Immigration hits home: A story of a former student
A former student of mine--a BRILLIANT phenom who speaks five languages and is qualified to teach Latin and ESL--is likely to be deported soon with no opportunity ever to immigrate back to the U.S., which has been his home and country since his family brought him here when he was 9 years old. Juan had no choice in coming to the U.S., but made the most--and then some--of every opportunity here. He has an undergraduate degree in classics. He has a Master's degree in teaching Latin and ESL. He is fluent in English, French, Greek, Latin, and Spanish. He is a good and generous teacher, a kind and talented person, and a friend. And, because he doesn't have papers, his talents are about to be yanked from a place where they can benefit other Americans and other immigrants, to whom he's ready to give back.
Any support you can give, anything you can do or say or write in your blogs, any linking you want to do or are willing to do to call attention to this looming injustice...it is all appreciated. I will keep you updated.
ICE Field Office Director
Letter of Support for: Juan Ramirez
Dear Director:
I met Juan Ramirez in the fall of 2000, when he was in my Freshman English and German 1 classes. I then was fortunate enough to have Juan for his second and third years of German studies (he took his fourth year with our other instructor) and as a student in my AP English Literature class as a senior. Juan has shown himself to be studious, dedicated, thoughtful, and imminently teachable. There are few students I have taught in my fifteen years in the profession whose presence as adults in our society I so strongly believe will be of such great benefit.
Juan is a shining example of the American Dream: he arrived in the United States at a young age with very few resources, no English, supported--along with his family--only by a dream of a better life. Although he and his family may not have been able to gain documented access to immigration, Juan, in particular, has proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is the heart of what is American. He used every opportunity available to him, then went above and beyond those opportunities and did more work than was expected, learned more than was required, and girded himself with a skill level that would best support his own goals of being a self-sufficient and productive member of society, but did so in a way that would allow him, as a teacher, to give back of his knowledge, resources, education, and his entire self not only to society at large but also to the specific communities that are directly pursuing the American Dream: those who are attempting to learn English to join and participate in and benefit the United States.
Juan is a language phenom, displaying a brilliance with language I doubt ever again to see in my career. I had Juan in class for over two years before learning that he only moved to the United States at the age of 9. When I met him at age 14, I was unable--despite experience with a large bilingual population of students--to tell he had not spoken and written English for an entire school career. He made extraordinarily good use of the bilingual classes in the public schools and, in the allowed two year transition (too short a period for any typical individual), achieved native competence in grammar and vocabulary by age 12. Despite this late start, Juan's thoughtful essays were impressive as a freshman and already beyond college-ready as a senior in my AP Lit class. Juan demonstrated his flexibility with writing by creating charming short stories with rich use of language, which got him accepted into a summer Creative Writing Workshop at the University of Chicago.
In addition to his English proficiency, Juan took advantage of the opportunities in high school to study four years each of Latin and German, earning grades of "A" seemingly effortlessly; grammar, vocabulary, and language structure seem to flow innately through his veins. In addition to two AP English classes, Juan took AP Spanish and Latin. Juan earned a full-ride academic scholarship to Davidson University, where he studied another four years of Latin, three and a half years of Greek, and one and a half years of French, bringing his total language competence to five languages (English, French, Greek, Latin, and Spanish). He then went on to earn a Master's Degree in teaching Latin and English as a Second Language, a skill set that will allow him to give back by helping students who, like him, need language support on their way to joining American society after immigrating.
Any one of these accomplishments would be impressive, but all of them together just further illustrate the hard work and brilliance that are at the core of who Juan is as a person and an academic. Juan has always sought unabashedly to learn. In class he was unembarrassed by asking for information he did not have or clarification of information he had been given. He not only accepted criticism and feedback calmly, maturely, and eagerly, but sought out opportunities to obtain critical feedback so he could use it to revise and improve his work. He has shown consistently the great value he places on learning for its own sake, the earnest joy he takes in his discoveries, unencumbered by interference from ego.
Juan is highly principled and has a demanding work ethic to which he holds himself. He adheres to his rules for himself in terms of preparedness for class, effort applied, attention to detail, and quality of work. Juan is the oldest child in a very protective family, and was the only member of his family with an academic bent. His family did not understand his love of learning, or why he was not focused on getting a job. Despite this, Juan remained both dedicated to his education and close to his family, motivating himself internally toward his educational goals.
From the first day of English and German classes, Juan demonstrated a maturity of comprehension and depth of thought far beyond what I expected from his age group or saw in his peers, even in our selective-enrollment college preparatory school. Juan actively sought to apply literary analysis tools to stories we read in German--a desire to apply concepts across the curriculum I rarely see, especially when most students were caught up in vocabulary translation. Juan's understanding of literary analysis, of symbolism and metaphor and author's intent, was uncanny for a high school student and, in fact, showed insight that is often not yet developed by college students well into their studies. He has an incisive mind, carrying details and concepts with him and instinctively referencing them and applying them to other areas: he regularly brought science into German, Latin and Spanish into German, history into German and English; he made connections among all the stores of information he possessed and shared these generously, benefiting all the students in the class. He considered his thoughts carefully before speaking in class, organizing and wording his ideas. His participation as we studied Pride and Prejudice in AP was particularly thoughtful and textured, indicative of a rare degree of enjoyment of the novel.
