For the first two weeks of the school year, I am getting the opportunity to get some immediate training in ESL certification. It is a great way to learn and explore another layer of the process that educators face today. With Alabama's upcoming law HB56 going into effect for the next school year, it is an interesting place to be.
With many laws being formed across the nation which target this population for unnecessary investigation and persecution, I am thrilled with the opportunity to work with students from all over the world and have been amazed at what they can tackle at an early age. These types of conversations add volumes to the classroom environment. While these students are not technically the "aliens" that the law attempts to limit, these are the students that it hurts the most. I do not understand why we would ever think these students are anything less than an incredible asset to any environment. It is unfortunate that law makers are attacking a principle which first made our nation great, an immigrant nation conceived in the hope that we can all work to make our dreams come true.
A short list of what this law would look like...
- government workers are required to report violations of the act
- no limits or restrictions to the act
- no "aliens" are eligible for post-secondary education, nor are they eligible for scholarships, grants, or financial aid
- suspension of business contracts for businesses that hire immigrants
- transportation of immigrants is a criminal offense
- every public school must determine whether or not the student is legal and compile data including birth certificates, immigration documents, education in an ESL program, participation in free/reduced price lunch, and a budget of the financial cost for these students
The conversation should be less about how to react to illegal immigrants, and more about how to make our immigration process more effective. It should also be more about how to provide an equal opportunity to give back to a country in which they, and we should also, believe is the best nation in the world with the best opportunities imaginable.
