burden on their lives. I have created a web diagram to show how both group of students are at risk when it comes to ‘undocumentation’ (yes I made up a word).

            In the article “Education and Ethnic Identity Formation Among Children of Latin America and Caribbean Immigrants” defines the concept “reactive ethnicity” it reads “reactive ethnicity highlights how ethnic identities are shaped by life experiences, such as political events or experiences of discrimination. In particular, Rumbaut (2005) argues that children of immigrants faced with a hostile societal reception are more likely to cling to identities rooted in their home country.” (pg 139) This finding correlates with the disengagement of children in the United States and in the education system.  How can a child cling to their home country when they are taught minimal substance relating to their culture in their classes?

             

       As a society we need to move fast to make sure the future of the children is secure.  First, we need to address issues that are not commonly talked about.  That could be cultural awareness in the home and in the schools to create a solid ground for the children regardless of their citizenship status and country of origin. The children are the future regardless of ethnic differences.  As a latina future educator I want to expand the necessity of cultural awareness to make sure our children are strong, educated warriors in this society. 

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[1] Nancy L. Hadaway, Sylvia M. Vardell, Terell A. Young,  What Every Teacher Should Know About English Language Learners (Boston: Pearson Education Inc., 2009) pg. 2