Juan has been, since the age of 14, a good and generous teacher and person. In German 1, Juan sat next to a student with a disability that led to him displaying broadly inappropriate physical actions (which were to be ignored according to the student's IEP). Although the student went so far as to swing sharpened pencils in the air relatively near Juan, Juan did not call attention to this student's disturbing behavior or even get up and move, but edged slightly away rather than embarrass the other student. this acceptance and kindness, even in the face of his own discomfort, are typical of Juan. The same year, he offered quiet assistance in an exchange student in the class whose English was weak. Juan, however, carefully avoided calling attention to the young man or making his struggles obvious to other students, but simultaneously made sure he was not left out and translated page numbers and instructions softly. After four or six weeks, he began pulling back his level of support--without dropping it precipitously--until the young man was able to function independently by the middle of the third month of school. The fact that he observed this pattern as a young bilingual student, was able to assess the teaching methods, duplicate them, and successfully implement the process for a classmate at only age 14 shows what extraordinary skills he has.
Juan showed his generosity with his skills and time by tutoring elementary school children and, with no recognition, actively tutored peers on the spot at my school, earnestly and effectively explaining coursework to anyone expressing confusion, offering examples, and citing the book as necessary to help the other student understand. He is an asset to any educational organization, and has taken the coursework that would allow him to serve as a certified teacher in the schools, teaching both the highly esoteric study of Latin and Latin translation and the practical skills of English to second language learners.
I cannot speak highly enough of Juan Ramirez and his dedication, scholarship, character, intelligence, and work ethic. Juan was a joy to have in class, and was a student with whom I interacted as an intellectual peer. He grasps new concepts in moments, and is able to retain and apply those concepts immediately and consistently. He has proved himself an asset to student sin tutoring programs, to his high school, to his university and graduate schools, and is the type of dedicated and talented individual who benefits all of society.
To deport Juan Ramirez would be an act of tremendous short-sightedness and an outright foolish waste of a valuable resource. Juan, who was brought to the United States at age 9, without any ability to choose otherwise, has, in every way, and at every step of his life, prepared to be a productive and valuable resident or citizen, all the while knowing that the culture he has been working to serve could, at any moment, turn against him for actions that were not of his making.
It is time to find a way by which Juan can gain legal residency and use his exceptional talents, training, and dedication to serve this country; it will benefit America in every way. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or wish for any further clarification.
Sincerely,
Me
National Board Certified English Teacher, German Teacher
Any support you can give, anything you can do or say or write in your blogs, any linking you want to do or are willing to do to call attention to this looming injustice...it is all appreciated. I will keep you updated.
ICE Field Office Director
Letter of Support for: Juan Ramirez
Dear Director:
I met Juan Ramirez in the fall of 2000, when he was in my Freshman English and German 1 classes. I then was fortunate enough to have Juan for his second and third years of German studies (he took his fourth year with our other instructor) and as a student in my AP English Literature class as a senior. Juan has shown himself to be studious, dedicated, thoughtful, and imminently teachable. There are few students I have taught in my fifteen years in the profession whose presence as adults in our society I so strongly believe will be of such great benefit.
Juan is a shining example of the American Dream: he arrived in the United States at a young age with very few resources, no English, supported--along with his family--only by a dream of a better life. Although he and his family may not have been able to gain documented access to immigration, Juan, in particular, has proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is the heart of what is American. He used every opportunity available to him, then went above and beyond those opportunities and did more work than was expected, learned more than was required, and girded himself with a skill level that would best support his own goals of being a self-sufficient and productive member of society, but did so in a way that would allow him, as a teacher, to give back of his knowledge, resources, education, and his entire self not only to society at large but also to the specific communities that are directly pursuing the American Dream: those who are attempting to learn English to join and participate in and benefit the United States.
Juan is a language phenom, displaying a brilliance with language I doubt ever again to see in my career. I had Juan in class for over two years before learning that he only moved to the United States at the age of 9. When I met him at age 14, I was unable--despite experience with a large bilingual population of students--to tell he had not spoken and written English for an entire school career. He made extraordinarily good use of the bilingual classes in the public schools and, in the allowed two year transition (too short a period for any typical individual), achieved native competence in grammar and vocabulary by age 12. Despite this late start, Juan's thoughtful essays were impressive as a freshman and already beyond college-ready as a senior in my AP Lit class. Juan demonstrated his flexibility with writing by creating charming short stories with rich use of language, which got him accepted into a summer Creative Writing Workshop at the University of Chicago.
