Immigration in America

In the article, "Immigrant Children and The American Project," Carola Suárez-Orozco discusses the issue of immigrants coming to America and their effects on the country and the educational system. The concerns that she states early in the article are very important to ask, but questions that I’ve never thought about before. I’ve put very little time into wondering how immigration affects the culture of the United States, as well as how it would affect the educational system. Even though I may not realize it, immigration is still occurring at a rapid rate. It seems as though a major issue for immigrant children is "acculturation." It is difficult for these children, or for anyone for that matter, to decide how their two cultures will come together. I feel that these children are at some sort of an advantage because they work hard in their jobs and in school. They came to the United States for a better life, rather than many children here that take all that they have for granted and aren’t inspired to work hard. On the other hand, it must be very difficult growing up in the United States, trying to balance both cultures. I can’t imagine how hard it is for these children to try and fit in with their classmates while still holding onto their original culture. As it is said in the article, many times these children have a very difficult time fitting in, causing "shame, doubt, and even self-hatred." (56). Another difficulty that these students usually need to overcome is underfunded schools, which we talked about during Tuesday’s presentation. Many immigrant families move to cities, where many schools are underfunded, lacking supplies and an environment vital for learning. The most important point of this article is that "immigration generates change." (56). These immigration children will grow up in this nation and become a major part of society. Early in their education, we must make them a part of society without having them completely abandon their other cultural identity. I think that Suárez-Orozco states it perfectly that we must "cultivate" the assets that they already had before coming to this country, rather than viewing them negatively.