Fieldnote, 16 September 2013
Long day of running back and forth, but also teaching. I went as ambassador to a high school on the north side of the city, North High School let’s call it. NHS. At NHS, a Spanish instructor had contacted folks working with Viva Mexico, who reached out to me to do some community work. I said of course, I always do.
Once I arrived, I learned that two Spanish teachers wanted me to speak to their classes. That would work fine. Mostly sophomores, some juniors and seniors. I was to have about thirty minutes each. And also to speak to them about the Year of Mexico at the UK.
The first class was pretty excited to see me, I guess. They asked me lots of questions about my life, where I came from, what it meant for my family. The teacher had done his research on me, and he knew about some of my work. I brought copies of the LOL book and I read a story about a language broker. I also spoke about the my autoethnography project and how I’ve used education and learning to critically unlayer aspects of my identity. I felt like I was doing my conference presentation from the weekend over again–twice again for this day.
The first class had about twenty students, arranged in grouped desks of four, the center of which had a flag from a different nation in Latin America and Spain Some of the students spoke while I spoke, but most listened to me. The teacher did his best to keep students in line, but I kept speaking, I think I handled it well. I did have to call out one student who for some reason or other was taking off his shirt in class. I think I won him over by the end after I read the LOL story though.
They asked me about my career, where I grew up, what it was like to be a researcher and teach at the university, what it was like being the first person in my family to attend college . . . basically all the stuff I love to talk about.
The second class was shorter, and we engaged in that class with more discussion about immigration, as well as the book project. In that class the students were “advanced” which meant more females and less discipline. I could feel the difference. The teacher in this class was female. The classroom was smaller. The desks were arranged the same way. There were no flags in the center of reach group though.
In this class I had a stool to sit on while speaking. In the first, there was no such option. That would have been nice, I thought, as I sat on the stool to speak.
“Bueno, voy a hablar poquito en espanol, pero, not much, porque hablo espanol bien feo. Entonces, voy a hablar en Espanglish. Para mi, it’s better to speak that way. Bueno, today I’m going to tell you a little bit about me, about my work, y otras cosas in the UK.”
Yeah, did I mention I practiced my Spanish in front of the class. Eventually I went back and forth. I was able to use more Spanish in the first class, but in the second I was very frank with them, and I admitted that I spoke “bad” Spanish, with groserias naturally, and that if I were to speak to them properly I would have issues. The teacher seemed to be understanding. The first teacher spoke with a Spaniard’s accent, and also Argentine. The second teacher was from Argentina. They could appreciate my Chilango-isms.
Later, I went to the Village Branch and worked with two students. The first was J. She’s a fifth grader at the immersion school. We did some math problems, and I spoke to her in Spanish. I did well with my Spanish today, creo. I asked her how to read numbers in her problems in Spanish. After we read two chapters together in a book about a boy in the wilderness of Maine during the nineteenth century. She reads well. She was very independent and resented when I would correct a word when I hadn’t given her enough time to figure it out for herself.
The second student I worked with was a tenth grader. She needed help with her geometry. Turns out she was a student at Dunbar. I gave her a copy of the LOL book. I think she’ll enjoy it. Her math was difficult, and I only was able to help with a few problems. I think I may have confused her, but it appeared I was the only tutor able to take it on. The high school teachers hired at the center are not able to tutor this subject. This is an issue that I think I’ll have to address with the manager when I start writing my reports.
What is wrong with educating people who want to do something positive with their lives? Being a minority does not give you a leg up in college when you cannot pay for it. Not sure if you realize this but if you don’t have a social you’re not eligible for federal aide, student loans or state funds. They have to pay for everything out of pocket or cannot go.
I am glad that you are here. This is your country and you belong here. I look forward to reading your book.
Funny……white people complaining.
please go home and learn about your country of origin. that’s where your family is, other than the criminals that brought you here illegally. you’re not wanted here. the intelligent, prudent option would be to…go home. you’ll make new friends.
Is it Hispanics in general or just the illegals that are not wanted here by you?
I just wonder how many of these kids brought here illegally when they are infants or toddlers have the necessary “legal” paperwork that is required for them to re-enter their “country of origin”.
In other words, maybe it is prudent to return, but the question is how they get back in and prove citizenship of that country?
If say, Ellie Mae was taken to Russia illegally when she was 2 and grew up there, only spoke Russian and then having reached maturity wanted to return to Pikeville but had no documentation. What would be the process so that she could come back and make new friends? How does she prove she is Ellie Mae, that she was born here, that she is a citizen here?
nothing against hispanics at all. nothing at all against, and hopeful all legal immigrants from everywhere, find the united states as wonderful as the rest of us. i wish them the best of luck in all their endeavors.
you pose an interesting dilemma. i suppose someone that claims they have no parents, they somehow ‘woke up’ one day and they were living a lie in a country they don’t belong, there’s not a lot you can do. in that case, i suppose some kind of perpetual visitor status could be arranged. but in no way should citizenship be bestowed on someone who’s not american (and that’s excluding central and south american).
i have no doubt other countries don’t want these criminals back any more than we want them here. but if you have a country sending criminals illegally to the united states, that’s an act of war. i don’t think we’d have to launch on mexico city, but i’m sure there exists enough economic sanctions we could work something out. once they’re back where they belong, that country can treat the criminals as they please.
