Fear And Learning At Hoover Elementary: Film Analysis

Emergence into a new culture requires courage, toppled with humiliation. Despite the energy or the will, unfamiliar territory/language and events present unrelenting and unavoidable tensions. Hispanic students encounter teachers who fail to support them in maintaining aspects of their cultural identity. For some ELL students honoring and respecting another’s culture may diminish some of the struggles these students face.

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The curriculum for English-Spanish Learners (ESL) or English-Language Learners, was created to assist students who do not speak any or little English. Angela Valenzuela describes in her article, “Subtractive Schooling, Caring Relations, and Social Capital in the Schooling of U.S.~Mexican Youth,” that

In this short film titled IMMERSION, Moises, an immigrant child with less than proficient English language skills, is seen in a real world context as he struggles with academics, specifically math, in a public school setting in the U. S. The “structured English Immersion” program, which is in place to assist children like Moises falls short of providing the supprts necessary for immigrant students to master a second language while they are also expected to build on academic skills. In this film, school leadership has failed to recognize and back one teacher’s pursuit of providing supports to ascertain whether the student is able to complete the assignment in his naïve language or does he not understand the concepts. Even after advocating for himself and asking for the test in Spanish the young boy is told not to worry as the test is not important. Unfortunately, Moises knows the test is significant and is then faced with a no win situation at school.

Acculturation can determine whether a first generation Salvadoran American student’s pursues higher education. As new immigrants immersed in the American culture, they have to adapt or comprehend the culture acceptable “behavior, values, language, and customs” in order to educational succeed (McCallister 2015). Moreover, California is a diverse state that first generation students come across a dilemma of longer period of time to dominate the native language. For instance, Lucy grew up in Central California, in a small Hispanic enclave. As a result, Lucy was exposed to Spanish conversations at home and in the community, except in the school. School provided Lucy the opportunity to apply the immersion technique:

She explains that students are seemed as incompetent and ignorant due to their level of proficiency in the English language, but in reality, there is a high chance they are smart individuals. Unfortunately, because American schools fail to understand the Mexican schooling system, students are left to suffer the consequences. Angela, explained that school that provide ESL or ELL classes participate in subtractive schooling. Subtractive schooling can be described as the removal of language and culture and forcemeat into the language and culture of the dominant culture, in this case English. The example that Angela used was the De-Mexicanization of students who migrated from Mexico to the United States and are forced into learning English and adopting the American lifestyle. Angela informs that students want to know that educators cared about them before being cared for. In order to do this, educators must embrace the culture of the students rather demolish it and make it into something else. Based on the issues that Angela provided it seems that teachers are unaware or just assume that Mexican-Americans do not care about school based on their attitude and style of dress. It seems that a great percentage of students drop out or fail to provide high marks in school because of the

The fact that ELL student’s are given the exact same educational services provided to native English speaker, seem to be very unfair for the ELL student’s and instead of helping the ELL students to succeed academically we are preventing them from succeeding in their classes. When I was reading this section I couldn’t stop thinking about the video that we saw in class, the student was very smart but the fact that he couldn’t understand the material being taught, this was preventing him from showing how brilliant and smart he is. Just imagine how many brilliant ELL students can’t succeed in class because they don’t understand the language of the instruction.

Around 1959, bilingual education took flight in the United States. Starting in Miami and quickly making its way San Francisco, bilingual education soon led to the Bilingual Education Act which promoted “No Child Left Behind”. Only twenty years later, the act acquired the attention of high schools around the country. Nonetheless, bilingual education is not always taken to be the cure-all for acclimating immigrants to the United States. In his article “Aria: A Memoir of Bilingual Childhood”, Richard Rodriguez argues that students should not take part in bilingual education by explaining how it takes away individuality and a sense of family through use of ethos, diction, and imagery; Rodriguez also uses

The film “Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary” is about the impact on Hoover Elementary after Proposition 187 was approved which denied public education and health care to undocumented immigrants. A teacher from the school decided to make a film about the impact the law had created at the school. The teacher filmed teacher meetings after the law was passed. The film maker also included teacher’s response to the passing of the law and if they voted for or against the passing of the law. The teacher included a little girl named Myra about how life was for her at Hoover Elementary. The film maker included where the school was located and how it was already harmful to those kids who live by the school. My reaction to the film was I felt angry

