While reading the recent DJEC articles regarding immigrant and migrant students, I experienced many contradictions. However, I found myself completely agreeing with the final section of the second article. As quoted in the article, “’ . . . we don’t have a broken educational system because the system was designed for a particular population, so it’s working just fine for them.’” It was then that I realized many of the contradictions I felt were actually rooted in this shared belief I have subconsciously felt from my earliest days spent in the classroom. This realization has become clearer with the
introduction of immigrant and migrant students.
As a young teacher I am critical of myself for not reaching all of my students. It was my mentors who first told me not to be so hard on myself. These seasoned teachers know and have known how broken our education systems are. In fact, these teachers pointed out the helplessness they feel even now, 24 years in. Undoubtedly, students feel similarly if the adults they are to learn from and with, feel this way. Now couple that academic helplessness students face, with the helplessness and confusion of navigating a new country, language, and culture. When I began to deeply consider all the forms of helplessness thriving in public schools, I began to feel angry.
This last semester I worked in a school that was attractive to
immigrant families from Latin America for its dual language approach to education. While I am grateful of the exposure these families had to this school, I am also frustrated at the lack of information families received regarding navigating academic settings in the United States. I witnessed many of the challenges exemplified in these articles and more.
Working in a dual language school, none of the students I taught were given regular opportunities to learn and thrive in their second language. In fact, one student told me he learned more English in Colombia than he did here in Denver. I am a teacher who firmly believes in enabling participation in native languages, but I also see the value and importance of teaching new language skills that can apply to the unofficial, but really, official, language of this country. Allowing native languages in classrooms provides opportunities to dismantle colonialism, but in my opinion, not providing adequate opportunities to learn and practice English is an injustice to newcomers who are seeking those opportunities. Conversely, students seeking to learn Spanish were also not given plentiful opportunities to do so. If we are to educate in a bilingual model we must do it right.
Additionally, in order to challenge educational practices that normalize harmful social phenomena, we must realize how many of the cultures our newcomer students live in normalize these phenomena as well. A shock for my newcomer students was the liberalism of Denver. We must remember that many of our students are coming from countries with traditionalist beliefs, and we must be gentle in introducing students to the radical ways in which they can change their communities as these articles suggest. I am in agreement that students must learn their rights not only in this country, but also in their schools. Yet, we must also be prepared to see students and families take time to digest these cultural shifts. Many families are not used to high involvement in their children’s education.
These articles mentioned the many ways in which schools are failing our newcomer students, but left out the ways in which our school communities, that is, stakeholders beyond our teachers and administrators, are failing students. I observed more judgment and criticisms of newcomer students and their “disruption” to the school ecosystem not from teachers, but from U.S. born students. Xenophobia and cultural centrism were daily occurrences. Behaviors and attitudes that are reflected in our current media and political climate.
Further, I believe patriotism and cultural pride can be beautiful but it was taken to extremes when students criticized one anothers nationalities. I was constantly reminded of the diversity in experiences and attitudes across Latin American countries. Latine culture and communities are not monoliths, but the common denominator amongst all of the students I taught this year was helplessness.
Ultimately, I am in complete agreement that our educational systems currently in place are not working. In order to cure this pandemic of helplessness currently flourishing in American public schools, exponentially so with the arrival of newcomer students, we must radically change the way in which we engage our students and school them.
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Katie Ruiz Gonzalez is a new educator recently graduated from the University of Colorado Denver. She was recently recognized as the outstanding undergraduate student of the University’s education programs. Katie was born to Mexican immigrant parents and uses her upbringing to connect with students facing unique and ever changing challenges in today’s educational landscape.
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