Portfolio 6: Book Club

 I had the opportunity to read The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens.  Looking back, I love the phrase in the title "Big Dreams and Brave Journeys".  What amazing, difficult, complex backgrounds and experiences these students have.  I was blown away by the endurance and suffering these students have gone through.  While reading this book, there were many things that disrupted me and made me question the educational system described in this book.  Before being introduced to this book, I did not even know that there were entire schools dedicated to immigrant students.  Where I grew up in Minnesota, there are separate classes called Newcomers class where immigrants would go for part of the day to learn English in a more one-on-one way as to ease them into American schools.  I'm no expert in which way is better or anything like that, it was just really interesting for me to learn about this schooling system and read from the students' perspectives.  My views as a teacher were completely renewed as I read this book, and I am now more aware of the needs and differences of immigrant students that need to be addressed in classrooms.

Disruptions:

         One of the disruptions I experienced while reading this book was the excruciating process families had to go through to get enrolled into the Immigrant school.  The Department of Education made it so difficult for them to enroll, and I can't quite get my head around why.  I understand that the majority viewpoint in our country is negative towards immigrants, but why must we make it so difficult for them to get an education in a high school designed specifically for immigrants? The book said, "For many families, that process seems like an endless odyssey through an enormous bureaucracy that is unable to address all of their needs" (Hauser, p. 70).  I don't know a whole lot about the legalities of immigration, but I do know that this part of the book broke my heart in two.  I can only imagine the stresses and emotions that immigrants go through to try and get somewhere that can offer their families better opportunities, only to arrive there and realize it's extremely difficult to get into the system.  And to also realize that the system you dreamed of being a part of, the schooling you wanted your children to be apart of was unable to meet your needs and cultural norms.  The educational system is not accommodating to immigrant families, which is a huge issue.  Especially in schools designed specifically for immigrants.  It makes me sad and angry knowing that these students and their families are already going through so much, the schools should be more supportive of these families by making it easier to get enrolled in the school system.

        Another disruption for me was how the American Dream is thought to be everyone and anyone's ideal life to many people.  But that just isn't the case.  These students in this book didn't necessarily come here to be American and live how the common American does, they can to pursue a dream.  That dream could be an education, that dream could also be to get as far away from war and famine as possible.  It frustrates me that we often assume everyone is chasing after the American Dream, when in reality that's not the right path for everyone and not the right thing to push on students.  These immigrants are going through more than most American students ever have to, and have every right to pursue whatever dreams they want.  Students who are immigrants should be supported in pursuing whatever their dream is, whether that is getting or education or whether it isn't.  It was a powerful reminder of how different cultures are when reading about Yasmeen.  She was debating whether to get married or continue her education.  This was a cultural norm for Yasmeen, and she was choosing whether she wanted to follow her culture or get an education.  In my opinion, schools should be accommodating to different cultures and should work out ways in which students like Yasmeen can pursue their education while respecting their cultural identity as well.  Along with this, we need to make sure that the buildings and signage are useful for every student.  They talked about in the book how one girl didn't eat lunch for a month because she couldn't find the cafeteria.  That is absolutely unacceptable and such a fixable issue.  It needs to be a priority to make the school buildings easily understood by all, and if they aren't then teachers need to go out of their way to make sure each student knows where they are going.

        And another disruption that I experienced while reading this was that there wasn't enough room in the schools for all of the students that wanted to attend.  That makes me so sad, that there are people being denied an education simply because of an issue of space.  I understand that there's no possible way you could fit every single student into a school without overcrowding, but it seems like there would be options for other schools that the leadership could help them find.  It just made me so sad thinking about everything these immigrants had already gone through to get to America, and how devastating they must have been when they were turned away after all of their sacrifice.

Connections:

        One of the main connections this book helped me make to all that we have been learning about in class is how much extra attention ELLs need.  Not because they are less smart, or less motivated in any way.  Just because they need extra help understanding what they are to do and what is being taught.  In the book there were many examples of students who were the only students who spoke their language in the entire school, like Chit Su from Thailand.  These students need extra support and attention when learning a new language and adjusting to the classroom setting in a whole other language than what they are used to.  I think it's also important that these students continue learning their first language, so I think it is necessary that teachers should find resources in the student's first language to aid their education.  Finding books in Thai, Spanish or whatever language necessary will help the students learn the material being taught while they are working on learning English.  This way, they are able to keep up on their education without falling behind due to a language barrier.

        Another connection this book helped me make to what we have been learning about in class is the deficit theory.  It is so common for teachers and other members of society to apply the deficit theory to immigrants, and assume that they are dumb and useless just because they don't speak perfect English.  What I loved about this book was that the principal never showed any support of the deficit theory.  She didn't see the students as burdens or as difficulties.  She saw them as capable, intelligent people who can find success in life with the right tools.  She planned the school to best fit the students, but to also push them to succeed.  You can tell that she wants these students to find success, not just endure their time in the school system.  She was also able to identify with these students and understand them because she herself was an immigrant.  This was a great resource to have for the students, as they saw how they could be successful just like Alexandra was.  This was an important reminder to me that even if I don't have the same exact background of a student, I still need to make an effort to get to know them and to try and connect with them so that they feel more supported.

        Another connection I was able to make to what we learned in class was regarding to push and pull factors.  Push factors and pull factors were shown in many ways in this book.  Each student came to this immigration high school for different reasons.  Some students were pushed from their home countries because of war, or even some risked death if they would have stayed in their country.  These factors pushed them to move to America and become an immigrant.  Some pull factors that these students had were the good education provided here, learning another language, having more freedoms, or pursuing a dream of living in America (which isn't always as great as they dream it to be).  As I thought in an elementary school perspective, many students that young did not have any choice in coming to America.  Most of the time it was because of their parent's decision and it was out of their control.  Thinking of what these particular student must go through was overwhelming to me.  They are put in such a new environment and are expected to figure out how to navigate this new system.   Being supportive and trying our best to calm their nerves and accommodate for them is necessary for the success and comfort of these students.

        Everything about this book made me think about what I will do as a teacher to remember what I learned from reading it.  I would say that it had enough impact on me to completely rethink the way I think about immigrant students and ELLs.  I want every single one of my students to feel welcome in my classroom.  I don't want students to be lost in the hallways, or not know how to use the eating utensils int he cafeteria like several students in the book.  I need to be an advocate for the students of my classroom and fight for them to get the resources they need.

        One thing that really struck me while I was reading was that I need to be aware of how the students got here and where they wanted to go.  Supporting their past while helping them create their future is essential.  It may be challenging to reach out to these students because their past may be painful and hard to speak of.  But I at least want them to know I care for them and that they deserve to have an ally and friend at school.  I found myself cheering for these kids as I read their stories.  I will cheer for my students in my classroom.  These students also need support at home, and I cannot assume that they will have the same resources that the middle white class has.  They need access to books and other materials that they need to enhance their learning.  Being aware of what they need is really important.  Accepting the culture they come from is even more important.  If this high school felt like a tower of Babel to the faculty, then an American school has got to feel like an entirely new planet to an ELL, immigrant or refugee.  I want to be a friend to these students and make sure that they know how to get everywhere and have access to the resources that the American kids do.

         Overall, I cannot express how much this book has opened my eyes to a topic I haven't often thought about.  My heart reaches out to these students and I want to care for them and make their transition into this scary, intimidating situation easier.  Everything comes at them so intensely and quickly, and all they are trying to do is fit in and find success.  I hope they know that I will be their friend and advocate and will help them figure out this culture while still maintaining their cultural norms and values.