Introduction

Im an immigrant...

I. Narration
A. Past
America started w a group of immigrants
Reasons for coming(same before & now): like the American life, better economic opportunity,
schools, for family, to leave disease, violence/war, persecution
B. Current Stats
2006 37.5 mil immigrants in US
>450,000 immigrants=>US citizens/yr
C. Rules
Immigration Act of 1990: max # of immigrants/yr <700,000
(But lots of loop-holes; not counted in the 700,000 are: refugees, ppl related immediately to US
citizen, ppl who ask for asylum--come to US but don't want to go back bc could be harmful)
business people(who can help US economy) & ppl from places w low immigration have
advantages/higher % of immigrating
rules surround how many & who can come to US 5

II. Division
A. Agree & Disagree
+1. (some dont like foreigners but) most people like immigration/select immigration bc
think it contributes to society
-2. how to be part of US society--assimilate (give up culture to be like everyone else) vs
acculturate (keep in touch w both cultures)
& some not aware of harmful personal effects of immigration

B. Solutions
1. social/how others act to them
2. type of edu system
3. How immigrants can help selves

III. Proof
Immigration can affect a person negatively but everyone (including self) can help them transition. In
addition, it has many benefits: it helps with a countrys economy and is also good for the
person.


























A. Societal Effects
1. - Effects: exploit services like public schools
average salary inc but not everyones did
mass immigration doesnt=good; depends on type of immigrant 3

2. + Effects: GDP shows help w economy
business people have advantages/higher % of immigrating(who can help US economy) 5
even low skill immigrants help economy bc fill up any jobs, even unpopular ones
help decrease prices e.g. food
immigration inc average american salary
immigrants pay more taxes than amount of services used (give more $ than use $)
=>easier for gov to fund programs & not inc taxes (from Congressional Budget Office
2007)
1st//2nd...generation immigrants will soon replace retirees and become the majority of the
workforce
help w creating new things & work hard 3
benefits outweigh disadvantages so legal immigration=good for society

B. Personal Effects
1. - Effects & solutions
a. Transition
immigration is hard
traditional probs (buying house/furniture) + new ones (new language, legal docs)
Moving from one city to another is hard bc of differences, moving from one continent to the other is even
more
some moves=sudden so no time to think
first feel: excited, happy, rushed, scared, sad, curious, but then sad 5
then (bc of new/strange/unfamiliar place): bad moods, shock, outcast, trauma,
homesickness, uncertainty, frustration, scared, low self-esteem bc want to be like
them, confused, lonely, normal to be overwhelmed at first, tired from everything
peers/teachers can help alot
teachers have a lot of power; role model for kids
be positive bc neg teacher=>neg student
dont protect but dont shove in mainstream/let kids feel secure
let child feel confident in self (bc already harsh on self)
need ppl to COMMUNICATE & est relationships w them
especially help at school bc schools/peers scary bc no family & have to make
new relationships 4
kids want teachers encouragement & sometimes deeper convos about feelings
but relent if student=shy & not ready
kids=shy & sometimes stay quiet instead of saying no to something
care/be aware of everyones needs/pay lots of attention when they first come
let em be tired & sleep
dont switch kid from class to class bc theyll feel like they dont belong (more)
how much of an outcast depends on how many difs in original & American
culture
hard to relate w ppl & open up bc of differences1
deal w cultural differences 6, 7, 8 1
hafta learn customs of new culture e.g. subtle social cues & fit in
but sometimes scared to/keep quiet (almost universal) bc: afraid others will
judge/think theyre not good enough/be received badly=>can hurt self-esteem
help immigrants communicate no matter method e.g. visual artwork like
filmstrips, verbal
let em do things other kids are doing so dont feel so dif
want to belong w peers but what if conflict w original culture/tradition (new values
vs old) 4
can try to change self negatively to fit in 1
assimilation=>lose heritage 6, 7, 8 theyll look down on own culture
lots of ppl do it as kids then when older try to regain roots/language (to
communicate & bc its their background) but its harder 1
instead just acculturate =>longer but you feel comfortable
no cultural split=act one way at home, dif way at school
e.g. Qiuliang used to dislike being Chinese but now likes being himself & being
dif
even after long time, immigrants first loyalty w home country; want old culture to
be acknowledged (but some schools dont)
some society/schools need to change bc sometimes make kids change
selves/traditions to assimilate
schools have a lot of power; can either make original culture values seem
good/bad
schools need to understand child & relate better by learning about their culture
& show validation for diversity e.g. multicultural parties, involve fam, projs on
culture 1
schools/society should help (go to em & appreciate their culture) bc kids
shouldnt try to fit in all by themselves
schools need to help emotionally and academically
help kids keep their culture but not so they dont want to learn eng1

