Module 1: Discussion: Reading Reflection
The following documentary videos will help you better understand the life histories of immigrants as they settled in Midwest. You might be surprised by the diversity of these people. Please watch the following video clips at the bottom of this page.
These videos were great. I always love anecdotal input and qualitative commentary, especially while we’re engaged with academia and exposed to so much data and quantitative information. And honestly, it’s really motivating to be involved in something that has so much potential. When you watch these videos and you become more familiar with the hurdles and barriers and you know that you have it in you to be part of process improvement, well, I get jazzed up!
I live in upstate NY in a town called Ithaca and the migrant population in this area is almost exclusively limited to working in the vineyards. This is America’s second-largest wine region so there is a relatively large seasonal work recruitment effort for a fairly rural part of the state. I was thinking about those individuals while listening to Alex’s story because she specifically mentioned access to transportation being one of several reasons why parents aren’t connecting to the school system, and I can see how that would happen because the work locations are remote at best, isolating at worst.
But Maria’s story – specifically about how her language developed through playing with Barbie® dolls struck me the most. Probably because I spent 15 years working for LEGO® Company and I am fully sold on the value, power, and potential of play. We used to talk about the joy of creation and pride of achievement, and I found myself immediately trying to strategize how to partner with LEGO on emergent bilingual classroom materials.
I also really value Maria’s input on how helpful it was to have a buddy. I come to this program as a volunteer with an adult EL program in my community (called Open Doors English) and I have recently begun advocating for a system that would resemble an organization like Big Brothers/Big Sisters in matching adult learners in this area with a buddy to help with community building and integration. Ithaca is a designated sanctuary city and with that being the case, I think the least that needs to be accomplished is to find ways to be welcoming – not only for adults but also, as with Maria’s example, with students. This is also my answer to the third question about what can be done to help. I work in the nonprofit industry, and I see new 501c3s pop up all the time. I know it’s possible and I believe it could help, not only with adult learners, but also with children.
As a final note, I also really loved Alex’s suggestion to be very deliberate about prompting students to capture their goals and go after them. We could all benefit from doing that!
Reply Eric Wolford
While Dutch Harbor is a much smaller community than Ithaca, I would say in general that our community does a lot to embrace all of the different cultures here - especially for those who immigrated to the community. Recently one of our secretaries over at the High School began offering a Tagalog story time for the younger kids who have moved with their parents to the island. Likewise, the community center has been offering all sorts of cultural events, ranging from traditional Filipino dancing to a Muslim prayer group, to ensure everyone feels welcome here. And you know what the best part is? Many of these cultural activities have attracted members of many different communities in the city, not just the communities these activities are catered to. A great example is NYO - or Native Youth Olympics. This is an official sports activity that Alaskan High Schools hold during the Spring months, and while it obviously attracts members of the Unangax (Aleut) Alaska Native community, many of my students - including those from the Philippines, Samoa, Mexico, etc - participate in this sport during the season. It's clear to me that when a community makes an attempt to outreach to migrant communities, migrants aren't the only ones who benefit. Everyone benefits, as it allows people from all different backgrounds to experience the cultures and practices of those who migrate to the community.
Reply Michelle Johansen
Melinda - First, that's so cool that you worked at LEGO® Company!! I was also struck by how playing with Barbie® dolls helped Maria and her playmates grow closer and understand each other. I find that on our college campus it's soccer (football to the rest of the world) that brings our international and American students together. Our American students have picked up some Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese (and some hilarious cussing from the UK and Ireland) and other languages as a result of playing soccer at the NCAA level as well as during intramurals from our international students. Our international students have picked up "y'all" as one of the most useful words in American English. I'm also inspired by your volunteering at an adult EL program. I'm going see if there's one in my community to check out.
Reply Asma Alzahrani
I was also amazed by Maria's story and the importance of playing in learning a new language. I remember when I first came to the US, my son was 4 years old and he was not able to speak English. But every time our neighbor's son came to visit us to play with my son with his toys, I heard him saying new English words! I was like, "WOW!"
I live in upstate NY in a town called Ithaca and the migrant population in this area is almost exclusively limited to working in the vineyards. This is America’s second-largest wine region so there is a relatively large seasonal work recruitment effort for a fairly rural part of the state. I was thinking about those individuals while listening to Alex’s story because she specifically mentioned access to transportation being one of several reasons why parents aren’t connecting to the school system, and I can see how that would happen because the work locations are remote at best, isolating at worst.
But Maria’s story – specifically about how her language developed through playing with Barbie® dolls struck me the most. Probably because I spent 15 years working for LEGO® Company and I am fully sold on the value, power, and potential of play. We used to talk about the joy of creation and pride of achievement, and I found myself immediately trying to strategize how to partner with LEGO on emergent bilingual classroom materials.
I also really value Maria’s input on how helpful it was to have a buddy. I come to this program as a volunteer with an adult EL program in my community (called Open Doors English) and I have recently begun advocating for a system that would resemble an organization like Big Brothers/Big Sisters in matching adult learners in this area with a buddy to help with community building and integration. Ithaca is a designated sanctuary city and with that being the case, I think the least that needs to be accomplished is to find ways to be welcoming – not only for adults but also, as with Maria’s example, with students. This is also my answer to the third question about what can be done to help. I work in the nonprofit industry, and I see new 501c3s pop up all the time. I know it’s possible and I believe it could help, not only with adult learners, but also with children.
As a final note, I also really loved Alex’s suggestion to be very deliberate about prompting students to capture their goals and go after them. We could all benefit from doing that!
Reply Eric Wolford
While Dutch Harbor is a much smaller community than Ithaca, I would say in general that our community does a lot to embrace all of the different cultures here - especially for those who immigrated to the community. Recently one of our secretaries over at the High School began offering a Tagalog story time for the younger kids who have moved with their parents to the island. Likewise, the community center has been offering all sorts of cultural events, ranging from traditional Filipino dancing to a Muslim prayer group, to ensure everyone feels welcome here. And you know what the best part is? Many of these cultural activities have attracted members of many different communities in the city, not just the communities these activities are catered to. A great example is NYO - or Native Youth Olympics. This is an official sports activity that Alaskan High Schools hold during the Spring months, and while it obviously attracts members of the Unangax (Aleut) Alaska Native community, many of my students - including those from the Philippines, Samoa, Mexico, etc - participate in this sport during the season. It's clear to me that when a community makes an attempt to outreach to migrant communities, migrants aren't the only ones who benefit. Everyone benefits, as it allows people from all different backgrounds to experience the cultures and practices of those who migrate to the community.
Reply Michelle Johansen
Melinda - First, that's so cool that you worked at LEGO® Company!! I was also struck by how playing with Barbie® dolls helped Maria and her playmates grow closer and understand each other. I find that on our college campus it's soccer (football to the rest of the world) that brings our international and American students together. Our American students have picked up some Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese (and some hilarious cussing from the UK and Ireland) and other languages as a result of playing soccer at the NCAA level as well as during intramurals from our international students. Our international students have picked up "y'all" as one of the most useful words in American English. I'm also inspired by your volunteering at an adult EL program. I'm going see if there's one in my community to check out.
Reply Asma Alzahrani
I was also amazed by Maria's story and the importance of playing in learning a new language. I remember when I first came to the US, my son was 4 years old and he was not able to speak English. But every time our neighbor's son came to visit us to play with my son with his toys, I heard him saying new English words! I was like, "WOW!"