No, I never said that Ellie Mae had no parents. I said, just as these kids she was taken to Russia after birth, that implies she was taken there by her parents.
Are you suggesting that simply on the word of the parents, who may or may not even be able to identify as American citizens she should be let back in? No, your saying Ellie Mae is not a citizen and should not be given citizenship.
How can we place political sanctions on a country to accept individuals they nor the individuals themselves can prove are citizens of their country?
And so what happens to these individuals, you don’t want them here, they don’t want them there, what should be done with them then?
What happens to Ellie Mae, she’s born a US citizen yet you refuse her citizenship for lack of proof, as would I? Is it Russia’s problem then for what to do with her?
i don’t buy the crapola if a child is born in the united states, they’re automatically u.s. citizens. they’re citizens of whatever country their parents hold citizenship.
and if a criminal child doesn’t have the documentation to go back where they belong, and the country where they hold true citizenship won’t take them back, and we can’t prove where they belong, then as i said, they can remain here in a permanent state of visitor status. that means no government assistance of any type. they can attend private schools if they can afford it. or the school wishes to extend them a grant. no medicaid/medicare/social security. if that’s not satisfactory to parents, they shouldn’t have brought them here illegally. life’s tough all over.
i’m really liking immigration reform. it’s not nearly as difficult as politicians make it out to be.
That’s a pretty narrow view of a complicated problem.
“…a criminal child…” now that’s one I’ve never heard before. So, if I go to rob a convenience store and take my 6 month old along with me, he’s a criminal?
I’m not always very compassionate but I think in most all these cases the children are victims, not criminals.
And your idea of a perpetual visitor is really just, how can I best put this, government sponsored shadow society. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, your solution is to collect their names and give them some government number to keep track of them. Let them work and pay taxes but don’t allow them any benefits, or perhaps you don’t even want them to work? Anyway, if they pay taxes of any kind whatever services those taxes were targeted for should be available to those who paid for them, legal or illegal.
My idea of immigration reform is find a path to citizenship for all those, both children and adults who have committed no other crimes other than entering illegally. Place sever and permanent punishments on businesses that hire illegals. Mandatory prison sentences for Owners, CEO’s and managers of businesses who hire illegals (ignorance of activity is no excuse). Forfeiture of all assets associated with businesses hiring illegals, including all assets of corporations like Purdue Farms.
The problem of illegals disappears when you take away the economic incentives for everyone involved.
From a very narrow perspective, your not legal so leave, you can’t stay here immigration reform is very easy. A viable solution is not so easy, not because of any political or special interest interference but simply the complexity of the problem.
These kids in the article are trying to explain their experience, your not hearing any of it, your not open to understanding others.
i generally read your comments with great interest. you’re usually very logical. but i’ll end this thread with this thought…if my parents robbed a convenience store when i was 6 months old, once i was old enough to understand what they did was wrong, i would give them the chance to turn themselves in and/or make restitution.
same for children of criminals entering or staying in the united states illegally. once they’re old enough to understand what their parents did was wrong, it’s up to them to make restitution. playing victim, i didn’t know, not being able to understand they’re criminals, isn’t an excuse. they have the opportunity to do what’s right. how they respond speaks volumes to their true character.
edit: sorry, i didn’t read your comment beyond the first couple of sentences. it was uncharacteristically pointless drivel. looking forward to future conversations.
I’m sorry you feel that way. I took great care in trying to make a coherent and logical argument.
I’m a little surprised by your view on this subject, which hints to me that your not being all that honest about why you feel the way you do. I’m sure that’s personal to you though.
I’ll rightfully assume that all those men who escaped the draft by leaving the country should never have been pardoned and allowed to resume their lives.
It’s hard to argue about the law, it is what it is and it isn’t anything different than what it is. All those who failed to go through the proper immigration process and entered the country illegally have committed that crime. And in the laziest interpretation of those laws should be arrested and deported to where they came from.
I can’t imagine but a very small minority of us that never break a law of some sort or another. If we fail to admit that I think that says more about our character than the breaking of any such law would say. That is to say, I would be careful throwing stones in a glass house. Or as Jesus liked to say, he without sin cast the first stone.
Well being hispanic/latino will give them a foot up on college and employment competition. UK, UL, Cincy all love getting their quota of hispanic/latino and will offer free “rides” for many if they attend their school. My great grandmother is from Chile, maybe I should jump on that bandwagon.
I’m game, prove it, that they’ll have a foot up.
Quota, there is a quota, what quota, do you have a list of the quota’s required by these schools and who requires them?
oh, c’mon, sundance. don’t play stupid. i know you know better. of course it’s politically correct nowadays every educational institution has quotas to attract disadvantaged, foreign, downtrodden, whatever the let’s stick it to the taxpayer reason du jour. educational institutions have x number of seats for students, when they give those seats to people who shouldn’t be here in the first place, who loses?
same for some companies i’ve been involved with recently. they actively recruit foreign, less educated help, for the specific purpose of not having to pay equivalent salaries. i realize everyone has the right to make a buck, but a lot of illegal immigration is a direct result of the new, widely accepted, system of slave labor.
It is unfortunate that these kids are caught in the middle of a complicated issue. However, they were brought here illegally and should not be eligible for assistance meant for citizens. I would prefer to help them though and crack down on those that are abusing and gaming the system.
legally?