Immigration Concept Map

Take Action

Katharine Says:

Looking online for something to take part in regarding immigration was an uplifting experience. there are many websites with prompts for telephone calls and emails to send to local representatives to get them aware of the issue and to jumpstart immigration reform. For my take action I found a website, http://act.americasvoiceonline.org/page/content/vote/ where there were many different take action links related to immigration. I decided to send one to House Speaker John Boehner telling him to vote on  path toward citizenship. I decided to send one to him because it seems like the idea, but has blocked votes to have this reform go forward. I also hear a lot about him in the news when it came to the Government shutdown, so I decided to go right to the source. Immigration reform is close to being passed so calling or emailing the representatives or political figures about them will show them that we do care and want change. The more people to take action the more notice these political people will receive. This could be the information they need to pass these bills. It took me literally five minutes to find this site, fill out the email and send it. This is nothing in the scheme of things. I am glad I could be one more voice to tell someone to push towards immigration reform.

Reflection:

Before I started research and learning more about immigration today I new very minimal. And from the beginning my thoughts really had no back up evidence. Doing this blog made me realize that current events are actually something teachers should teach students and immigration is one I will bring up. Immigration if different from centuries before so children should know the difference. They should also know about the laws that we have and don't have and see how these effect the people. I think that history is being made today with the talk of reform and that will be an important part to bring up in our classrooms. Most people come from someone who immigrated so it can be related to a wide range of students. For older grades, maybe doing a blog like this one will keep them researching and leaning more. I know I learned more than I thought I would. I have done blogs before for other classes, but this is the first one for a cause and event that effects everyone today, even if you cannot see a direct relation.

Take Action

Shauna Says:

For the blog, I decided to look online to see what I could do. I found a website- http://standingonthesideoflove.org/immigrants/ and read what their purpose/goals are. At this time, they are focusing on immigration reform. They also look to make changes for any groups of people that they believe are being dehumanized through acts of exclusion or oppression. I went to the “Take a Stand” section of the website and found that by typing in my zip code, I could write an email to members of Congress in order to ask them to make a change. They even gave me a template that I can choose to use or to adapt for the message. I liked the idea and decided to send a message to all of the members of Congress listed. This included Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey, and John Tierney. I like this website since they make it easy to send a message to members of Congress. I like that you can change what you would like to say or send in what they have already written. By simply adding in your address information, you can make your voice heard. They also list telephone numbers which could be an even better way to contact Congress members and talk about the issues at hand. It allows people to take action and practice democratic values without having to fear consequences. This is a great website and I believe that it gives people the chance to stand up for what they believe in. In closing, I also found a link from this website to another website- notonemoredeportation.com. I signed the petition to help stop deportations and the separation of families. There are many simple ways to get involved. There is a definite need for immigration reform and anyone can help in making a change happen.

I would definitely teach students about social justice issues. Through learning about social justice, students learn about many other important aspects of everyday life. For example, they learn about respect for others. All teachers should provide time for students to talk about their cultural background. By doing so, the teacher can create a safe and comfortable classroom for all students in which all students respect one another. Students learn to listen and they learn about empathy through many social justice issues. They need to learn about ways that they can make changes for what they believe in, such as participating in social movements, because that is what our country is all about. Every person deserves to have their voice heard. If students learn at a young age that their voice can make a difference, they may continue to stand up for what they believe in throughout their lives. If no one were to speak up for their beliefs, even by simply voting, our democratic government would not be functioning since it would not be a representation of “the people”.