All
Many of us have heard from colleagues, learners, friends, neighbors who are frightened by recent events. Regardless of political stance or affilifation, there are facts (not alternative ones) that practitioners - particularly those of us working with English language learners /communities- need to know and understand. Below, some resources that provide information about status and rights, as well as teaching materials for practitioners' own knowledge and/or for framing critical and open conversations in classrooms and communities.
Janet Isserlis
Know Your Rights - National Immigration Law Center https://www.nilc.org/get-involved/community-education-resources/know-your-rights/
Immigrant Legal Resource Center https://www.ilrc.org
information from the American Immigration Council: including (among numerous other resources)
|
Teaching for change offers perspectives of those outside the mainstream; they say "Students must learn to think critically about our nation’s history and learn the lessons of social movements to make this a more just society. The master narrative of social movements being won by individual heroes and large demonstrations won’t serve young people well." While not suggesting that one necessarily adds one view or another, these resources can a) strengthen our understandings of narratives and counter-narratives in the world and b) provide catalysts for critical thinking, problem posing, and discussion. Ours is not to inculcate beliefs but rather to support learning and thinking as it is relevant and interesting/of use to learners. http://www.teachingforchange.org/resistance101
Comments
Janet, thank you for posting this. Right now there is an increase in government sponsored "crackdowns" on "illegals" and, needless to say, there is a great deal of anxiety within the immigrant communities across the board. Even people who have the necessary papers feel upset and worried.
I assume that attendance in adult ESL classes will fall dramatically and that budgets will be reduced, causing even more anxiety.
I am not sure what we all can do to help. I hope that eventually there will be a movement toward a "rational" immigration policy that could actually satisfy both sides.