My favorite "readings" this week were the videos and text from the Supporting Immigrants in Schools series. I watched the "Key Immigration Issues" video, "Refugees and Immigrants in Schools" video, and "Immigration in Elementary Schools" video.
It was so inspiring to hear from students and teachers who attend and work in schools with high immigrant, refugee, and undocumented students.
One of the teachers mentioned that he tells students to talk in their home language, or whatever language they feel most comfortable with. I think this makes such a big difference for students' comfort in the classroom, and likely helps them with subjects such as math, which they may have learned in a home language.
It was so special to hear the story of Prakriti, a Nepali refugee student. I also thought it was very important that they mentioned that some students may have received English instruction in their home country. It is important to ensure that we, as educators, don't assume that all students come from the same background, and require the same English skills. It is crucial to understand that students require different instruction, despite the fact that they are all classified as "English Learners".
It was interesting to see that the teacher in the "Immigration in Elementary Schools" video read the story and asked questions primarily in Spanish. Students responded to her, and asked questions in both English and Spanish. It was a wonderful example of how language can be integrated throughout the classroom and provide a platform that better equalizes the power of multiple languages in an academic setting. I also loved the idea of sharing her backstory without necessarily sharing her beliefs, as this felt like a very feasible and necessary thing to consider in the context of the classroom.
A common theme I saw throughout all the educators, was the importance of acknowledging current events, no matter how scary they may be, and supporting their students through hard times. I saw how this could be facilitated for younger students through picture books, and for older students through more direct conversations.
I also saw the importance of supporting families and helping them feel more connected and welcome in the community. I love the idea of providing workshops for families to learn about their rights, and give them the opportunity to share their needs with local police.
Overall, I saw what a large positive impact all these teachers have had on their students, and I hope to learn from their message.
These videos connected ideas of language power, immigration power, and the burden of being a person of color in the United States. I think it was very important to hear from many different types of voices: students, teachers, and parents, to paint a picture of the various struggles different people face.