It has been more than 60 years since the US Supreme Court
issued the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and the question that
we as educators must ask is how much of an improvement in American public
education has there been since then? But even if all schools are integrated,
new issues keep popping up.
Let’s start with immigrant children. In view of recent
events, there is fear among many immigrant children that their parents will not
be at home when they get home from school, victims of ICE deportations. There
are concerns among indigent families that after school services and free and
reduced lunch programs may be cut.
What about Muslim children? Are they concerned that they
might be bullied or harassed at school?
Have their families express the fear that the long-standing American
welcome mat may no longer apply to them?
As if America’s
educators did not have enough to deal with in the classroom, these new concerns
come along. How are we going to address multi-culturalism in the classroom? The
questions can go on infinitely but we need to seek answers.
Teachers need to find a way to connect with their students
and those paths may not always be through textbooks. We need to stress that in
order for America is to remain first among nations, that inclusion is the key
to success. Teachers need to be advocates for social justice, even if it can’t
be found on the streets and in our neighborhoods.
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