I'm a retired teacher thinking about current events

[teach1st]

I taught elementary school for over thirty years, working with kids from kindergarten all the way up to fifth grade. My schools were in diverse, economically challenged communities, and a lot of my students came from families of undocumented immigrants. I never knew for sure who was undocumented unless someone told me—and they often did. Usually, it was the parents who, after testing the waters to make sure I was trustworthy, would open up and share their situation. They wanted to be sure I wasn’t going to report them to anyone. Sometimes, older students knew about their family’s status and what it meant. They worried about their parents being taken away or their whole family having to leave everything behind.

Those parents were incredible. Almost all of them were supportive of my teaching and made it to school events and parent-teacher conferences, even if it was tough for them to understand everything the staff was saying. They worked with me to make sure their kids had the best shot at learning. Before schools started requiring background checks for volunteers, a lot of these parents even came on field trips with us.

Their kids were just as amazing. They worked so hard to get a handle on English, and only a handful ever used their struggles with the language as an academic excuse. For the most part, they were just typical elementary school kids with the usual ups and downs. And as I’ve followed their lives—thank you, Facebook—I couldn’t be prouder. Some of them have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers, and business owners. A few returned to their home countries, but most stayed here in the U.S. Their kids are beautiful and seem to be thriving, raised by parents who clearly care deeply about them.

I can’t help but think about what it would be like to teach now, though. Would I have to worry about being forced to report a family’s status to authorities? Would ICE show up at the school? Are parents today missing out on school events and important conversations with teachers because they’re too afraid? How are the kids handling all of this fear?

I hate what’s happening now. It’s heartbreaking.

[riversedge]

1. It is a sad and dangerous situation for teachers to be in right now. Thanks for sharing.

[LoisB]

2. Thank you.

[sop]

3. Of all the acts of gratuitous cruelty Trump has inflicted on this country in just his first week,

going after immigrant children in schools enrages me the most. I am deeply ashamed to live in a country where so many people actually enjoy such cruelty to innocent children.

[Lonestarblue]

4. How long before we start seeing babies and toddlers in cages screaming for their parents?

Trump and Miller get off on hurting the most vulnerable. The Biden administration was able to reunite a majority of parents and kids separated under Trump, but the whereabouts of several hundred more remain unknown.

[KitFox]

5. This mirrors my experience. I taught elementary school for 32 years and 10 summers taught migrant summer

school. The children were as hard working and dedicated in school as their hard working and dedicated parents. At every conference and school event the whole family came together and expressed support and care for their child and gracious gratitude to me and our school. This was the case for all the immigrant families. I feel as you do, heartbroken at the purposeful cruelty, fear, and destruction of lives. Thank you for sharing your experience. I shudder thinking of ICE barging into schools, churches, and hospitals.

[WinstonSmith4740]

6. I'm semi-retired

Still sub 3 days a week to keep my hand in it, and keep my brain from turning to oatmeal. The schools I worked in were Title1, and I had lots of immigrant kids in class. As a rule, I don't care what grade level it was, or what I was teaching, those kids were some of the best students I ever had. They basically stayed out of the bullshit, kept their heads down, and got the job done.

I've said it before...give me a class full of immigrant kids any day of the week.

[BigmanPigman]

7. We said that at the school where I taught.

I gave my 1st graders"I VOTED" stickers in 4 different languages. It was a mix of various nationalities and cultures in my school. I learned so much from THEM.

I have been reading about my former district and I am happy to say that the school bus drivers were told not to let any kids off the bus into the arms of ICE and report it to the district.

[WinstonSmith4740]

9. Glad to hear!

Resistance will have to come from us...the Rethugs are useless, and I'm not sure the Dems, while they're off to a great start, are going to be able to grow that spine fast enough.

[BigmanPigman]

10. After tRump made Betsy DeVos the education guru in 2017

I went to the Ed Center of my school district in San Diego to complain. Even though I was no longer a union rep for San Diego Unified I still went to complain. Since it is only 1 block from my apt I've gone there to protest many times over the years...very convenient!!!

I was very happy to find out when I got to the Ed Center that Betsy's appearance had been canceled due to the amount of negative feed back at the Ed Center from teachers, parents and staff.

A minor win but it's better than nothing.

[58Sunliner]

8. I think it's domestic terrorism based on ethnicity.