In addition to his English proficiency, Juan took advantage of the opportunities in high school to study four years each of Latin and German, earning grades of "A" seemingly effortlessly; grammar, vocabulary, and language structure seem to flow innately through his veins. In addition to two AP English classes, Juan took AP Spanish and Latin. Juan earned a full-ride academic scholarship to Davidson University, where he studied another four years of Latin, three and a half years of Greek, and one and a half years of French, bringing his total language competence to five languages (English, French, Greek, Latin, and Spanish). He then went on to earn a Master's Degree in teaching Latin and English as a Second Language, a skill set that will allow him to give back by helping students who, like him, need language support on their way to joining American society after immigrating.
Any one of these accomplishments would be impressive, but all of them together just further illustrate the hard work and brilliance that are at the core of who Juan is as a person and an academic. Juan has always sought unabashedly to learn. In class he was unembarrassed by asking for information he did not have or clarification of information he had been given. He not only accepted criticism and feedback calmly, maturely, and eagerly, but sought out opportunities to obtain critical feedback so he could use it to revise and improve his work. He has shown consistently the great value he places on learning for its own sake, the earnest joy he takes in his discoveries, unencumbered by interference from ego.
Juan is highly principled and has a demanding work ethic to which he holds himself. He adheres to his rules for himself in terms of preparedness for class, effort applied, attention to detail, and quality of work. Juan is the oldest child in a very protective family, and was the only member of his family with an academic bent. His family did not understand his love of learning, or why he was not focused on getting a job. Despite this, Juan remained both dedicated to his education and close to his family, motivating himself internally toward his educational goals.
From the first day of English and German classes, Juan demonstrated a maturity of comprehension and depth of thought far beyond what I expected from his age group or saw in his peers, even in our selective-enrollment college preparatory school. Juan actively sought to apply literary analysis tools to stories we read in German--a desire to apply concepts across the curriculum I rarely see, especially when most students were caught up in vocabulary translation. Juan's understanding of literary analysis, of symbolism and metaphor and author's intent, was uncanny for a high school student and, in fact, showed insight that is often not yet developed by college students well into their studies. He has an incisive mind, carrying details and concepts with him and instinctively referencing them and applying them to other areas: he regularly brought science into German, Latin and Spanish into German, history into German and English; he made connections among all the stores of information he possessed and shared these generously, benefiting all the students in the class. He considered his thoughts carefully before speaking in class, organizing and wording his ideas. His participation as we studied Pride and Prejudice in AP was particularly thoughtful and textured, indicative of a rare degree of enjoyment of the novel.
Juan has been, since the age of 14, a good and generous teacher and person. In German 1, Juan sat next to a student with a disability that led to him displaying broadly inappropriate physical actions (which were to be ignored according to the student's IEP). Although the student went so far as to swing sharpened pencils in the air relatively near Juan, Juan did not call attention to this student's disturbing behavior or even get up and move, but edged slightly away rather than embarrass the other student. this acceptance and kindness, even in the face of his own discomfort, are typical of Juan. The same year, he offered quiet assistance in an exchange student in the class whose English was weak. Juan, however, carefully avoided calling attention to the young man or making his struggles obvious to other students, but simultaneously made sure he was not left out and translated page numbers and instructions softly. After four or six weeks, he began pulling back his level of support--without dropping it precipitously--until the young man was able to function independently by the middle of the third month of school. The fact that he observed this pattern as a young bilingual student, was able to assess the teaching methods, duplicate them, and successfully implement the process for a classmate at only age 14 shows what extraordinary skills he has.
Juan showed his generosity with his skills and time by tutoring elementary school children and, with no recognition, actively tutored peers on the spot at my school, earnestly and effectively explaining coursework to anyone expressing confusion, offering examples, and citing the book as necessary to help the other student understand. He is an asset to any educational organization, and has taken the coursework that would allow him to serve as a certified teacher in the schools, teaching both the highly esoteric study of Latin and Latin translation and the practical skills of English to second language learners.
I cannot speak highly enough of Juan Ramirez and his dedication, scholarship, character, intelligence, and work ethic. Juan was a joy to have in class, and was a student with whom I interacted as an intellectual peer. He grasps new concepts in moments, and is able to retain and apply those concepts immediately and consistently. He has proved himself an asset to student sin tutoring programs, to his high school, to his university and graduate schools, and is the type of dedicated and talented individual who benefits all of society.
To deport Juan Ramirez would be an act of tremendous short-sightedness and an outright foolish waste of a valuable resource. Juan, who was brought to the United States at age 9, without any ability to choose otherwise, has, in every way, and at every step of his life, prepared to be a productive and valuable resident or citizen, all the while knowing that the culture he has been working to serve could, at any moment, turn against him for actions that were not of his making.
It is time to find a way by which Juan can gain legal residency and use his exceptional talents, training, and dedication to serve this country; it will benefit America in every way. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or wish for any further clarification.
Sincerely,
Me
National Board Certified English Teacher, German Teacher