Opinion
Equity & Diversity Opinion

Fighting for the Dreamers in and Out of the Classroom

April 19, 2017 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

By James E. Ford

There are some moments as a teacher that just never leave you. They remain burned into memory like still photos. These images have stories that all elicit their own emotions, varying widely from invigorating and awe-inspiring to sad and demoralizing. Amid news that a DACA protected student was just deported, I am reminded of one of the single bravest acts performed by one of my students: disclosing his undocumented status to the entire class.

The lesson was part of my unit on Ancient Rome, with a specific focus on the evolution of the republic. We paused to consider a society where wealthy, landowning aristocrats (patricians) possessed nearly all the power, while the poor, oppressed commoners (plebeians) remained powerless. In the early republic the plebeians produced the food and did all of the hard labor on which the economy depended. Even though institutional power remained firmly in the hands the patricians, the society could not function without the plebeians. This contradiction was not lost on students.

I asked, “Can you see any similarities in modern society? Are they any groups in America like the plebeians?” Without skipping a beat, students nearly unanimously identified “immigrants.” For a school with a large immigrant population and over 40 different countries represented in the student body, their response was a no-brainer.

At that moment a particularly studious and mild-mannered young man raised his hand and said, “Uh, Mr. Ford, I have something to say that I haven’t told anyone.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “I am undocumented.” My student explained that he arrived with his parents from Mexico when he was too young to remember. He shared how he lived daily with the fear of being deported, despite internally feeling as “American” as anyone else.

We suspended the lesson at that moment. Sometimes students are more important than content. His fellow classmates said they admired him for his courage, offering words
of support and sharing similar stories. I was proud of him, but also of my students, who demonstrated a level of empathy that we as educators actively seek in education. He has since taken advantage of the DACA program and graduated high school.

That was nearly four years ago.

Today there is a new administration and a new reality at hand. Young people all over the country—much like my former student—are living with an increased level of fear of deportation and family disintegration. Schools are no longer bastions of safety and security. Many undocumented students have chosen not to attend school to avoid risk of being detained by an emboldened Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Teachers are often our students’ fiercest advocates; we go to great lengths to secure their path to prosperity and self-sufficiency. As I work for my kids in the classroom, I remember something I learned at an Institute for Educational Leadership conference some years back: “You cannot fight for the rights of the children while inside of the classroom and be silent about their rights once they leave.” Those words ring louder now than before.

Equity is more than a nine-to-five experience where you punch the clock at day’s end. It’s bigger than that. It is natural for teachers to desire to remain neutral in times of political discord, but we must make a clarion call for everyone to do right by our students and give voice to their needs, hopes, fears and desires. Let our voices be counted among the number of those advocating for humane and fair treatment of the many Dreamers and families whose road to success goes through our classroom. Fighting for students is more than just a job, it’s a way of life.

James E. Ford is the 2015 North Carolina State Teacher of the Year and a member of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY).

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons through Flickr. //www.flickr.com/photos/34369012@N04/33779424256/

The opinions expressed in Teacher-Leader Voices are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Equity & Diversity Teacher, Students Sue Arkansas Over Ban on Critical Race Theory
A high school teacher and two students asked a federal judge to strike down the restrictions as unconstitutional.
2 min read
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs an education overhaul bill into law, March 8, 2023, at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark. On Monday, March 25, 2024, a high school teacher and two students sued Arkansas over the state's ban on critical race theory and “indoctrination” in public schools, asking a federal judge to strike down the restrictions as unconstitutional.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs an education overhaul bill into law, March 8, 2023, at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark.
Andrew DeMillo/AP
Equity & Diversity Opinion What March Madness Can Teach Schools About Equity
What if we modeled equity in action in K-12 classrooms after the resources provided to college student-athletes? asks Bettina L. Love.
3 min read
A young student is celebrated like a pro athlete for earning an A+!
Chris Kindred for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Girls Are Falling in Love With Wrestling, the Nation's Fastest-Growing High School Sport
A surging number of states have sanctioned the sport, with bolstering from various groups.
6 min read
Benton's Callie Hess, left, battles Plum's Saphia Davis, right, during the first found of the PIAA High School Wrestling Championships in Hershey, Pa., on March 7, 2024. Girls’ wrestling has become the fastest-growing high school sport in the country.
Callie Hess, left, battles Saphia Davis, right, during the first round of the PIAA High School Wrestling Championships in Hershey, Pa., on March 7, 2024. Girls’ wrestling has become the fastest-growing high school sport in the country.
Matt Rourke/AP
Equity & Diversity What's Permissible Under Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law? A New Legal Settlement Clarifies
The Florida department of education must send out a copy of the settlement agreement to school boards across the state.
4 min read
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis answers questions from the media, March 7, 2023, at the state Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. Students and teachers will be able to speak freely about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms under a settlement reached March 11, 2024 between Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys who had challenged a state law which critics dubbed “Don't Say Gay.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis answers questions from the media, March 7, 2023, at the state Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. Students and teachers will be able to speak freely about sexual orientation and gender identity in Florida classrooms under a settlement reached March 11, 2024, between Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys who had challenged the state's “Don't Say Gay” law.
Phil Sears/AP