Survey

So I got a survey on Friday to fill out. It is from 3 students that emotion that they are making a research project on Hispanic immigration in Wood River valley. The questions are:

1. On average, how many Hispanic students do you teach every class period?
(Circle one)
0-5 6-10 11-15 16+

2. To what degree do Hispanic students interact with you?
1(not very interactive) 2 3 4 5(Very interactive)

3. Are you aware of the laws that obligate you to teach illegal immigrant students?
Yes No Somewhat

4. Do Hispanic students make you teaching process more difficult?
Yes No Somewhat

5. How d Hispanic students interact with others in your classroom?
They are open to working with all others
They work with some other students
They work only with Hispanic students.

Now when I read the first 2 questions it was ok because it seemed like they were interested in finding out about how the community has grown with respect to the Hispanic population but then the last questions caught me off guard. What do they have to do with immigration? Maybe because I came from a state where Hispanics were the majority and we have gone through a lot of the laws that deal with illegal immigrants that I did not think much about it. I feel like these are old issues that have already been dealt with. But apparently they haven't here. Then again I do believe I am the first Hispanic teacher they have had. I believe the assistant principal had Hispanic students but that is about it. The Hispanic population is slowly growing here but did they really believe that it was going to stay mainly white forever. Aren't they aware of the issues happening in the rest of the world? I really do wonder because many issues that we discuss have already been discussed in California. I am actually a bit surprised.

Also when I read the survey I felt a bit insulted. It kinda borders on being racist. I hope I am not being too extreme because I hate when people use the racist card for simple things. Yet it kinda does feel like it. It's as if Hispanic students are causing problems and nobody else is. That is usually not the case. I truly feel that students that have recently immigrated to the United States are more willing to work hard and do anything to succeed. It is those students that have assimilated to this country that begin to defy authority. Though the students in this school are more willing to work, study, as for help, and are more concerned about their education than the students in California. Their parents here still have a lot of control over them and are more willing to participate in their education and that is good. That's not to say that parents over there didn't, they just didn't know how and it wasn't part of the culture. With Hispanics the parents give teachers the up most respect and see them as people that will guide and help raise their children. The teachers will teach them what the parents do not know. It is just differences that people need to learn.

It was also a bit weird on Friday that one of my students said that he was going to wear a shirt with the state of California with a circle around it and a slash across it to show his dislike for the state. But then he said he wasn't going to because there are many Hispanic students in the school. He said he didn't like the state. I just sat there thinking what does that have anything to do with Hispanic students. If you don't like the state then so be it but that doesn't mean you dislike Hispanics. Then again the way he said it gave me the impression that he did but then again I am Hispanic. I don't know what to think. He is respectful and he listens to me and seems like a good student. It was just a little weird. I didn't say anything because I didn't quite know how to respond. It caught me of guard.

All I know is that there are many things for me to learn. I am always learning something new. Which is probably why I like my job.