Show MIGRANT EDUCATION d k By avid L. L Cortez Unfortunately low-income low people and we often have stereo type concepts of successful successful suc I individuals whether minority or anglo At one time in our life we think of them as being on a very high and unreachable unreachable unreachable un- un reachable social and educational educational educational level We dont don't realize the economic struggle some of these successful people have gone through to get a college education How at times it was a treat for them and their kids to see a movie once a month during their college days How McDonalds McDonald's and Dees Dee's hamburgers had to be limited to a monthly bi-monthly basis as a special specia I treat These successful I people regardless of race somehow realized the importance of range long-range goals and the fact that they had to pursue these range long-range goals to acquire the tool they needed education From personal experience I feel that this is an important difference between successful I people and those who haven't had an opportunity for an education Those who are educationally educationally educationally edu edu- successful I had long- long range goals Somehow we must lead the low-income low students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents minorities including migrants to set range long-range educational educational educational ed ed- ed- ed goals We must make them realize that they must sacrifice immediate self cation if they and their offspring offspring offspring off off- spring are to have future economic economic economic eco eco- security and find in life self self-fu self fulfillment Ifill ment and its beau beau- ties The attainment of these two rewards can be enhanced by education This leads me to discuss the inadequate self-concept self and the tact that for tor some th this IS must be reformed You know before I worked with public school children where I taught for four years I taught in the poverty program for the equivalent of three public school years One thing that was very prevalent among the low-income low students was their low self An inadequate inadequate inadequate quate self-concept self grows up upright upright upright right along with the individual because of circumstances and situations he has encountered and this is later reinforced by byboth byboth byboth both the environment and the status seekers who used the individual as a scapegoat As an example of what I am trying to say an individual whom I know a person who was both an ethnic minority and a low-income low group member member member mem mem- ber once burst into a group of often often often ten or so of his peers after a test with the exclamation Im average Im I'm sure they didn't understand him but I did I knew that h his is excitement excitement excitement excite excite- ment stemmed from the fact that he had discovered he had hadan hadan hadan an average I IQ Q Yes to his surprise his IQ had fallen in inthe inthe inthe the average category and to him this was unbelievable This individual had once been beena a high school dropout because of among other th things ings his low self He had been born in the lower social strata and his family had experienced experienced experienced the hostile environment of cotton Pickers His ch childhood childhood child child- ild- ild hood days had been those of a shoeshine boy in the streets of ofSan ofSan ofSan San Antonio Texas Shortly after his average I IQ Q discovery th this is individual took the General Education Development Test passed it with marks and now has five years of university work to his credit The implication here is that today he is not a drag on the economy nor is he in a penal institution or a mental institution as he could have been rather he is a productive citizen of our society society society soci soci- ety and has saved the taxpayers ers hundreds of dollars in welfare welfare welfare wel wel- fare and support payments I Ican Ican Ican can testify to ve known this individual all my life We too can overcome obstacles obstacles obstacles ob ob- ob- ob and become productive citizens also but we must set for ourselves range long-range goals There will be many times when we will ask ourselves whether the struggle is worth it but we must always answer ourselves with the mental picture picture picture pic pic- ture of how many of our brothers we can reach and help with the proper tool education We must realize that not all only a few unfortunate unfortunate unfortunate un un- un- un fortunate people trying to climb the social ladder have made us feel inadequate They were trying to climb the social ladder and we were their steps ie i.e. their scapegoats The same is true for students Once a young student feels he is inadequate this impression impression impression im im- im- im tends to predict what he can accomplish He makes a prediction of his own outcome r. r J v j i r 1 1 M J o VA I V r- r v- v I Jf r 7 oJ j. j J l I I I 1 I I i I b NJ I. I 1 j l v i i I I J f If f Ir 1 i r t j J t 1 ill w if I i 1 r Jr 1 I f I I I rJ r- r I t tos J I os J I J h i I 1 r 1 f Lr I l A i I A then helps fulfill the prophesy himself Education will help reform the inadequate self- self concept The self-concept self has hasa a selective effect Students perceive what society and their environment have taught them to believe and see The self-concept self is a screen through which everything is seen heard evaluated and un un- Students fail in school because of an unfortunate evaluation of themselves Each person sees the world he lives in through th this is screen h his is own self con His evaluation of his own past will determine ine what he sees Others who have had a different process of development development develop develop- ment might see it in an entirely entire entire- ly different manner This is isone isone isone one reason we choose people with common backgrounds as our friends because we feel more comfortable around those who see things as we do That's the reason people of different races and beliefs are seen together often Reminisce and see Self-concept Self confirms and gives strength to the al already already already al- al ready existing evaluation of ou ourselves and so tends to maintain and reinforce its own existence Consequently it affects affects affects af af- af- af the learning of children in any school subject We the educational leaders of our society society society so so- help extricate them the low-income low and ethnic min minorities minorities mi mi- n from their own self- self fulfilling prophecy ie i.e. people must recognize their capabilities even if mi mi- mi- mi grants m minorities grants and we in turn must not be content with anything less than our very best effort to attain the highest goals we can attain While sitting in class having heard your instructor read from the Pink Sheet Student Activity Council Meeting am a.m. Wednesday East Room College Center Have you ever questioned yourself as to what the Student Activity ty Council does IThe i iThe The Student Activity Council Coun Coun- cil was established to plan and execute social recreational cultural and educational programs programs programs pro pro- grams for the college to be beheld beheld beheld held primarily in the College Center and to make recommendations recommendations recommendations to the appropriate College officials The following in case youre you're wondering at this point are the people of which the Student Activity Council consists SL Vice Vice President of Social Activities Chairman Freshman Class President Vice President of Public Relations and Publications Publications Publications SL S L Secretary and the President of each officially officially officially of of- recognized club The Student Activity Council Coun Coun- cil was directed responsible this year for the Sub-For- Sub Santa program the day dance held in the north cafeteria and is planning for May 23 for the biggest Daze ever held at the college |