analogy=plants can survive better if more roots are taken when transplanted1

Cultural Academic Psychological Intervention teaching method (focus on these
while teaching) 1

b. Education
School is really important for kids bc we spend a lot of time of our time here & lvl of edu has huge part in
determining future
also, some immigrants have poor eng skills so edu systems need to be good
learning english/cant communicate/behind in schooling 1
*no formula works for everyone
Edu for Kids: eng immersion (teach kids only in eng) vs bilingual edu (teach
subjects w 2 langs & teach eng) vs other methods

eng immersion
bilingual: bad rep, slows down learning eng, separates the bilingual kids from
normal ones, costs school extra
Juan Rangel (superintendent of eng immersion UNO) says ei helps kids find a
place in American society & belong in culture (helps w language & feelings)
ei could help immigrants feel like they belong more
many states have revoked bilingual edu (CA, AZ, MA)
supreme court also decide in Flores case EI>BE

RESEARCH: pro-ei Lexington Institute says UNO place better than other schools on tests
other studies that show ei kids did better than bilinguals (were controlled for socioeconomic lvl
& eng proficiency): 2009 Texas Public Policy Foundation, 1988 Dade County, FL, 1992 El
Paso, TX, 1995 NYC, NY, more from AZ & CA
AZ Dept of Edu study (2004) showed ei students better than bilinguals
but critics say studies=flawed bc didnt control for factors e.g. yrs in US, eng proficiency,
socioeconomic status
after AZ & CA change to ei, studies show students do better
in one study Kelly Torrance (Lexington Institute): students who scored in proficient category
inc 25%(2001) - 47%(2005)
but Stephen Krashen (University of Southern CA) say high grades=common bc following new
tests
aka though theres a lot of research to back ei up, there are flaws in the studies that couldve skewed the
results

bilingual
research shows it works
kids learn same material as school mates in their native lang instead of easier
ver in eng
learning eng context/culture helps em learn actual language
easier to learn to read in native lang & transfer skills to eng than start from
scratch in eng
there r dif types of bilingual edu systems & some work better than others
e.g. dual language(works best), transitional-bilingual (bilingual only in beginning)
, ESL
research by Collier & Thomas (George Mason scholars): dual lang no effect in
short term but helps in long term
by high school, dual-language learners better than transitional or ESL & ei seem
to help but kids have cognitive slow down 2
inner integration(feelings & comfortable w both worlds)>outer (physically being w
others)
a lot of ppl in book say want bilingual/some sort of help before going in eng
immersion1

Stanford professor Hakuta say any method can work as long as it makes students like
learning2
Bilingual edu helps students emotionally transition & learn eng

c. Family
change in traditional roles in fam (bc child could know culture/language better)
arguments between self, family, peers, strangers, etc. bc of disagreement, bad
communication, tension in fam bc of dif place & rules 4
no extended family close to where you live
immigrants help selves by: being observant, prepared, and appear friendly &
good 4
they should know everyone makes mistakes & lighten up
humor helps ppl cope 1
communicate
teens should help parents bc they adapt more quickly 5
let parents be friends w friends parents so they know what parenting is like in US
4
parents can have the same feelings as kids
& sometimes parents have bad feelings, child picks em up from parents 1
help each other

d. discrimination/racism/bullying 4, 6, 7, 8
US for a long time has been racist towards minorities
used to be laws that limited the quantity of immigrants (against E Europeans,
Chinese)
still some discrimination today; conflicts between immigrants and WASPs 5

dont think of your native culture as good & others as bad
bc then youll think one culture is better & youll judge 1

we want to be included but we exclude others
we hang out w ppl like us
we use same neural pathways for self and IN group--so more sympathetic
& dif pathways for OUT group(bigger)--more indifferent 9
were more likely to be annoyed at ppl w dif culture than same; have unconscious
prejudices
easy to be mean to outsiderbut doesnt mean you should

theyll still be hurt yrs later bc of bullying
report people who are noticeably discriminating
if some discriminates against you (if nbd) understand person, can reply but dont
provoke, & ignore if person=crazy 4
research: ppl of non-english speaking descent rated lower than Anglos in
Cognizant (unconscious bias tool)

