Latinos Needed in Our Education System
www.hispanicvista.com
Latinos Needed in Our Education System
By Domingo Ivan Casañas/HispanicVista.com
July 18, 2005
I have mentioned in several of my past articles that Latinos are poised to become the largest ethnic minority group in this country. Yet, they also remain one of the most educationally disadvantaged groups in the United States.
I know that this is a powerful statement. However, it must be said because the fact of the matter is that too many Latinos do not have a high school diploma. The dropout rate for the Latinos doesn’t seem to be dropping either.
It is sad to see the passiveness attitude that many Latino parents who are considered very good parents, yet when it comes to getting involved in their children’s education they seem to just ignore what their role should be. Why is this? In most cases it is the lack of education and ignorance on the parents’ part. The parents do care however they are not comfortable in an educational environment so they stay away.
Our Latino children need role models. They need Hispanic teachers to be attracted to this much needed profession. Currently about 90% of the teachers teaching Latino children are white. The reason is simple…Latinos are not stepping up to the plate when it comes to helping our children. There is a lack of minority mentors that can inspire future generations to become our future teachers in a local classroom.
Latino children are going thru all their school life without a teacher who looks like them.
Today, there are less male teachers than ever. According to the National Education Association (NEA), the sad reality is that there is more than 40% of schools in America that do not have even one teacher from an ethnic minority.
What can be done about this situation? I propose that our high schools and colleges offer scholarships to Latino males and females to become and be part of our educational system. We must capture the interest of our Latino youth when they are in middle school and high school in order to get their attention of a profession that helps others.
To help increase this honorable profession the United States Government must make this profession one of prestige, higher salaries, and bring more men into the profession by letting them know that they too can help form the minds of our young children.
It is also very important that parents get involved in their children education. As parents we must be alert and know who is teaching our children. Are some teachers pushing their own liberal agendas? Are some teachers just babysitting our children and not teaching them? Are some teachers ready to retire and no longer care about what goes on in the classroom? Are some teachers missing more days than the average teacher thus allowing substitutes to constantly be teaching our children? With the same respect parents must be aware of the teachers that are helping our children and thank them for what they are doing.
Parents need to be involved! The Latino child in America deserves a good education just like any other child does. More of them need to be educated on the importance of studying, and making sure that they can see the importance of what a teacher is there for.
This will create awareness that will turn into our Latino children being more interested in possibly becoming a teacher themselves.
