Honduran Immigrants
For this assignment, I thought it would be important to research the new wave of Honduran immigrants coming to America by way of Mexico and the complexity of migration, culture and education. The process of migration is incredibly complex and in many respects, traumatizing for those that have taken the journey. For Honduran immigrants, there are issues of brutality and harsh living conditions endured in ones home country and deprivation of basic resources and human rights while crossing into unsafe countries. In many instances, there is already trauma before one arrives in the US. Once here, Honduran Americans must often contend with language and economic barriers; for the Garifuna people of African descent, issues of race, language and cultural
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It is important to note that:
Roughly eight-in-ten immigrants from Honduras (78%) arrived in the U.S. in 1990 or later. About two-in-ten Honduran immigrants (22%) are U.S. citizens.
53% of Hondurans report speaking English less than very well
Hondurans have lower levels of education than the Hispanic population overall and the U.S. population …show more content…
population (16%) and the rate for Hispanics overall (26%).
These figures suggest that a vast majority of Honduran students will come from marginalized circumstances. Understanding intersectionality, it is understood that while not Honduran students will have these circumstances, some just may. Societal issues in Honduras in recent years has been compounded by a lack of school funding, gang violence within schools and extended teacher strikes. Students may struggle with academic task as well as learning a new language skill.
Furthermore, as educators, it’s important that we consider our students trauma, societal and familial circumstances. Students may have witnessed or experienced physical assault, sexual assault and exploitation. They may have crossed over the border by themselves or came with extended family. This student will come to the classroom in trauma. Teaching needs to be sensitive to this child’s circumstance. As an ESL educator, it’s crucial that we incorporate the students home country and cultural into the content that we teach. With that said, educators must be mindful of how students process this information. We should be deliberate in developing and fostering a supportive, nurturing spaces while at the same time allowing students to share as they
It is important to note that:
Roughly eight-in-ten immigrants from Honduras (78%) arrived in the U.S. in 1990 or later. About two-in-ten Honduran immigrants (22%) are U.S. citizens.
53% of Hondurans report speaking English less than very well
Hondurans have lower levels of education than the Hispanic population overall and the U.S. population …show more content…
population (16%) and the rate for Hispanics overall (26%).
These figures suggest that a vast majority of Honduran students will come from marginalized circumstances. Understanding intersectionality, it is understood that while not Honduran students will have these circumstances, some just may. Societal issues in Honduras in recent years has been compounded by a lack of school funding, gang violence within schools and extended teacher strikes. Students may struggle with academic task as well as learning a new language skill.
Furthermore, as educators, it’s important that we consider our students trauma, societal and familial circumstances. Students may have witnessed or experienced physical assault, sexual assault and exploitation. They may have crossed over the border by themselves or came with extended family. This student will come to the classroom in trauma. Teaching needs to be sensitive to this child’s circumstance. As an ESL educator, it’s crucial that we incorporate the students home country and cultural into the content that we teach. With that said, educators must be mindful of how students process this information. We should be deliberate in developing and fostering a supportive, nurturing spaces while at the same time allowing students to share as they