Milner 1983 studies show:
300 kids from 5-8yrs
immigrant kids shown pics of their ethnicity & Anglos
58% West Indians & 45% Asians say their ethnicity=bad
82% West Indians & 77% Asians say their ethnicity=ugly 1
immigrants have lots of probs e.g. bad self image bc of biases

Some minor probs immigrants just have to deal w (from Buzzfeed)
gaps in pop culture knowledge
whether to reinforce stereotypes or break them
miss home food
jetlag

2. + Effects: good to have >1 culture 4
immigrants have broader, worldwide views on subjects
When they first can't communicate they observe a lot, view language as more important,
become better listeners, & others can learn things from immigrants too 1
know >1 language (& when immigrate as kid its easier to learn)
adapt well to change 6, 7, 8
Immigration can cause a lot of probs for the individual but we shouldnt bar em from the country bc they
benefit society and immigration is really helpful for the person too if correct action is taken.

IV. Refutation
A. Immigration
1. Opponents: immigration isnt that good bc only help w economy

2. Me: ppl from places w low immigration (Egypt & Peru) have higher % of
immigrating=>help US become even more diverse &volatile (More immigrants to US per
yr than anywhere else) 5
It's known as the "land of freedom and opportunity"
others can learn things from immigrants too 1
wrong to look at only someones economic value over family and refugees (morals) 3

B. Neg effects of immigration: could resist change & hide from new things
some kids cant take it & need to go back home country
some just stay in US but never part of the new or old culture 1

Conclusion
Immigration=good bc it helps society & the person. Though it can harm the person, there are many things
we could easily do to help. We=the immigrants & their family/peers/teachers. So to help immigration
become smoother, we need to do things to help them.

*Cristina Igoa is an educator for immigrant kids and she questioned the kids yrs later when they were
close to adults or adults to analyze & develop a better understanding of what happened

Bibliography
Barta, Michael T., ed. "Being an Immigrant or First-Generation-American Teen." Teen Health and
Wellness. Rosenberg Publishing, 2013. Web. 12 May 2014.
Barta, Michael T., ed. "Parents Are Immigrants or New Citizens." Teen Health and Wellness. Rosenberg
Publishing, 2013. Web. 12 May 2014.
Donovan, Emily. "Growing Up in Multicultural Homes." The Harbinger Online RSS. The Harbinger, 12
Dec. 2011. Web. 28 Apr. 2014. <http://smeharbinger.net/featured/students-live-in-bicultural-
homes>.
Igoa, Cristina. The Inner World of the Immigrant Child. Ed. Naomi Silverman. New York: St. Martin's,
1995. Print.
Jha, Rega. "27 Struggles Every International Student At An American College Knows Too Well."
BuzzFeed. Buzz Feed Inc., 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/struggles-every-international-student-at-an-american-coll>.
Jost, Kenneth. "Bilingual Education vs English Immersion." CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press, 11 Dec.
2009. Web. 5 May 2014.
Khan, Tarana. "Growing Up in a Multicultural Environment - Mama Smiles - Joyful Parenting." Mama
Smiles Joyful Parenting. Mary Anne, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
<http://mamasmiles.com/growing-up-in-a-multicultural-environment/>.
Turnbull, Helen. "Inclusion, Exclusion, Illusion and Collusion." Tedx. Palm Beach County, Florida, USA,
Delray Beach. 2 May 2014. YouTube. Web. 2 May 2014.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdV8OpXhl2g>.
Wanlund, Bill. "Changing Demographics." CQ Researcher Online. CQ Press, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 6 May
2014.