Immigration - FOED 7060

Web Blog #4
“New Civil Rights Movement” in Immigration Protests is an article written to open up the minds of readers that the upheaval surrounding immigration today is because, “this is really a new civil rights movement reborn in this country”. The author, Ms. Kyriakou, continued by adding, “This is not just about the immigrants; it’s about human and civil rights. It’s about all marginalized, under-privileged people in the United States”. Later in the article, Ms. Kyriakou, explained the survey results of 800 residents who gained legal entry into the country. What were the results? These folks were against criminalizing and deporting undocumented workers and building walls and other barriers along the U.S. border. These same folks expressed concern over, what they perceive to be, an anti-immigrant attitude in this country. I can understand the frustration from these folks, but they are only seeing things from their perspective. It is expensive to run schools, provide free health care, etc. Undocumented workers are sending a huge portion of their pay checks back to family in Mexico, they aren’t paying taxes, and they are getting free healthcare. This simply cannot continue. Immigration must be limited and controlled. I am not seeing the similarities between the Civil Right movement and the current situation. If we open the border, how will we pay for everything? How do we keep the country safe?

Here's what a Mexican America thinks. "I write my blog to provide PRO Immigration Reformers an equal voice in the Immigration debate. I view our PRO viewpoint very similar to the Civil Rights Movement.. The Civil Rights marchers protested the wrongful Jim Crow laws.. We protest wrongful Immigration Laws, Detention Centers, Racial Profiling, Hate Crimes, etc.. They advocated education, equal pay, the vote and Human Rights.. We advocate the same.. The Civil Rights protesters were viewed by some as agitators, ANTI American and ANTI White.. The ANTIs demonize PROs using this same rhetoric.. Many Civil Rights protesters were wrongfully imprisoned.. Many undocumented families are wrongfully imprisoned in Detention Centers.. Today, most Americans realize the Civil Rights marchers were heroes and the laws needed to be changed.. More and more Americans are coming to the same conclusion towards the PRO Immigration Reformers."

I can see where she is coming from; however, my position is the same. She is upset, but, in my view, she in not looking at the big picture. She is upset about the treatment of undocumented workers. The reality is, these people did not come to this country legally and do not have the same rights as Americans. We are living in a strange time; the United States is hated by many. The United States has a process for those who want to enter the U.S. Like it or not, that's the way it is. Those who choose to break the rule are subject to detention centers, imprisonment, etc.

The second article, Multiculturalism in School Curriculum by Adam Waxler, was a breath of fresh air. His approach is simple, involves active learning, and encourages students to explore other cultures in a non-threatening way that will, hopefully, lead to meaningful and enlightening discussions. I agree with him that changing school curriculum to accommodate the new views of multiculturalism, does not make sense. Like Mr. Waxler, I think changing the classroom format and assignments is far more meaningful. As he points out, this type of learning is called “active learning” and encourages students to think, analyze, and interpret information. Ultimately, this type of learning should lead to higher test scores as well as well-rounded individuals.

The last article addresses what he perceives to be the problems with American education. First, the American grade system is unclear. He states that there isn’t a single principal in this school that can clearly identify what each grade has in common or what, specifically, each grade should be learning. I do not teach at the K-12 level, but I find this hard to believe. The author’s primary concern is that it is causing a widening gap between privileged and underprivileged. He said it is impossible for an underprivileged child to enter school and catch up academically because the teacher cannot clearly identify where the child should be or what the child is missing. My next door neighbor is a special education teacher in the Williamson County School District, and she said this could not be further from the truth. Each class has a clearly defined curriculum with clear goals and objectives. New students are given exams to assess his or her abilities and the necessary steps are taken to assist the student meet the goals for that grade level. The article continues on about how the school system isn’t incorporating multiculturalism in a meaningful way.

This is the sixth article I’ve read, and I still do not know the objectives of the “Immigrants”. What do they want? What are their goals? If they had it their way, how would we incorporate this in our school system? It’s unlikely our educational system will ever make everyone happy, nor do I feel we should follow the Utilitarian Theory. I very much like Mr. Waxler’s suggestion about changing the activities to incorporate all of the viewpoints rather than changing the curriculum. As I noted in my first blog post about religion and education, all of this multiculturalism is riddled with fear and anger. What is so scary? Why are people so angry? Why is this a non-issue at the college level? I have never, not even once, had a discussion about multiculturalism while at a curriculum committee meeting or with a student. I understand some of the arguments, but it all seems trivial and over the top. Classmates, feel free to enlighten me. In my view, it all boils down to respect. Teach young people how to respect others.

http://immigrationmexicanamerican.blogspot.com/2009/01/civil-rights-movement-and-immigration.html