Made in America: Chapter 8

I was completely astounded by the fact that the principal of Madison was oblivious to the immigrant population in his school.  This made me even more upset than learning how ignorant the teachers were in regards to their ESL students because the principal runs the school – he/she sets the example for the rest of the faculty.  The fact that he wasn’t even aware of the demographics of his student population was horrendous.  It goes to show how little thought or attention is paid to the immigrant students.  On a larger scale, I think that the principal’s ignorance is a good indicator of how resistant the rest of the country is in regard to increasing immigrant populations. 

It was absolutely ridiculous to read that the teachers and administration at Madison viewed diversity as accepting everyone as equal, the same.  They all claimed not to notice skin color or cultural/ethnic indicators; instead, their students are a giant melting pot and all get a long.  The principal even went so far as to call it “the real world.”

I think that that kind of mindset is extremely dangerous when concerning immigrant students.  It is important for them to feel like their heritage/culture is accepted and it is important for them to get quality education.  The teachers at Madison seem extremely selfish; they pass the buck when it comes to ESL students because they feel like it is more work for them.  Their idea that “diversity means conformity” is yet again a lazy attempt to hide their inaction in terms of immigrant population growth.  The teachers and administrators try to hide behind this cookie-cutter view of diversity so they don’t have to spend time addressing the actual issues in the school.

Teachers claim that they don’t see race, but when the students were describing the school population, race was one of the most determining factors of which group you belong to.  The administrators are unwilling to accept that there has been a major shift in the population which requires another major shift in the teaching strategies used.  Instead, they ignore the changes (and the need for change) leaving students behind and condemning many to low achievement levels.

What can be done for schools like Madison?  How can we show teachers that accommodating for their immigrant minority students is not a burden, just a simple task of altering their teaching approach?  Instead of sorting students by age, what would be a more appropriate way to organize students in a way that allows them to achieve their maximum learning potential?

Made in America: Chapter 7

Immigrant students face many difficulties when they move to the United States.  Not only are there many cultural differences that teachers are unaware of, but students may be academically unprepared (little to no literacy) to succeed at an American school.  As in the first example, cultural misunderstandings can be quite common with immigrant students.  Without the teacher having proper background knowledge, it can make an immigrant student's transition into American schools and cultures even more traumatic.  The added pressure to "fit in" makes it that much harder for students to perform successfully and at an appropriate level for their age grade.

To top it all off, many of these students are also facing difficult issues at home.  The book estimates that almost 40% of immigrants in California are undocumented which makes continuing education impossible or extremely difficult and also suggests that most of their families' financial stability is questionable.  Not only do these immigrant students have to deal with balancing their culture and values with American culture and values, but many are also forced to quit school and support their family.

I became increasingly upset while reading this chapter because it made me realize how ignorant teachers can be when it comes to school demographics.  Instead of viewing the ESL students as a group of kids that needed extra help in order to succeed, the teachers seemed to think of them as an inconvenience. In my opinion, this puts the students at an even greater disadvantage because they are not pushed as far as mainstream kids, not given the same opportunities for successful learning acquisition, nor are they expected to achieve much.  In one section, Olsen writes "continuing LEP students have been gloomily labeled "ESL Lifers" by staff" (154).  This absolutely disgusted me because it was a label created by the teachers.  How are we supposed to expect students to succeed when we've already stacked the deck against them?  As a teacher, part of our responsibility is to give our students the tools they need to succeed and to learn; it shouldn't matter if the student is mainstream, ESL, or special education.  All students deserve the best education we can offer.  It is unprofessional and irresponsible to give our students anything less and put what is easy before what they need/deserve.

Chapter 6

For me the most interesting thing about this chapter was that the majority of immigrant families felt that they would lose their morals or innocence if they allowed their children to live the way that "American children" live.  The students also seemed to think that white children disrespected their parents and family names by the way that they behaved.

• American teenager girls "'are so open' and... 'so free'"(124).  Although I was aware that women in other cultures have less freedoms than those in the United States, it was amazing to learn that this included simply talking about their own problems or concerns. America is viewed as seductive, provocative, and dangerous from a  Newcomer's perspective; America is a place that they must protect their children from.
• For many immigrant girls, it is necessary for them to work and support the family so their brothers can continue with their educations and provide a better future for the family.
• One of the most significant passages that I read in the chapter was when a father spoke about his daughter, Leticia.  He said that "[she wants to be like them, but she doesn't see that those girls have lost their values.  They dress like they want the boys, and they don't go home to their families...She tells me this is not Mexico and doesn't want to listen to me. I am afraid what will happen to her here" (130).  It was shocking to see that immigrant parents were so afraid of what will happen to their kids here.  My parents are afraid if I leave the country because they fear the violence.  Immigrant families are afraid for their children here because they fear a loss of values.  I think that this is an extremely significant indicator of how different other countries' cultures are in comparison to the United States.  This is something that, as future teachers we must be aware of.   So many immigrant children are being sent back to their homelands because of this overwhelming fear of becoming "too American.

From this chapter, I am mostly curious about how this family fear of Americanization coincides or conflicts with the adolescents' views on becoming American, fitting in, and growing up in a second country.  How does this sort of familial conflict impact their behavior in the classroom?  If girls are only allowed socialization in school, could that account for why they talk more or are not as attentive in class as immigrant boys, whose main responsibility seems to be to create a better future for their families.