So many interesting tidbits in the news! While I’d love to muse
about former councilman Bob Dillon’s transformation into a lobbyist
or changing the name of our town to Waltonville, I’ve devoted this
week’s column to illegal immigration and education (more closely
related than most would like us to think.)
So many interesting tidbits in the news! While I’d love to muse about former councilman Bob Dillon’s transformation into a lobbyist or changing the name of our town to Waltonville, I’ve devoted this week’s column to illegal immigration and education (more closely related than most would like us to think.)
FIRST … Along with others, I’ve been impressed with the number of folks taking a vocal and public stand for immigration reform! Their peaceful demonstrations are part and parcel of the rights we have as free residents of the greatest country in the world.
Leaders are starting to emerge and doing a good job organizing events. Ordinary people, with their walking shoes on, are turning out en masse to show their support. It’s great to see men, women, children, seniors, professionals and field workers join together to spread a message.
The problem is that I’m not sure what their message is. I know that “Si, se puedes” translates into “Yes, we can.” But, it doesn’t matter if it’s chanted in English or Spanish, the motto and accompanying speeches don’t explain what legal and illegal immigrants believe they “can” do.
Are they saying that they “can” come and go across American borders as they please? Are they saying that they “can” break the laws that they don’t like and obey the ones that they do?
Or is their personal affirmation a confident statement about how they “can” change the status quo through intimidation (sheer numbers) or blackmail (“we won’t pick your cabbage if you don’t give us immunity from immigration laws.”)
The colorful protests garnered lots of media attention but the group will have to make some critical adjustments before I support their efforts. They need to clarify the problem, offer a solution and explain their motto.
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AND THEN … my opinion on who deserves to walk in a state sponsored graduation ceremony and who does not …
(Does anyone remember the reason that the ever so controversial high school exit exam exists? It’s part of a series of reforms intended to improve California’s educational system. That fact seems to have been lost in the blame shuffle.)
I’d like to applaud the 88 students in Gilroy who haven’t dropped out of school and are trying to get a high school diploma! Education isn’t the only key to success, but it’s a primary one. You’re on the right track and I hope you don’t give up.
However, you were told four years ago that the way to get a high school diploma is by accumulating the necessary credits and passing the exit exam. You were also told that the CAHSEE exam only requires you to do 8th grade math and 10th grade reading comprehension. You may also have heard that the alternate path to a diploma, the GED, is considerably harder and will entail much more effort.
What I don’t understand is why you waited until your senior year to take what you’ve been told seriously!
I also take issue with the lawyers who argued that the 47,000 California students who didn’t pass should graduate anyway because they weren’t given “equal opportunity to learn the material.” (Okay, okay – I hardly ever respect lawyers and their never ending supply of loopholes but this one’s really irritating.)
I can’t speak for other school districts in our beautiful state, but I can speak for the teachers who taught my children and the ones I’ve worked with in Gilroy Unified. I’ve been subbing here for 11 years, at all of the elementary schools, and for teachers with a wide variety of teaching styles. I’ve yet to meet a teacher who hasn’t made an extraordinary personal and professional commitment to help students “learn the material.”
I see teachers: provide their own in-class libraries and additional curriculum material to “catch up” students who aren’t at grade level … stay in their classrooms during recess, lunch and after school to work with students or parents (who usually don’t show) … sacrifice family time to create innovative lesson plans and intervention strategies for at-risk students. All of this in addition to their regular workload.
I’d like the responsibility for those failed exit exams to be placed where it belongs: on the backs of the students who waited until they were seniors to learn minimal math and reading skills; and at the feet of the parents who erased themselves from this very emotional and disappointing drama.
