Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Mary Jo Montenegro
The presentation about Cincinnati Public Schools was very interesting in terms of all of the diverse types of situations that they are faced with. I was most interested in the case studies that she described at the end of her talk. In Darwin's story, how he showed strength and independence in crossing the border as a minor by himself and then fighting constantly to be able to stay is representative of how the community as a whole is moving forward. With the Dream Act in place many Latinos are working hard to get high school diplomas or GED's so that they can stop living in fear of being deported. Another case study that intrigued me was that of Carla, who can't read or write and who comes from a culture without addresses. It is imperative that teachers understand these types of cultural differences and comes to the parents with an open mind, understanding that this type of differences can take place and be ready to work around them.
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I agree that the time for teachers to become more in touch with 'how' we instruct and assist our immigrant students is past due. The success of these students is connected with the success of our society.
ReplyDeleteI believe Carla was also the parent she talked about who has really made her kids' school the center of their lives here - even moving so they would be able to ride the bus. This case study flies in the face of the perception that immigrant parents don't care about education - and goes to show that they simply need a little more guidance and language support to be able to participate in it fully.
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