Without education one can only get so far in life and considering that most of the parents of the students did not have the proper education. Adelante’s goal was to offer them educational assistance the best way possible. Even though, you may think that learning may come easier to a child that knows two language simply for the fact that he has those two languages under his/her belt on the contrary for most Latino students it is much more difficult to understand certain subjects in the regular public school system. The key question to this is what is the public-school system doing to help Latino students achieve their goals and to continue in school? You may think that the answer to this would be easy to answer but, believe it or not, it’s not. According to Fry, “Latinos are far more likely to enroll into two-year colleges than any other group” (Fry, pg. 6) Another question you may ask yourself when reading this statistic is why not go ahead and shoot for a four-year institution? Well, let me break this down for you, Hispanic parents, just about 65% of them, know what the importance of going and attending college. They see not only the financially benefit that will come along with it but, they also see the maturing process it will bring to their child when doing so. But, wait, so if parents are supporting their child to go to college why do Latino students short–hand their selves with just a two-year Associates Degree? Which goes back to the first question, what is the public-school system doing to help these students out? One of the few programs offered out there is Adelante, their entire goal is to help, involve, and open the eyes of the Hispanic community that there is much more out there for their Children and even for them. The issue with this is that there is only one program that is doing this for the Latino community in Louisville, Kentucky.

To often the teachers don't realize that language is just part of a greater culture. So they miss the point that understanding the complete culture of the students they are teaching needs to be comprehended. I would say, especially when dealing with ELL students who are very new in the USA. The teachers can confuse the lack of interference is a lack of interest, when actually the Hispanic culture values education a great deal and those who teach it. They see the teacher as the specialist and therefore respect that teacher’s decision almost explicitly. They also confuse what appears their lack of time for their children's schooling as a lack of interest in the student’s education. They work very long hours and end up showing up at off hours due to their challenging work schedules. However, if they send an older brother or uncle or grandparent in their place they are saying I am engaged though it may not appear so to the Anglo teacher. The item that will get them to respond more quickly

This book was considered as the most debated U.S. Latino texts. In the book, Rodriguez used his personal experience in discussing social and political issues. Though it is autobiographical in nature, it is a collection of personal experiences that shaped Rodriguez’s understanding of culture, education, and the formal education system in America. Rodriguez tackled the educational system wherein he discussed the change of language in the beginning of a child’s education- Spanish to English. In his book, he provides a thoughtful critique of contemporary education and its shortfalls. He opposed bilingual education and affirmative action. He shared his views on the inequality of educational system and the specific educational needs of minorities in the United States. He used his upbringing and self exploration as a Mexican American, and his extensive schooling to examine contemporary education.

The schools, acting as an important agent of socialization, expose students to diversity. When immigrant children, legal or illegal, begin attending the schools, the diversity only grows. In addition to bringing diversity, the children also bring needs that the schools sometimes have trouble providing for. For example, some children are not able to speak English fluently and need special attention from ESL teachers in order to succeed in school. Also, some children come to the United States with a poor education due to the lack of adequate schooling in their home country. Therefore, these children come to the United States needing to catch up. With the growth of immigration rates, the education system is feeling more and more pressure to provide for the needs of a growing number of immigrant

The second classroom I observed was a first grade class of twenty-five students. Students in this class were all of Mexican descent and labeled as early intermediate English language learners. The

There is one personal story that I have never told anyone, because I feel kind of ashamed if I talk about it. I actually have no knowledge of American History; even I went to the full four years public high school in America. That is why I am questioning the education system in the United States. Instead of spending countless periods in regular History and Biology classes without understand any materials, why schools do not offer History and Biology classes but just for ESL student, using simple and easier form of English to understand, so immigrant students can actually learn more about the subjects. In the addition, schools should also give an instructional program that give English language learners access to academic concepts and skills. Therefore, I certainly believe if there were program and curricular alternatives for students with limited English proficiency, students would not experience a difficult time with their school. Moreover, research has showed that due to these difficulties that immigrant students have to face, there is a high dropout rates among language-minority secondary school students. For example, Hispanic students are more likely than White students to leave school during their high school years (10% versus 4%; National Center for Education Statistics, 1996). In 1994, the number of Hispanic students aged 16-24 who had not completed high school and were not enrolled was 30%, as compared to 8% for White