6410+Final+Project+Karla+Barrow

(Tim Conrad, July 22) Karla, you've carefully considered important issues in your reflection on the Hoover Elementary film. I also appreciate so much the excellent comments about your essay. You've obviously done a good job, Karla, in your analysis because of the interaction you stimulated about it. Long-term meaningful solutions will only come, in my opinion, when strong leadership both from our own country and internationally inspire people to figure out how to solve the tremendous needs so many face economically and educationally. I've been so impressed by the high quality work of our class members in their teaching and concern for the students in our Community ESL class.

(Heidi Marriott) - This was a hard documentary for me to watch. It was very moving, but at the same time, very one-sided. I honestly lost sleep because of it. I know our country has a huge problem and there is no easy fix, but I want there to be one. I feel for these families, particularly the children, but should there be no consequence for breaking the laws of this great land that we live in? I'm not saying that Prop 187 is the right answer, I don't want to see children punished by refusing to educate them or families spilt up, but there has got to be some sort of legal consequense for breaking the law. This is why I've lost sleep! One thing I did appreciate from the movie was that we cannot blame all of our problems on a particular group and expect those problems to go away if we "fix" that group. Problems in this country and in turn in each community are deep rooted. It was disturbing to hear the students from the film talk about how they thought other people percieved them. More loss of sleep! We really need an easy button, I'll have to stop by Staples and see what I can find!

(Heather Greenfield) Karla, I also think it's amazing how passionate these students are about their education. I think it's important to recognize these students within our own classes and know that they really do want a good education, regardless of their status or language level. Our world is becoming so global and intertwined, I wonder if there will be a time in the future when these issues will seem backwards or as old fashion prejudices. I wonder this because these students will eventually be adults and participating in a society somewhere in the world. We may someday, as a global society, decide that all children need a quality education. I personally would like to see as many of them well educated as possible so that their contributions can be more positive than negative.

7/16/12 (Ben Browning) It was a very thought provoking documentary. I mention in my reflection some of the same things. What frustrates me the most is not that there are many here illegally, but it's the fact that our government is too busy fighting among themselves to actually pass laws to help prevent illegal crossings and better support the demands we have facing us. We lack time, money, and resources. For us to succeed as educators we need to come together. I guess we just do the best with what we've got.

7/18/12 (Penny Lawrence) I liked what you had to say about your tutees and I agree. They are all so different and yet the same. They want different things from the education. Some just want to be able to function better in their job while others want to be successful going to college. I was thinking about what Juan said about wanting to go back and wondering if that is what he did, would he really be a happy as he thinks he would be. My son in law and daughter moved back home here a little over a year ago. All he has been saying for a year and a half was that he was going to go home, every time things got difficult, he was going to go back home. So he went at the end of June back to New Mexico, and he is bi-lingual. He no more that got there, when he realized that he did not really fit in there. He could hardly wait to get back to Utah. So at this point he is re-evaluating himself. He does not fit in back home, and yet he does not really fit in here either, but I think if he makes the mental shift to this is where he is going to be, maybe he will have an easier time. I was just wondering about Juan when you said that.