Reconcanding and responding educationally to the challenges of the children of immigrants
Introduction
Interestingly, a few months after I had the pleasure of a fascinating conversation with an adult young immigrant from Colombia, South America, in an unexpected place. Lourdes told me that she has arrived in the country of Spain at the age of twelve with her mother. It was in her new country where for the first time, she could live without danger of walking out of home or playing in the park of the center, as she had never been able to do before in her own homeland. She finished her school studies in Spain and like others in her family, she was already working in a beauty hall in Salamanca, Spain. He asked if it was difficult for her to relocate to the tender age of twelve, to a place so far from her native land. Her answer surprised me a lot, in which she expressed neither the slightest difficulty or challenge in making the enormous change of life.
Developing
Another historical reference to cite is that of the well -recognized American Cuban, Desi Arnaz, the first husband and fellow actor of Lucille Ball. Arnaz was very loved as Ricky Ricardo’s television personality. He was also very patriotic of the USA. UU. For your whole life. His famous saying in his written memoirs clearly indicates that he did not know about any other country in the world where a sixteen -year -old boy, in financial bankruptcy and unable to speak the language could achieve the successes he had. Arnaz overcame the obstacles of industry and personal life, receiving two stars to honor him at the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Contrary to the positive experiences of Lourdes and Arnaz, the contribution referenced by Nicolas Kanellos called Afterward: Life on the Supposed Hyphen2 in his book Hispanic Immigrant Literature, the dream of return, notice the very different experience when moving to new country as immigrants, or children of immigrants. Kanellos cites Gustavo Perez Firmat’s literary work, Life on the Hyphen, The Cuban American Way, which was published in 1994. Intrigued by the drastic differences revealed, I searched, discovered and read several selections that give support, such as almost similar testimonies, to the perspective that Perez Firmat presents and discusses. Although they are children of Hispanic, Asian, Western European or other offspring, (representing a variety of linguistic and cultural background), a matrix of children of immigrants reveals in almost a unique voice, common aspects of difficulty in their experiences inside theeducational system that they share the reader.
The purpose in this essay is to analyze the popular issue of being a 1.5 Immigrant, as immigrants’ children are classified according to sociologist Rubén G rumbaut. These students are not first -generation immigrants, or second generation. They are 1.5 generations, and a minor age when there was transfer to live in this new country, America. In the educational system different challenges have faced and sailed. Sometimes they are higher levels of challenges, compared to the challenges that their peers have in the homelands they have left behind.
According to articles written by Chin Lu, she herself an immigrant student from Asia to the USA. UU. second generation Americans. For now and for the imminent increase in student dynamics within classrooms, the factors of convergence and divergence of the challenge in the educational system must be discussed. Like the other children of immigrants interviewed or referring to LU, they report how they have felt in their own experiences of living in the script.
There are useful ideas to educate educators. Very different in the experiences that report the 1.5 immigrant generations, is that they almost never perceive the acceptance that their American adolescents are enjoyed during the majority of school years. Likewise, their common perspective is that there are not 100 hundreds represented from their own native culture, nor are they 100 per hundred American.6 According to them, they are not totally part of, nor identified with any of, the two cultures. For these students, their sense of belonging to any of the two groups is challenged.
The coping mechanisms of each individual are unique, but there are points in common, like others of their nationality do not recognize them as authentic to their own culture or nationality, but the Americans between which they live, I still do not see them like those who have totallyassimilated to American culture either. As we express in English, they are children of immigrants to find themselves in a twenty -two capture! Lu’s article reports an important step in an educational process, when schools have financed two -day workshops dedicated exclusively to educating English students.
As an educator in the classroom, it is important to make that by the young children of immigrants every day it can be like complex identity puzzles, and immigrant parents, nor the new American friends can completely understand young people. Many may suffer from low self – esteem as they try to understand the confusion of their cultural identity in a context of living in a new nation. Therefore, most of the 1.5 Immigrants gravitate to friends with the other 1.5 immigrants, instead of assimilating more widely.
As students, sometimes these 1.5 generations, their voices are lost … that is, they cannot also communicate in English as can be communicated in their native language. But as shame, in classrooms sometimes do not say anything, because not having mastery of the language restricts their expression of clear thoughts and benefit. They are afraid of contributing and therefore, the process of learning more easily in any course is affected.
As adults, normally 1.5 concentrate less on the problems of being a 1.5 individual creates and more in the benefits of being. They try to see Between’s space more like a privilege. As Lu recounts, the most mature thought of an individual recognized as a 1.5 adult generations, what should I choose? I have decided not to have to abandon a culture to enjoy another.
conclusion
An recognition and understanding of these and other difficulties and challenges for the children of immigrants is useful for each educator and for the entire educational system. Working together, there is also great opportunity to improve how to include individual students at risk and achieve them better by intentional methods. Teachers can give leadership to respond to help minimize the challenges of this 1.5 student generations
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