David Magallanes
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The original form of the following article was published in the Focal Points Newsletter for Professional Women, September / October 1994, of the Ventura County Professional Women’s Network (of which I had been a member). The article may be from nearly twenty years ago, but the issues remain, and in some ways have become even more critical since this was written.
By David Magallanes /Guest contributor
In part I of this article, I began describing the challenges facing education, particularly in California, and especially in areas like ours where the size of the immigrant population is significant.
In part II, we explored the role of community colleges with regard to the vast immigrant population in our community.
In part III, let us examine the urgency of educating the masses here in California:
Immigration and education are two very interdependent issues that must be addressed together, whether or not some of us would rather sweep the entire immigration controversy under the “melting pot” rug. Here in California, we must find ways to educate this immigrant and minority groundswell, regardless of how we feel about immigration or issues concerning minorities. In fact, the term “minorities” will in a very few years become an anachronism when applied to Latinos/Hispanos. They will soon become a state majority [by 2042, according to the San Francisco Chronicle*], and in fact already are the majority in many of our communities, including Oxnard.
Those of us in education have to deal effectively with the rapid growth in the number of students from diverse cultures. Without a proper education, the multitudes will become dependent rather than contributory. This has a direct effect on the lives of us who are starting to think, “Hey, I’m going to be retiring in the next decade or two…” We will not be supported in the manner that we expect if those that follow us are uneducated and unprepared to succeed in this highly technical age.
It is therefore incumbent upon us, whether for humanitarian, financial or purely selfish reasons, to help ensure that our young people, and those of any age that immigrate to the United States, regardless of color or current dominant language or culture or national origin, receive the training and education required to keep our society vibrant, enriched, productive, enlightened, and by all means — by all means possible — compassionate and understanding.
*San Francisco Chronicle, SFGate, Sunday, March 17, 2013: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/CALIFORNIA-Hispanics-expected-to-be-state-s-2570822.php.
This article concludes the three-part series on Education Today.
— David Magallanes is a writer, speaker and retired professor of mathematics. You may contact him at adelantos@msn.com