June 2008
The major issues facing public education today cover a myriad of challenges reflected in our complex and diverse society. Some high-profile issues that must be faced by national, regional, and state legislators and educational entities include, but are not limited to, the following: Student and teacher accountability, violence, drugs and crime in public schools, the impact of poverty on children and their education, immigration, globalization of the marketplace, and the appropriate use of the internet, electronic media, and other high-tech trends. I would like to address the issue of immigration and its impact on the democratic nature of public education.
Living in Texas, one cannot escape the effects of immigration on public education. Immigration, particularly that of illegal immigrants from Mexico, permeates every social service organization, every health providing establishment, every school district, and every serious conversation about educating all of the children within our borders and district boundaries. However, I fervently believe that as an educator I have a very different approach to dealing with this issue than would a business owner or legislator. This is a complex issue, not to be solved in this humble essay. Nevertheless, I think I have some important ideas to share and will attempt to do so now.
The cause of immigration to the United States is primarily an economic one. Men and women in Mexico are no different that men and women in the United States of America. They seek to provide for their families, often deciding to risk their very lives in order to enter our country illegally to look for work. Given the dominance of the American Farming Industry, the often overlooked effects of legislation and subsidies, the abysmally slow process for Mexican workers entering the U.S. legally, and the dismal economic outlook in the country of Mexico, opportunities in the U.S. for Mexicans and their families often outweigh the risks associated with crossing the border illegally. So they come. They come knowing that they will live a life in limbo, in frequent danger of deportation or crimes of predation. They know that they will be vulnerable, but they also know that in spite of that there are benefits for their children such as improved health care and social services, and that their children will have access to public education.
The effects of this kind of immigration are far reaching and divisive. At one end of the spectrum, immigrants (specifically illegal ones) are seen by immigration advocates as pawns of a destructive game of global chess, where the major players are corporate America and its government. At the other end of the spectrum, these same immigrants are held in highest contempt and fear, debased because of their very presence in our society and the strain their presence places on American citizens and establishments. Negative economic effects in the United States are seen where illegal immigrants live in greatest number: Border states and regions with an agricultural and industrial stronghold. These areas of the United States suffer from health care collapse, strain on social services, and overwhelmed school districts seeking to meet the educational needs of the children within their boundaries. Illegal immigrants also affect the labor force where they live in both positive and negative ways, as they are an essential component of most industries dependent upon a work force skilled in and willing to do hard or menial labor. Many in the U.S. claim that these workers take jobs from Americans, although that is constantly a matter of dispute.
In order to resolve this matter, Americans need to address the motivation behind the problem. American industry must think differently about the role immigrants play, and be a part of the solution. Currently, some American companies are establishing themselves as intermediaries between potentially illegal immigrants and the companies who might hire them. By encouraging Mexican workers (typically farm workers) to enter the country legally with work visas, these companies are acting as advocating agencies that will unite the workers with employers, secure stable wages and living conditions, and in general reduce the risks associated with entering the U.S. illegally by eliminating the illegality itself. In addition to conventional (albeit controversial and expensive) means of policing the borders, law enforcement must endeavor to reach out to immigrant communities in their area. Positive social pressure must be applied to encourage citizenship, and the national government must make citizenship, or at least legal work status, easy to achieve. Immigrants, illegal or legal, play an important part in the building of this country.
Any discussion of immigration covers the huge expanse of economics, sociology, psychology, social anthropology, and national identity. However, the most often overlooked and least powerful players on this dramatic national stage are the children of these immigrants. As an educator who believes vehemently in the intrinsically democratic nature of public education, what happens to these children is of paramount importance to me. Many of these children are American citizens born to illegal immigrant parents, but with the birthright of an American nonetheless. Some are not. Some are as illegal as their parents, and had little, if any, say in coming to America. Language and cultural barriers truly make the children of immigrants the quintessential second class citizen.
Therefore, all educators must embrace the opportunity to teach and serve these children within our borders. It is in our best national interests to do so. If we deliver an education to these children with the same passion we hold for American children, we create an educated population with goals, aspirations, and dreams — if not citizenship status. Such generosity, dedication, and democratic principles will not be lost on these children. Citizenship, if not already a birthright, will be a goal. Productive leadership, diverse cultural understanding, and support for the entity of public education will be fruits borne from this labor. As teachers, we must strive to teach all children; to give them a new lease on life regardless of the limitations of their parents and communities. Committed school districts, administrators, and teachers understand that children on the receiving end of compassionate education stay out of gangs, away from crime, aspire to higher education and are productive citizenry. It is only through public education that a real answer exists.